Chapter 21: Instructions and Procedures

Instructions are steps for completing a task or series of tasks, while procedures serve as official guidelines. Like other documents, it is important to consider your audience and purpose before you prepare your instructions. Focus on what people expect to learn from your instructions.


Instructional documents can also take on several different formats, including: manuals (instructions for many tasks), brief reference cards (fit on a single page or less), instructional brochures (distributed to a broad audience), hyperlinked instructions (can match any audience's needs), and online instructions (a digital version of a print manual).


Instructional documents can carry some serious ethical and legal implications. Some examples of faulty instructions that can create legal liability include (Lannon, pg. 488):

• Failure to instruct and caution users in the proper use of a product.
• Failure to warn against hazards from proper use of a product.
• Failure to warn against the possible misuses of a  product.
• Failure to explain a product's benefits and risks in language that average consumers can understand.
• Failure to convey the extent of risk with forceful language.
• Failure to display warnings prominently.

Effective documents will also have some of the same elements. They will include a clear and limiting title, which give a forecast of what the task will be. The content will be informed, and the procedure should be clear. Visuals promote interest, commitment, or action, as well. You should also include the appropriate level of detail and technicality, which will depend on who your audience is and what they need. You should also provide background information and appropriate details. This means you should focus on the task and not the product itself, reinforcing your statement with adequate visuals. Examples are also very helpful. It's also a good idea to anticipate when things go wrong and how to correct them. Steps should be ordered logically, and possible hazard should be noted. Instructions are normally for people who want to take immediate action, so your steps should be easy to read quickly.

Your instructions should probably have an outline as well. Outlines generally have the same elements: an introduction, a body with required steps, and a conclusion. The conclusion can be a summary, a description of the results, an offering of follow-up advice,  and troubleshooting advice.

Instructions can also be in a digital format, which is nice because the cost of printing and updating instructions is rising. It's easy and common to convert instructions to PDF files, which retain their original format. Instructions can also come of CDs, and some may be built into software programs. Video instructions may also be helpful when providing "how-to" instructions.

Due to the aforementioned legal and ethical issues that may arise, it is important to conduct usability evaluations of your instructional documents. You can set up focus groups or think-aloud evaluations to do this.

Procedures set up a set of guidelines, and they keep everyone on the same page and also help to ensure safety.

Group Discussion Question: When would you need a procedure, as opposed to just a set of instructions?