To: Nancy Myers

From: Christopher Tyler

Date: February 1, 2022
Re: APLED 121-Chapter 15 Summary

CHAPTER 15
INSTRUCTIONS, USER MANUALS, AND STANDARD OPERATING
PROCEDURES

• Why Write instructions?

➢ Instructions are important to help people complete the task they are set out to do.
Whether that be baking a cake, setting up a mp3 player or the construction of
electrical equipment.

• Criteria for Writing Instructions

o Audience Recognition
▪ Do not assume that your audience has high-tech experience. This avoids
any confusion in your instructions.
o Ethical Instructions
▪ You need to meet your audience’s needs as professional writer. Correctly
and clearly citing sources of information helps avoid plagiarism. This
includes:
• Legalities in User Manuals
• Practicalities in User Manuals
o Components of Instructions
▪ Different instructions will have different components from a few
numbered steps to multiple components such as:
• Glossary of Terms
• Corporate Contact Information
• Table of Contents
• Hazards!
• List of Required tools/equipment
o Title Page
▪ Title pages consist of the topic in which you are writing, the purpose of
the instructions and an image depicting your product or service that your
company offers.
o Safety Requirements
▪ Prefacing your text with hazard notations lets your audience be aware the
dangers, warnings and cautions in advance of performing instructions.
▪ Safety requirements can be placed anywhere throughout your text. These
can be emphasized by colors, text and icons.
o Table of Contents
▪ Your table of contents should allow your reader to access individual
sections as needed to be effective.
o Introduction
▪ Since companies have little interaction with the customer, introductions in
manuals are typically reader-friendly and include audience recognition.
This helps create a more involved reading that feels more personal.
o Glossary
▪ Use a glossary to define
• Abbreviations
• Acronyms
• Technical terms
o Required Tools or Equipment
▪ Provide through text or graphic depictions the tools or equipment required
to complete the task.
o Instructional Steps
▪ The most important part of your manual
▪ Organize the steps Chronologically
• List your steps in the order that are performed. Don’t have the
reader bouncing back and forth from step 10 to step 5 then 7.
▪ Number your steps
• Do not use bullets or letters because they are limited and will
require your reader to count steps when using bullet points.
▪ Use Highlighting Techniques
• Bold faced text, different font sizes, colors and italics can be used
to point out to special concerns such as warnings or hazards that
must be apparent to the reader.
▪ Limit the Information Within Each Step
• Do not overload your reader with information in your steps.
▪ Develop Your Points Thoroughly
• Clarify directions, equipment/tools needed and cautions.
▪ Use Short Words, Short Sentences, and Short Paragraphs
▪ Begin Your Steps with Verbs
• Organize
• Limit
• Develop
▪ Do Not Omit Articles
• A, an, and the. They are a part of our language.
o Additional Components
▪ Additional Components can include:
• Technical Descriptions
• Warranties
• Accessories
• Frequently asked questions
• Corporate Contact Information
 o Graphics
▪ Use drawings, screen captures and photographs to make your instructions
more visually appealing and easier to understand.

• Collaboration to Create User Manuals

➢ Collaboration is essential for teams that write user manuals because they are often
long and complex which requires information from different job types.
• Instructional videos
➢ Videos are a great way to show your user how to perform steps in your
instructions rather than read plain text. Videos can also be accessed pretty much
anywhere these days as everyone owns a smartphone or has access to a computer.
• Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)
o Reasons for Writing an SOP?
▪ Ensures accurate job performance and overall quality of the product.
▪ Makes sure government regulations are followed.
o Components of SOPs
▪ Contain many of the same components as user manuals, except, that SOPs
have several different parts. The SOPs components are as follow:
• Title Page
• Scope and Applicability
• Summary of Method
• Interferences
• Personal Qualifications/Responsibilities
• Equipment and Supplies
• Data and Record Management
• Quality Control and Quality Assurance
• References
• Test for Usability
➢ We can test the usability of an SOP a set of instructions be seeing if they help our
audience as intended. We can test the usability as follows:
1. Select a test audience
2. Ask the audience to test the instructions
3. Monitor the audience.
4. Time the team members
5. Quantify the audience’s responses
• The Writing Process at Work
o Prewriting
▪ Flow charts are an excellent choice for prewriting and gives you a
panoramic view of the entire sequence/operation.
o Writing
▪ Write your rough draft and review it for improvement.
o Rewriting
▪ Revise your rough draft by removing unnecessary transition words,
including a title page and screen captures/images to increase clarity.