For this week’s Weekly Writing Assignment, write a memo addressed to Prof. Ellis with the subject, “Instruction Manual Challenges and Solutions,” and about 250 words in length. In the body of your memo, discuss challenges that you faced while drafting your instruction manual and explain how you overcame those challenges. The challenges can come from any part of the writing process so far or any aspect of the project. After you’ve drafted your memo some place safe, copy-and-paste it into a comment added to this post on our OpenLab site.
Remember that next week is Spring Recess, so you have two weeks to work on this. It is due Wed., April 7.
TO: Prof. Jason Ellis
FROM: Richard Rivera Urgiles
DATE: 04/07/2021
SUBJECT: Instruction Manual Challenges and Solutions
I experienced a couple of challenges, one of which that had to do with the organization of my manual. I was not sure whether to leave a part that I did where it was at or move it further down the document. What I did to resolve this issue was ask for feedback and I moved it. I resolved another issue I had the same way, but the issue was meeting the word count. I was allowed to go over the word count. Another challenge I had to face was the accuracy and precision of the manual. There are so many screws, cables, and pins involved with a typical instructional manual that I was not able to illustrate it therefore what I did was not go for that route and make the illustrations as accurate as I possibly could where it is at least understandable what is happening and what I am showing. I was also concerned that I was not going to have any references because I made everything in the document myself and did not feel like I needed any, but I realized I was able to use it for the troubleshooting section which I did, and it made my manual stronger. I believe that is all the challenges I faced and how I resolved them.
TO: Prof. Jason Ellis.
FROM: Motahear Hossain.
DATE: 04/7/2021.
SUBJECT: Instruction Manual Challenges and Solutions.
Challenges: Writing an Instruction manual is very challenging since I have never done this before. After choosing the Instructional manual subject, the next most problematic issue was how to explain that to someone who is going to follow this. I need to think like a user while writing every step so the reader can follow along with my instruction. Another most challenging issue I face is how to make a software work (creating a database) step by step and what I should write down in the tools section because the subject I select is not something done materially. Another challenging issue I found is to write Safety and Disclaimer section. To write down troubleshooting, was difficult too. Because while creating a database, there might be many errors and issues the creator will face. In that case, the creator needs to find out what was the mistake he made previously. That is why every error is not possible to write down unless it is a common mistake.
Solutions: To write the Instructional manual easy and understandable, I try to write every possible step. Therefore, users will not get confused while following it. Since readers may not understand some steps if they just read the Instructional manual; however, having a picture of each period is significant. For Safety and Disclaimer section, I only focus on what most people forget to do, like save the file or type SQL command commit to redeemable in the system.
TO: Prof. Jason Ellis
FROM: Ralph Ayala
DATE: 04/07/2021
SUBJECT: Instruction Manual Challenges and Solutions
There were small challenges I faced during the process of my instruction manual. One of the difficulties I have is understanding what do I include for the abbreviations. I understand what information to put inside, but it is about what kind of abbreviations do I include? I figured I would fill in the information for section 1.5 at a later date as I move forward with the assignment so I can understand what kind of abbreviations I can fill in for that section. Another challenge I had was describing the equipment parts. Since my topic for the manual does not involve a lot of equipment parts I decided to describe the basic parts that are included in the manual. A big challenge I am currently having is understanding what to fill in for section 3. I am having trouble understanding what kind of information to put inside section 3 since my manual is about how to use Windows 10. I decided to ask the professor for more guidance on this section in the hopes that I can surpass this obstacle and move on to section 4 during the weekend. A small issue I had is trying to figure out what information I need to fill in for each section of the paper, but I am using the week 7 discussion video to guide me on that process. My goal now is to accomplish finish section 4 over the weekend or perhaps look for resources to help me on my paper.
To: Prof. Ellis
From: Matthew Rupchand
Date: 04/6/2021
Subject: Instruction Manual Challenges and Solutions
One challenge that I have faced when writing the instruction manual was trying to remember all of the steps that I’ve had taken when I took charge of upgrading all the computers at my job to Windows 10. I had overcome this challenge when I returned to work I retraced my steps to see how exactly each step went. Another challenge that I had faced was the motivation section. I found a solution to this by thinking when would I need a manual for this or when someone in the same job as me might need help with knowing how to upgrade computers to Windows 10 in such a large school setting. It could be difficult and time-consuming especially when each department such as admissions or Financial Aid needs their computer at all times to help students.
TO: Prof. Ellis
FROM: Angela Hernandez
DATE: 04/07/2021
SUBJECT: Instruction Manual Challenges and Solutions
The challenges of writing an instruction manual were many. I’d never written an instruction manual before so it was difficult knowing where and how to start. Knowing where to begin is always the most difficult step but I found that by following along what was shown to me in the lecture video was helpful in getting started. By creating the table of contents, I was able to pinpoint where I could start and continue from there. Some of the other challenges I faced were what to include in the manual as I didn’t want it to be too dense or too difficult to follow along. As I was writing the different steps, I tried making it as simple as possible while also providing images so the user would be able to follow along without getting confused. I included as much information as I could that I thought was necessary and relevant but was mindful not to go too in depth as I didn’t want to bombard the user with too much information that might potentially confuse them. I was worried how I was going to address the troubleshooting section of the manual as there are so many things that can go wrong when using tools like a terminal on a PC because many people might not be familiar or comfortable with using such a tool but I think by providing images and clear instructions, people will be able to follow along easily and if there are any issues, the resources I provided for troubleshooting should prove helpful.
