Instructions

Often, instructions are as important as the product they're for. 'It was difficult to use' actually means 'the instructions weren't clear'.

Getting the instructions right mean customers spend less time complaining (to anyone who'll listen) and more time getting to know and love the product or service, and the brand behind it.

Instruction design projects // Blog posts // Top

Projects

Plain Language in Plain English book design

I was recently asked to contribute to the design chapter of Plain Language in Plain English by Cheryl Stephens. Presumably what I had to say was fairly convincing, because no sooner had I finished the writing than I was asked to design the book as well.

See the full Plain Language in Plain English book design page

Projects

Operational instructions

Design work for instructions to carry out repairs on industrial machinery – part of a free document review

See the full Operational instructions page

Blog posts about forms // Projects // Top

Blog

Lego goes all legal

In this time of health and safety madness, I noticed that Lego have added these little warning icons to avoid your little darlings causing bodily damage to other little darlings.

safety information on children's Harry Potter lego instructions

Bearing in mind that Lego have become the masters of non-wordy instructions (something that IKEA do rather less successfully) by sticking to their point-of-view instructions, this addition seems odd – and confusing, especially if you’re 6 and just finished building this bit and then get told to fling it across the room.

See the full Lego goes all legal page

Blog

Baby talk

I have a young daughter and I’ve discovered that teaching her the important lessons in life (such as how to put her own dvds on) has very direct comparisons with the kind of work I do. It’s all a question of how much she needs to know without providing distracting information. “First press the big [...]

See the full Baby talk page

Blog

Information design for breakfast

Many years ago I used to work at a McDonalds. In fact I even got refused a job at a McDonalds because I wasn’t considering it as a career. Still, I haven’t held either of these facts against them and still occasionally eat their breakfasts. On my latest trip I noticed a neat solution in [...]

See the full Information design for breakfast page