How to Write a Manual: Work Instructions
We’ve taken the principles needed to write a manual (and make it great), and applied them to the nuanced world of work instructions for the manufacturing industry.
SwipeGuide takes instructional design seriously. The philosophy and thought process behind why instructions and user manuals are effective is just as important as the content within them. All too often, we see [knowledge] delivery tools fail simply because of a poor design.
That’s why we’ve used the best of peer-reviewed academic research to become an authority on effective minimalist instructional design — and delivered this approach to some of the top manufacturers in the world.
Check out our page on minimalist instructional design to learn more about this research in detail.
Better instructions for a changing manufacturing industry.
We’ve all felt the effects of industry 4.0 on the manufacturing industry. Smarter machines, greater connectivity, and a blistering pace for production and operation on the shop floor.
This is good news for companies, but it also means that teams need knowledge-sharing solutions that keep pace with the rapid pace of [innovation and production] and provide connectivity across a global value chain.
The design and structure of your work instructions make a significant impact on the shop floor. By providing your end-users with clear and to-the-point work instructions, you can expect increased operational efficiency, reduced downtime, and more effective training procedures.
Structure and clarity are key in instructions
Structure is the key to saving time in basically everything — and the domain of work instructions is no exception. In order to write a work instruction, from the company’s perspective, and understand work instructions, from the end-user’s perspective, there has to be a clear and to-the-point structure. Based on academic research on instructional design and learnability, we have structured our platform into the following parts:
Every SwipeGuide work instruction follows this same, basic format. Having a consistent approach to structure allows our customers to reproduce quality work instructions with minimal effort. This model is a handy visual representation of the key components of our instructional approach:
- Guide
- Topic
- Instruction
- Step
Let’s have a look at these components in greater detail.
Guide.
The basic element of every instruction is the “guide.” You can see the guide as the entire paper booklet of a product, from first to the last page. It contains every topic, instruction, and step of how to use a specific product.
Instruction.
A guide consists of several different instructions. These instructions each contain a certain number of steps.
Step.
“Steps” are the detailed descriptions of instructions. They show the user the step-by-step process of performing a given task. There is a clear goal in every instruction, and the description of the goal should therefore always be task-oriented and to the point.
A step should consist of a clear visual (static image or short gif) supported by a clear task-centered sentence. For the highest level of learnability and clarity, the tasks should be described in active present tense (install, press, click, follow). You should also avoid long wordy sentences and we recommend to break down tasks into two or more sub-tasks when the user needs to perform several actions. A maximum of 10–12 steps is recommended for your instructions to be effective. When you want users to memorize a task, you should limit yourself to a maximum of 5–7 steps.
Additional information about the steps can be split up into four icons, that are based on the theory of information mapping:
1. Warning:
Regarding safety and things to know before usage, etc.
2. Tip:
More detailed description with extra information on how to perform the step, eg.
3. Alternative route:
A possible different way to perform the same task, eg. We’ve included an example from a popular consumer product below.
4. Fixes:
Things that often go wrong and how to fix them, eg.
When you’re done with your work instruction, you can share it with your end-users via a QR code embedded on a website with an iframe code, or a direct link.
Conclusion:
So, how can you write a great work instruction?
- Structure your work instructions in a clear, step-by-step instruction hierarchy
(guide — topic — instruction — step) - Use an active tone of voice when writing instructions.
- Keep it short and to the point.
- Use a clear visual to illustrate the step.
- Split up a task in several different sub-tasks.
- Separate all additional information in icons.
(warnings — tips — alternative routes — error fixes) - Share it with your end-users digitally.
Still curious? Check out our blog for the original post and much more.
