Project 1

Halle Ellal

1. Audience Needs Assessment

a. For my task, I decided to write instructions on how to sign up for a UNH parking
pass. One of my audiences could be college students if they are looking for a
reference on how to do it in the future without any predisposed information
about the process. Another audience could be specifically UNH students that
need to sign up for one for the upcoming semester.

In Scenario 1, general students may just be interested in how the parking system
works with the intent to enroll at the university. It is not always advertised that,
unless you are a commuter, first-year students cannot have a car on campus.
Their knowledge of the topic would be completely new because they have never
visited “mycharger” or have little knowledge from other notifications sent by the
university. Their expectations could be to find out when they are eligible to sign
up for a parking pass and further how to go about completing the task. Their
reading preferences would be an online platform because the system is online;
to have it at the time of signing up in a simultaneous window would be
beneficial. They could also be sent by mail.

In Scenario 2, enrolled UNH students may have attended informationals on how

to sign up, seen emails with general instructions prior to the date to sign up, or
even signed up for one already the previous year. These instructions would most
likely be preferred to be brief and serve as a refresher to background knowledge
on the topic. Since this platform is located in “mycharger” it would also be
beneficial to have these instructions online for the same purpose as Scenario 1.
 Instructions: Scenario 1

How to Register for a UNH Parking Pass

This set of instructions is used to explain to new students to the University of New Haven how
to register for a parking pass. If you are a freshman and plan to live on campus, this system
does not apply to you seeing as first years are NOT allowed to have a car on campus. If you are
commuting, then these directions will let you know how to sign up. If you have any further
trouble with registering, you can contact the university police department with any questions.
What you need:
Computer/ other device with internet capabilities (computers/tablets preferred)
Credit/debit card (NOT needed for commuter passes)
License
License Plate Number, make, and model of your vehicle

1. Create a “mycharger” account using the username and password sent by letter or email
to you by the University.
a. NOTE: if you need further instruction on how to create a “mycharger” account,
click here
2. Login to “mycharger” and make sure you are looking at the home screen.

3. Scroll down to the yellow “Alerts” heading.

4. Click the Sub-heading in blue named “Register for a Parking Pass Now”
5. Select “ Click here to login” in the upper right hand corner of the parking website.
 6. Enter the same username and password you used for “mycharger” to enter the parking
system
7. Click on the “Vehicles” sub-heading to register your vehicle including the license number
on the plate, license number on your form of state identification, and make and model
of the vehicle that the permit is going to be used for.
8. Click (+Order A Permit) located under the “Permits” sub-heading.
9. Read the “Terms of Service”
10. Click “I agree with the Terms of Service” button located on the bottom of the webpage.
11. Choose the option for which pass you are registering for.
a. NOTE: The graphic below is one example of a student’s options. Other options
may be applicable to you.

12. Follow the proceeding instructions on payment methods to complete the order for the
permit pass.
13. Check your email for confirmation your payment has been completed.

After paying for the parking pass, the pass can be picked up at designated locations sent out by
email as classes begin. If you need a refresher of the different buildings and locations, return to
“mycharger” and locate the parking alert which has a link to a campus map. Bring your license
and registration as proof that the vehicle is registered through the school and ensures that that
specific vehicle is yours. This system can also be re-visited for tickets for violations or other
outstanding fees regarding the parking system at UNH.
 Instructions: Scenario 2

How to Register for a UNH Parking Pass

This set of instructions is for University of New Haven students that are already familiar with
the parking pass registration process. If you are not a first year student, you are allowed to have
a vehicle on campus. If you need further instructions on where you are permitted to park, check
the University of New Haven website for the parking map.
What you need:
Credit/debit card (not needed for commuter students)
Device compatible with internet access (computers/tablets preferred)
NOTE: Check beforehand that your registration status (commuter vs. on-campus resident) is
correct before purchasing your pass to ensure the correct type is available to you.

1. Visit https://unhparking.newhaven.edu/
2. Click “Login” in the top right hand corner.
3. Click on the “Permits” tab located on the top of the page

4. Click the box “Order a New Parking Permit” on the right side of the webpage.
5. Read the “Terms of Agreement”
6. Click the button in the bottom right corner of the terms indicating that you agree to
proceed to the permit options.
7. Click the permit option available to you.
8. Enter your payment information to proceed to check-out for the pass.
9. Check your email for confirmation that your payment method is complete.

Keep a look-out for emails reviewing where to pick up your parking pass for the given timeline.
Remember to bring your license and registration when picking up your pass.
 Reflection
For this Project, both class readings and lessons were used to create effective
instructions. This project was a good way to look at a situation from different perspectives and
change the instruction style to fit the appropriate audience. The use of graphics was essential
for these instructions along with additional shapes to indicate exactly what the step was asking
the audience to complete; they also served as milestones to track the progress of the audience
to ensure they did not become lost while completing the task (especially for Scenario 1).
Scenario 2 was directed towards UNH students that have completed the process in the past, so
multiple graphics were not so much a necessity but rather a refresher since it is typically
completed once a year. Clarity was also a crucial aspect to consider when writing instructions.
We learned that if instructions are not clear, they can leave the audience with questions that
cannot be answered and negatively affect them completing the given task. The main reason an
audience would be using these set of instruction is to complete the task, so a title using either
the “How-to” or gerund format is essential. I decided to begin my instructions for Scenario 1
with logging into the “mycharger” portal because it is how everything can be accessed as a
student, and that may be new information to this audience. I also included a (fake) hyperlink to
a hypothetical new set of instructions for accessing “mycharger” if it still was not clear; these
directions are specifically for a parking pass, not the portal. Step 1 for Scenario 2 directly goes
to the parking website because it can be assumed UNH students already have background
knowledge in completing the task, and they do not need to know that “mycharger” is where to
get access to every school-related platform. Both sets of instructions included a “what you
need” list so before the audience sits down to complete the task they have everything they
need. The instructions follow a numbered format to organize the tasks, and there is only one
task per step so as not to overwhelm the audience, especially if they are completing it for the
first time. Parallel structure was kept in consideration as well as imperative mood; there was an
action word used at the beginning of every step.
These instructions could either be printed out, directly on the UNH website, or both. So
they are accessible to more people that could be walking around campus and coming across the
instructions or being sent to new students by mail with acceptance packages, they let students
know that the parking system is online and need a computer to be completed. Accessibility also
pertains to font, colors, and the length of these instructions. Both instructions use
predominately black text and then read text for the materials list to differentiate between
when the step-by-step instructions begin. The instructions for Scenario 1 are a little bit more
lengthy, but both are restricted to one page (Scenario 1 being double-sided). The only signal
words needed for these instructions were “notes” and also bolded to pick them out as not
being a part of the steps. There were brief conclusions at the end of each set of instructions,
denoted by italicizing, for follow up instructions once registration was completed.
I did not see a need for certain aspects to be included in these instructions, including an
introduction. Since the title was simple and used a viable format, it mentioned what the
instructions were for and the completion of the task they are viewing would be to register for a
UNH parking pass. I was able to repeat my steps after reviewing each set of instructions. For
Scenario 1, I pretended to have very basic knowledge on “mycharger” (because every new
student is sent their credentials early) and little to no knowledge on how the parking system
worked. For Scenario 2, I looked at from the perspective I have now as a student.