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Oh, I know the localization costs are the reasons the instructions are
graphical... it can get incredibly expensive! (I manage translations
for our tech writing group, and we translate into 30 languages.)
The instructions looked to be almost hand-drawn line art, and not very
good at that. If the graphics had been of better quality, perhaps I
might not have made my mistake. I'm just happy it was on a $12 piece of
furniture, and not a $400 piece I bought from them!
In our docs, we use lots of supporting graphics for the text. Also, all
parts are clearly labeled, right down to the various types of screws.
In some cases, you could complete a procedure by looking at the graphics
alone, but that is never the intention. Text and graphics work together
to provide a complete "picture" for the end user.
-Carla
________________________________
From: Jan Cohen [mailto:najnehoc -at- yahoo -dot- com]
Sent: Tuesday, July 31, 2007 8:12 AM
To: Martinek, Carla; techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: Re: Ikea method of technical writing (graphical instructions)
Illustrations can be very useful in clearing up any ambiguity in a set
of instructions, especially when you're writing to a general audience.
Some folks either don't like to use too many of them (or are told to
keep them to minimal numbers) because they can greatly increase page
count. In your case, perhaps an additional exploded view of the bottom
of the draw lining up with the front piece might have helped.
I personally have always thought that the right mix of text and graphics
can make for a set of very useful instructions, which can have very
positive effects on consumer satisfaction and sales. As far as products
for the general consumer are concerned, there's also what I consider the
relatively new practice of ensuring all parts in a kit are properly
labeled, *down to the screws and other small hardware*. I think it's
fantastic, and it made it dummy-proof in my recent assembly of both a
lawn cart and a yard sweeper for my lawn tractor.
In Ikea's case, I suspect they write the docs the way they do because of
their large international customer base. Maybe it helps keep
localization costs to a minimum.
jan cohen
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