Visual Instructions

Being a visual (right brain) type and left-handed, I created a Lego Toy® experiment where the pieces fly-in from left to right.  When I asked participants to use them, I notice all my subjects held the assembly in their left hand and assembled the parts with their right hand.  Basically, they were all right handed and had to mentally rotate the model in their mind to perform each task.  It wasn’t long before I realized that all my instructions had been using this “Left-handed design” which isn’t what the majority of the population needs.

You have no idea how hard it’s been to reverse the viewing angle when I create instructions now.  I still catch myself doing it “my way”, but for maximum effectiveness, I’m the one that has to reverse it in my mind at creation.  This really only means setting the camera from the left side of the assembly for each step, and then considering any background objects (if used) that need to be viewed in the scene.

For example, look at the CIMEX sample on the homepage where I managed to force myself to do it for you righty’s out there.  Notice the trash can off to the right.  Had I done it for a left-handed person, I would have had to use the bed on the left or a mirrored room.  So layout of the scene can be important and doing it right isn’t always just a matter of spinning the scene 90 degrees for the right camera angle.

The question now begs, what are other media specialists doing… and are they aligned to the rest of the world?  More importantly, what is the cognitive impact and speed handicap from having it rotated for your needs?

Most instructions waste my time and are cumbersome or misleading.  I’m a visual learner, but you might have other preferences.  Maybe you like certain instructions or have a better idea.  I’d like to hear your experiences as it relates to the instructions.

For example, I replaced a Garbage Disposal and my dishwasher started leaking on the floor (because I failed to remove the drain plug on the disposal unit).  I assumed I needed a new dishwasher or pump.  After 2 hours of removing the dishwasher, I realized it was the disposal – my mistake!  Anyone have this problem?

I didn’t follow the directions because they were so difficult to follow – multiple languages in columns, fine print, and no illustration to show the plug.  My problem is that I ignore instructions because I want to get done.  If instructions were only quick and easy to follow… that’s where I’m headed.

How do you like your instructions?  What’s your horror story, and how did it change your decision making for next time?