Document Development Exposition: Instructions and Usability Test Script

Explain in detail your document’s development from planning to finish, describing your
challenges, how you overcame them, and what you learned.
Planning
When I was first planning for this assignment, It took me a day or two to figure out what I will be
writing a manual about. Some ideas seemed too complex to instruct about, like 3D modeling, and
some seemed too broad of a concept to write about, like installing and using a drawing tablet. When
I was too tired trying to find ideas, I decided to play some minesweeper to get my mind off the topic
and that’s when I decided what my, well topic was going to be about: minesweeper.

First Draft (for peer editing)

When I started to write my first draft, I had no idea how detailed I needed to break down the steps
or how bunched up they needed to be. Instead of taking forever trying to figure out the structure, I
decided to write down just the steps that I felt necessary to play the game. I did not worry about
spacing the paragraphs or breaking it into steps.

After I finished doing that, I decided to establish some terms and symbols that is common while
playing the game, so the audience is familiar with it before reading the instructions. After that, I re-
read what I wrote and started to break the paragraph apart where I felt like the steps was different
from the rest. After I broke the steps into smaller steps, I numbered them.

Second Draft (for your packet)

After getting my peer-review, the first change I made was to the font. I changed the font to look less
formal and approachable for a instruction manual. Then I changed my steps. I had a bit of formal
tone, and the instructions seemed a bit too long and wordy for a quick instruction manual. So I tried
to reduce my words while still keeping the same meaning and changed the tone to be more user-
friendly and plain.

Final Draft (for your portfolio)

After receiving final revisions, I once again changed the font of the document. In my attempt to make
the font less formal, I made it a bit too childish, so I changed it to a decent font appropriate for an
instruction manual. Then, I learned that it is common practice to use the image itself instead of
saying what it is; for example, instead of defining what a flag is in a sentence, it is better to grab the
picture of the flag in that context and replace it with the word flag. Another major thing I learned
was that when including numbered instructions, it is important to start the instruction with a
command. Another information I learned was that it is necessary to say “For example” followed by
an image, and the “For example” is implied.