How To Write
Product Instructions

Instruction writing must
match your target audience

Wherever practical, instructions should be written by someone who knows as much as, but no more than, the audience. For any form of instructions to be followed by non-technical users, the writer should assume zero prior knowledge and the best way to ensure s/he does that, is if s/he doesn’t have any prior knowledge her/himself.

Key tips for well-written instructions:

** Approach it with logic and common sense
** Don’t assume any prior knowledge on reader’s part
** Start right at the beginning of the process
** Use simple, plain language in short sentences
** Use "active voice," not "passive voice" (e.g. "take the lid off now" rather than "the lid should be taken off at this point
** Keep each step separate, no matter how simple you think it is
** If you use illustrations, make sure they’re clear and uncomplicated
** If using translations, get each language version “reality checked” by a native speaker

Finally, you need to test the instructions on people who are genuinely typical of the target audience. And that means, preferably, people outside your organization. Someone in the next office may not have tried assembling the item before, but is still likely to have some prior knowledge.

Keep an open mind

Still following along the same lines, for any product to be used by ordinary folks in the street, try also to get the instructions written by someone from a totally unrelated department or even from outside your organization. No matter how thoroughly you know your product, a fresh outsider’s view will often pick up on ways to improve the instructions--or even to improve the product itself.

There is nothing that will blacken the name of your product and your company faster than a customer like me not being able to put your product together easily. Although customers like me will get over it after taking a cold shower and asking the brainy next-door neighbor to interpret the instructions, we’ll probably remember all those bad things next time we’re shopping for the sort of products you sell. And we’ll buy your competitor’s instead.