Guidelines for Developing Instructions / Edition 1

by Kay Inaba, Stuart O. Parsons, Robert J. Smillie

Overview

Confusing, inadequate instructions for setting up and using consumer products are not only unhelpful, but potentially dangerous. They may contain wrong information, poor warnings, and no pictures or illustrations. Standards are either non-existent or little known, even though the U.S. government has developed and tested standards for the past thirty years. This book presents a set of guidelines written by The Human Factors and Ergonomics Society that have been tested by human factor specialists. This expert advice is applicable to writing assembly procedures, operational procedures, and user, shop, and repair manuals.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780415322096
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	03/15/2004
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Kay Inaba, Stuart O. Parsons, Robert J. Smillie

Table of Contents

Introduction. General Considerations. General Presentation Principles. Information to Plan the Work. Graphics. Language Control. Text and Format Specifications and Rules. Preparing the Instructions. Special Considerations: Instructions for Maintenance and Software.

Editorial Reviews

"I recommend this book to anyone interested in writing effective procedural instructions."
-Ergonomics in Design

"[This book] is a thorough, methodical manual, which delivers just what its title promises. The process of this very specific type of writing is clearly laid out in overview and broken down into manageable steps; clearly this same excellent process was utilized in the preparation of this volume. … Highly recommended for academic, special or public libraries supporting technical writers and those in need of assistance with developing technical materials; in addition, for its attention to detail and the planning process, this source would likely be useful to anyone who develops instructional materials for any audience."
-E-Streams

"In the past, when I have taught a course on task-oriented communication, I have used a [different] text book … . In the future, I will use 'Guidelines for Developing Instructions' instead."
-Technical Communication

From the Publisher