Amer Lit
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After reviewing the instructions I brought to class from my Chiltons manual, I decided that they exhibited none of the characteristics of good instructions as described by Anderson. The instructions were primarily text, and it was difficult to determine what steps went with which diagrams. It was also difficult to tell at a glance what the next step in a particular task would be. I have always been annoyed by this presentation. I have found the entire book rather confusing to use while working on my car. I decided, then, to create my own instructions for the task of changing the engine oil in my car, a 1992 Pontiac Firebird.
I have changed the oil in my car several times and figured that I could tell someone how to do it quite easily, at least better than the fine people at Chiltons. While I was creating the instructions, I reflected on the idea mentioned in class that these types of instructions might be laminated. Because of this, I added check boxes by each step so that the user could mark of each step as they completed them, and the entire thing could be wiped clean after use.
While writing the instructions, I quickly realized that they would be far longer than one page front and back. I still wanted to keep as much as possible on one sheet so I came up with the idea of printing the instructions on a folder. The idea behind this is that this set of instructions would be a part of a larger set, similar to Chiltons. The set would consist of a laminated set of instructions like these for every major repair task. These could be purchased individually or in sets, depending on the needs of the buyer.
I admit that these would take up more room than the Chiltons manuals, but they would also be much more functional. Rather than photocopying pages or risking destroying an entire manual while working on a car, the user can simply take whichever set they need to the car with them. With the folder design for each set, the do-it-yourself mechanic