TO: Prof. Jason Ellis
FROM: Zeela Rafija
DATE: 04/07/2021
SUBJECT: Instruction Manual Challenges and Solutions
Creating a instructions manual from the scratch was a big challenge for me for multiple issues. First of all, lack of prior experience. It was my very first time that I am working on this kind of assignment, which was writing instructional manual. Understanding the assignment requirements was difficult initially. Another challenging part of it was converting workflow into instructional Manual. Last, creating a instruction manual easily understandable for all group of reader such as technical and non-technical was not a easy task also.
I have done a project before which was building a workstation pc earlier. Tried to follow most of the required instructions of the assignment. But understanding instructions and implementation, accordingly, was not that easy for me initially. I was so confused about the descriptions and their relevant images that I should mention and add on my manual which would be understandable to the readers. It was not easy to add all the necessary flowcharts. If I would have forgot to add any of those steps, it could have been difficult to understand for the readers. Also, I had to keep in mind the total word limit. I tried to go over the assignment requirement multiple times, for better understanding of instructions and requirements fully. Understanding the requirement is the very first step of creation of an informative and good looking manual. Also, I took as many screenshots as possible of the flowchart for making it more understandable for all kind of readers.
To: Prof. Ellis
From: Pavel Hlinin
Date: April 7, 2021
Subject: Instruction Manual Challenges and Solutions
Instruction manual challenges mostly are related to choosing the words in description of the process. I choose a topic “how to troubleshoot AC” which includes many terms and words that are specific for this topic. It is hard to explain the topic using not too many of these words and without deep going into the explanation of the meaning of these words at the same time. Also, this is hard to clearly explain all steps and make them understandable to the readers. I think that if the reader has some knowledge in AC’s troubleshooting, my instruction will be clear and understandable for this reader. However, I think that everyone who will read my manual should understand what I want to say no matter how well they are familiar with the topic. That is a challenge: to make the manual easy for understanding and written in professional words at the same time.
To: Prof. Ellis
From: Tarin Sultana
Date: 04/07/2021
Subject: Instruction Manual Challenges and Solutions
When it comes to the instruction manual writing challenge, I faced many challenges because I have never done it before. The first step was difficult, and I don’t know from what part I should start. However, Professor Ellis provides us with all the stages that we have to do and gives us a perfect example of the Skateboard Blog Post, which we can follow as an instruction. But for me, it was not easy at first, but I overcame it by watching the lecture video more than once and the second time when I took notes from it. While writing the manual, I had to think about the reader. It has to be clear, more specific, and easy to read because it might be the first time for the reader, and if they do not know anything about it, it would be harder for them to install and set up. I tried to add pictures and screenshots as much as I could. So, the most challenging time while writing manuals is taking the screenshots. There are a bunch of different versions/features for Linux. So, while I was downloading, I was not sure if it would work or not. But still, I took the screenshot, which I started downloading. But unfortunately, the first version did not work for me. So, I had to download another feature and took the screenshot. However, I tried to make my manual instruction simple to understand the user and follow the steps correctly.
TO: Prof. Ellis
FROM: MD Jahirul Hasan
DATE: 04/07/2021
SUBJECT: Instruction Manual Challenges and Solutions
There are some challenges I encountered during the writing of my instruction manual. I never wrote an instruction manual before and I was little confused at the beginning. The first challenges I faced was how to separate the chapters and what to information to put in them. I wanted to write something that is engaging for my readers and easy to follow. Another challenge I faced was how many steps do I want to write in my instruction manual which will be easy to understand. In my case, I am writing about building an Android app. This type of projects requires a lot of focus because I might be having some errors in the code at the end. Then I started thinking about the pictures that I want to include. I am a big fan of having pictures in the instruction manual because I believe it helps the audience to understand from the pictures if they don’t understand it from the writings. So, I begin with the explanation of an Android app. Then, I added the list of materials and equipment needed to make this project successful. After that, I directly went for step by step process of building an Android app.
Memo: Wireless Network Training Manual
TO: Professor Ellis
FROM:
DATE: May 17th 2021
SUBJECT: Instruction Manual Challenges and Solutions
I indulged indeveloping and designing a training manual on wireless networks. The primary goal of the instructional menu is to simplify information and offer practical information on how wireless network works while using routers. The primary reason is to provide grade eight with viable comprehension of the concept. In this Memo, I write to identify the core challenges I experienced while designing the manual and offering the core steps I utilized to overcome them.
The core challenge I can reflect on in developing the manual is drafting comprehensive information precisely. The wireless network application procedure is complex, and it requires a thorough understanding of critical aspects in a deeper meaning. It wasn’t easy highlighting it in a concise manner that will guide a student effectively. The solution I applied to deal with the challenge is pinpointing the crucial details while utilizing diagrams to illustrate the extensive procedure. An example is a diagram that demonstrates the entire process of information and wireless transmission and the core devices necessary for the operation.
Additionally, I experienced difficulties providing smooth details of the wireless router, and I lacked product experience regarding the training. The absence of physical experience hindered my ability to offer factual and authentic information. However, I was able to find a solution to the problem. I visited a family friend who works as a computer technician, and he guided me on the whole procedure of wireless network applications, especially the router. I also did viable research from computer technology journals from scholars such as Okokpujie and Kavianpour. The two approaches provided me with the necessary details and first-hand information essential in developing the training manual.
I am glad for the opportunity to write a manual that prioritizes the needs of a grade eight wireless network users. It attributes understanding the product clearly and having a thorough comprehension in handling it to ensure efficiency and safety.