Instructions – SKIS (Seriously, Keep It Simple

Instructions – SKIS (Seriously, Keep It Simple

By Jane B. Fraser

I’m a technical writer, and whenever I write instructions, I keep them as simple as possible. We have all experienced frustration in trying to decipher a technical manual that comes with our iPod, DVR, cell phone, etc. that assumes we know more than we do. It’s either that, or the information is listed in some arcane way so that you really can’t find the answers you need.

Case in point: my parents drive a KIA van. They had it for years and never had a flat. Sure enough, one day they got a flat tire, and Dad asked Mom to read him the instructions in case there were any special instructions. She looked up “flat,” “tire,” “tire jack,” and so on, and could find nothing in the index about how to change a flat tire. Frustrated, she went through the index line by line and guess where the instructions were listed? They were under “I” for “If you have a flat tire.” I wish I made this up, but I didn’t.

I once wrote a detailed instruction manual for a software product. It was simple and clear, with easy step-by-step instructions written at a basic sixth-grade level (the U.S. standard national average reading level). During a document review meeting with a circle of high-level managers, it was said that the manual was “too simplistic” and should be written to a higher education level.

I asked them what level that should be, which sparked a heated discussion. Some felt the manual should be written at college level, others felt it should be written for highly technical people, and one spoke up passionately for a guide written for a PHD level.

So I told them I would gladly rewrite the manual and present the same information in three separate manuals: college level, high-tech level and PHD level. Most of the audience looked at me as if I had fiddler crabs crawling out of my ears. Someone said, “Well, that’s a stupid idea!” I told them I agreed completely, which is why I recommended that the manual remain as it was originally presented. These are the reasons I gave the group:

1. There will always be a new person joining the company who will need basic information about navigating the product.
2. If someone only needs to work in some areas of the product once in a while, having a basic guide will keep them from having to reinvent the wheel each time they need the information.
3. Not everyone on a team is at the same level. 

Grudgingly, they agreed to the basic (six-grade level) manual, and surprisingly, no one had a problem using or understanding it.

Good technical instruction is based on these user needs:

·       How do I start it?

·       How do I run it?

·       How do I stop it?

The best and most helpful instructions are consistent in their usage. For example, if you use the term “checkbox,” then keep on calling it a checkbox. Don’t use different terms for the same thing.

NOTE: If a company produces poor instructions for their product and the customer can’t understand it, then that company should prepare to lose sales and credibility in the marketplace. There’s an old saying: “The devil is in the details.” If you think that details don’t matter, you’re dead wrong. Clear instruction is critical and can cost a company dearly if not done right.

This is also why instructions and procedures absolutely need to be crafted by an instructional designer or technical writer. I can’t tell you how many interviews I’ve had where I’ve been asked how much I know about:

• Telecommunications
• Fiber optics
• Manufacturing
• F-16s
• Marine radar
• RFID technology

My answer to this has always been the same: the process of technical writing is similar to the process of driving a car. It doesn’t matter if the car is a Porsche, a Honda or a Toyota truck; the process of driving is the same. This goes for technical writing. The process of writing is the same, what changes is the subject. For that, we technical writers depend on our Subject Matter Experts, or SMEs. They supply the know-how and we supply it in clear, consistent instructions. This way, everybody gets to do what they do best and are paid to do. Best of all, the users reading the instructions get the information they need to do THEIR jobs, and they don’t have waste time calling the Help Desk, complaining to Customer Service and eventually becoming a non-customer. It’s a win-win all the way around.