Document Development Exposition: Instructions

Explain in detail your document’s development from planning to finish, describing your
challenges, how you overcame them, and what you learned.

Planning

When planning how I was going to write my instructions document, I first had to decide what I
wanted to write instructions for. Because I like to cook and am a frequent user of recipes, I decided
to write instructions for making a ham and cheese omelet. During this planning time, I had to make
decisions such as “do I want to include pictures in my instructions?” or “what hazards/warnings do I
need to include in my instructions to ensure the safety of the user?” Ultimately, I was in between
whether a warning was necessary as the user would be working with a hot stovetop, however I felt
images were not necessary if I used descriptive and precise language in the instruction steps.

First Draft (for peer editing)

For my first draft, I worked hard to ensure I was not leaving out any parts of the instructions, so that
when it was edited by my peers, they would mainly be editing the wording/descriptiveness of the
instruction steps. I was sure to include all the necessary ingredients, as well as proper/standard
measurements that users would recognize. Additionally, I felt a “preparations” section was necessary
as these steps needed to be completed yet were not part of the main set of instructions. One of the
hardest challenges I faced at this stage in the process was writing clear and concise steps that the
user would be able to understand. For some steps, especially step number four, I rewrote it a couple
of different ways and then decide on which way I thought users would understand the best.

Second Draft (for your packet)

Overall, the feedback I received from peer review was positive, with minor edits/suggestions that I
took into consideration. For example, one of my peers thought a notice for a hot stovetop was
necessary, so I added that into my document in red font, so it stood out to the user. I also learned
that the headings in my document should be bolded, so I made sure to make that adjustment.
Additionally, I rewrote one or two of the steps under the “directions” heading to make it as
comprehendible as possible to the user.

Final Draft (for your portfolio)

To revise my instructions document one last time for my portfolio submission, I took into
consideration Dr. Sindelar’s feedback. One of the biggest changes/revisions I made were the
additions of an “Overview” section and “Materials Needed” section. In the overview, I briefly
describe what these instructions entail and what activity they assist the user with (in this case,
making a ham and cheese omelet). One last change I made to my document was that I changed the
“Note:” to a “Warning:” when warning the user of the possible dangers of working with a hot
stovetop.