The Best Instructions

In the readings for the past week, Don Norman vents on how cryptic most instructions for the simplest items are. You know what I mean, the multi paged instructions that come with your new appliance, furniture, or tech that seem like they were written in Chinese.

You know, these instructions. You receive twenty different pieces and the instructions give you no help as to how to assemble the object.

However, there are still some really useful instructions that have been hiding right in front of our noses that we do not give much credit to. The best example of clear instructions that I have found are Lego instructions.

These instructions are clear and concise and everyone can follow them. At the beginning of each step, you receive an accurate pictorial description of the piece or pieces needed and the quantity of pieces needed. It is clearly shown in the instructions how these pieces fit together. The steps are small enough that one does not become confused as to what has already been placed and what still needs to be placed. No words are used, so you do not have to scroll through the list until you find your language. If all the instructions in the wold were like Lego's, the world would be a less confusing place.