Documentation/Instructions Project

Document Actions

ENGL 305 Project 3 Fall 2005

Assignment

Instructions are important documents in the real world. They are the way companies connect to their customers. They structure the way individuals do their jobs. They make sure everyone does the same thing for the same task. They can make sure people performing tasks do so safely and effectively. Unfortunately, instructions are often the worst-written documents we encounter: they miss steps, fail to orient the reader to important tools or concepts, assume too much or explain too much, and generally confuse the reader who is already unfamiliar with the task. Writing instructions is harder than it seems, but more important than we assume.

For this assignment, you will document a task - you will write instructions for that task - for users who have not necessarily worked through the process that you are describing. Your instructions will include both text and visuals and should allow even novice users to move successfully through your selected step-by-step process.

Some sample tasks include:

cropping and resizing images in Photoshop.
signing up for courses.
designing a webpage.
writing a poem.
testing soil.
scanning with an HP scanner.
making beeswax candles.
building a campfire.
cleaning a rifle.
getting past a particular level in Halo II.

Some tips on choosing a task:

DO choose something you are reasonably familiar with. If you are yourself a novice, you might miss steps and mislead the reader unknowingly.
DO choose a task with specific steps that aren't based on technique. "How to sink a free-throw" or "how to ballroom dance" are interesting topics, but a reader's success will depend on form, not function.
DO choose something appropriately complex. "How to fix a blister" involves too few steps for an effective paper.
ANY TASK INVOLVING COOKING OR MIXING DRINKS IS OFF-LIMITS FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT.

Your instructions should include:

a clear and limiting title.
appropriate level of technicality for the audience.
logically ordered steps.
appropriate use of warnings, cautions, and notes, including setting them off visually in the text.
active voice and imperative mood.
positive phrasing (RIGHT: "Examine your disk for dust contamination" vs. WRONG: "Verify that your disk is not contaminated with dust").
transitions that mark time and sequence.
accessible format, including headers, white space, and appropriate document design conventions.
visual aids that are documented and referenced.
three page minimum + cover sheet.