Reading Response #4

In terms of writing for instructions as opposed to a brochure, the language needs to be clearer. There need to be warnings, precautions, etc, that basically protect the writer of the instructions in the case of injury on the part of the person carrying out the instructions. Instructions also need to be accurate. All technical writing needs to be precise, but instructions all the more so, especially if they detail something that could be potentially dangerous.

The manuals that people brought into class were interesting, especially the one for wearing the bike helmet properly. All that information, just for a helmet! It’s funny, in a way, the lengths to which writers need to go in order to ensure they won’t be sued.

Instructions also need to be written with design in mind. A lot of manuals—in particular those from IKEA—seem to consist of nothing but pictures. At least, this seems to be the case to me. When I moved into my apartment a few weeks ago, all the furniture I brought with me needed to be put together, and all the instructions were written in diagrams. If there were words, they were only to explain what part was what or what number to call if I was having problems putting something together. They weren’t always clear, and they were sometimes hard to understand. If instructions aren’t designed with flow and clarity in mind, then no one will be able to understand them.

On another note, it’s interesting watching Helvetica from a technical writing standpoint. I first watched part of the film in a graphic design history class, and I loved it. Now, though, applying it to technical writing makes it even better. We studied type a little bit as a part of graphic design history, and it was probably one of my favorite topics. It’s amazing the difference a typeface can make on a project—there were a few times when it was the difference between a great project and a mediocre one. Typeface has an influence on instructions in particular because being able to easily read what you’re supposed to do is as important as being able to understand the diagrams that accompany the words.