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Human Factors Guidelines for Writers of User Manuals

Instruction manuals and procedures can determine the user's success or failure with products and equipment such as household appliances, hand tools, computers, or machines. Writers of Instructions should use human factors guidelines to make sure that users readily grasp what they must do. When equipment is complicated, when users are handicapped by age or infirmity, or when equipment is used in distracting or stressful environments, the user's ability to absorb and process information may be heavily taxed. In these situations, procedures must be especially simple and unambiguous. Staff in the Assessment and Field Support Program (AFSP) of Oak Ridge Associated Universities recently taught a large group of engineers and technicians, who had no background in human factors, how to write user-friendly instructions and methods. This paper describes the approach AFSP staff took in preparing and delivering this course.