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Instruction Manuals: First Text then Pictures

June 11, 2002

Delft research on efficiency of text, images and animations in instruction manuals

Instruction Manuals: First Text then Pictures

In instruction manuals, the use of text is most efficient for short-term learning and images are most efficient for the longer term. This is one of the conclusions from the thesis of Piet Westendorp, which he defended on the 10th of June at TU Delft. This PhD project offers many more possible points of improvement for manuals and the interaction with the user. One of the points: "Consistence in operating procedures is more important for ease of use than variation in freedom of operating options."

Nowadays, more and more possibilities are being built into products. When at first every button had one function, now every button has multiple functions in combination with one or more other buttons. Westendorp: "It all started with the introduction of quartz watches, four buttons with twenty functions."

Because products are quickly becoming more complex, the instructions for the use of the product are becoming more and more important. The problem is that very complex processes must be explained in a simple manner. "It is no small task to explain the workings of a complex product, in one manual, to a very large target group," says Westendorp. In his thesis he offers many points for the improvement of manuals and their interaction with users. In doing so, he uses the following guidelines: social level; communication between the makers and the users of a product; meso-level (interaction of user with product or instruction manual); psychological level (the users' thinking patterns).

"When designing user interfaces, one does not take into account the supporting information, such as online help systems, instruction manuals, tutorials and guided tours," says Westendorp. At this level, there is a kind of triangular relationship between the user, the manual and the product. "In this triangle, it is important to know how the user processes information."

Westendorp: "Tests we have done have shown that directly performing tasks on complex electronic equipment is the most efficient way of learning, images are less efficient, and animations are the least efficient." Westendorp argues that text is the most efficient, because images are not processed in our brains as images and must therefore be mentally converted before the user can perform the instruction. "However, the long-term learning effect is improved by the use of pictures and animations." Using the insight he has gained during this project, Westendorp would like to continue in the development of user manuals.

Delft University of Technology