Best and Worst Instructions
shawn0226
StephaniePowell-GoodandBadInstructions1.rtfStephanie Powell
ENG 162-WA
Mr. Hricik
6/17/2011
Leave The Grille in the Box
Introduction
Summertime arrives and for some people this means off to Lowe’s to buy a new grill. My family has been meaning to buy a new grill for several years now, but was forced to this year when ours caught itself on fire. What is worse than assembling a new grill? Nothing. In this paper I am going to rate the Char-Broil Commercial Series Grill instructions based on the following criteria:
- Format
Visuals Used
Level of Detail
Format
The format of the instructions was horrible because they were not broken down into smaller sections for such a large assembly. There should have been sections in bold with their own instructions. For example, the side panel assembly should have its own section, where the building of the interior of the grill should have another. They should also italicize the parts being used in the step so the assembler can prepare themselves ahead of time. The screws came in a small box, but were labeled differently than the instructions. Because of that, the instructions look as if two separate individuals wrote them. Therefore, I would rank the format a four out of ten for lack of organization.
Visuals Used
The visuals used in the instructions were lacking information because they did not label any parts. They had step-by-step images with the instructions, but did not point out the added parts or indicate which screw to use. This would not have been so bad if there were not several different types of screws to choose from. Luckily, my father was familiar with the types of screws so he mostly knew where they went. If I were building this on my own, it would have been put back into the box and assembled at the store. Since the instructions were not user friendly, I am going to give the visuals a four out of ten also. The instructions at least contained pictures, but not well labeled ones.
Level of Detail
The level of detail in the instructions did not meet my expectations because the steps were unclear and the images had no captions. As I stated previously, the company provided many images but without any indication of what they added in each step. I also mentioned that they labeled the screws differently between the box they came in and the instructions, making it more difficult to put together than it should have been. The company should have given each type of screw a number or name to reference in the images or instructions. They should have also placed arrows or captions by the images to indicate what has been changed. If I would have tried to build the grill myself, it would have taken me many hours of trial and error. Based on that statement, I would give them a three out of ten for the level of detail.
Conclusion
The instructions should always be full of information and clear enough that an inexperienced individual could pick something up and be able to follow the instructions fluently. Since this was not the case for the Char-Broil grill, I would give their instructions an overall ranking of four out of ten.
Stephanie Powell
ENG 162-WA
Mr. Hricik
6/17/2011
Crimping in a Cinch
Introduction
When learning a new hobby or activity, one would typically need instructions to guide them through the process. Especially when dealing with electronics, one would not want to guess how to begin a crimping procedure. Just this past week I participated in a certification class for wire crimping. In this paper I am going to rate the instructions based on the following criteria:
- Format
Visuals Used
Level of Detail
Format
The format of the class was easy to learn from because the material was well thought out and organized. The company sponsoring the class, Panduit, had videos already made up, so the instructors only had to demonstrate. The videos were very easy to read because they consisted of bullets, bold lettering, and ranking of information. The ranking of information was very important because it helped the class in deciding what to pay greater attention to. The bold lettering also helped because it directed the class’s attention to the more important words in the sentence. As a result, I would give their use of format a nine out of ten. Why not a ten out of ten? I took off a point due to the fact that they chose boring background music, causing half of the class to fall asleep. If half of the class is asleep, who needs format anymore?
Visuals Used
The visuals used in this class were great because they allowed the class to fully learn and comprehend the material. The videos were extremely useful because they gave examples of when to use certain wires, and listed some rules for crimping. The instructors had obviously seen the videos many times before, since they were always right on cue with the demonstrations. The demonstration sets included a set of crimpers for each person, a box full of wires and connectors to crimp, and some reference books in case we needed extra help. As we watched the videos, we were able to follow along and learn to crimp different connectors onto the wires. The last wire we had to crimp was so large we had to use a power tool to attach the end piece! I would rank the visuals used a ten out of ten because the sponsor went above and beyond with the videos and demonstrations used.
Level of Detail
The level of detail in the class was outstanding because the videos started with the basics and worked their way up to the final procedure. A majority of the class have been crimping for several years, which is why I am surprised they started at the beginning. The videos started out by introducing the different types of wires (who knew there were so many types?), gradually transitioned into the meanings of wire colors, and then led to the types of end terminals/connectors that went with the different wire colors. They also made sure to spend time on how to decide which end terminal was right for the job. The company makes end terminals that are good for heavy vibration spots, for ground connectors, for heavy usage, and for light usage. They also made sure to spend time on how to decide which crimping tool gets used with which connector. I am also going to give the level of detail a ten out of ten since I was able to walk out of there and describe to my coworkers (in detail, of course) what I learned.
Conclusion
Overall, I would declare this class to have given great instructions. In a certification class such as this one, the company has to make sure they give clear, detailed instructions so the attendees can continue their outstanding work. They also need to be clear so that beginners, such as I, can walk away knowing we learned something.
