Ikea is known as a purveyor of build-it-yourself flatpack furniture. Lego is known as a purveyor of build-it-yourself toys. Both are known for their instructions. The latter’s are considered incredibly clear and useful, while the former’s are often derided as arcane and confusing—though the major difference between the two is color printing.
These two companies are great examples of why instructions are important. Indeed, Sonya Vasquez has learned this lesson well, and came down to Supercon 2023 to tell us all about it. Prepare to learn all about how to write great step-by-step instructions that enable greatness and never frustrate the end user.
This, Then This, Then This
Before we discuss the talk, it’s important we acknowledge something. The audio on Sonya’s talk is completely absent until about seven minutes in. Perhaps we should have put better instructions on the streaming computer’s mixing desk or something. In any case, it doesn’t harm much—when the audio comes in, Sonya is already telling us about one of her early builds.
The talk starts by looking at a fun little project—Sonya’s GameCube-Bot. It’s a simple robot chassis that fits into the plastic case of a Nintendo GameCube, allowing it to be driven around on the floor like an RC car. The result was both remarkably cute and nicely maneuverable. Initial reactions were positive, and that got Sonya thinking. “How do I share this with people?” she says. The answer? A more accessible build method, and of course—instructions!
Early on, Sonya used photographs for her assembly diagrams. However, she’s since found that producing in ..
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