…having a very scattered day. When writing directions, this is a good space in which to work. When writing directions on the web, this is especially true.
Assume that the person reading the instructions is not an idiot — no one wants to be talked down to. But grant that that person is distracted, or just having an off day. Be clear, but just as importantly, anticipate errors. This forethought will eliminate visitor frustration — both directed at you and self-directed as well. And frustration is an emotion that negatively reflects upon brand impression every time.
My case in point: the cupcakes I baked for my daughter’s third birthday party. And *I* baked them, not Tarrin. We’re talking three-year-olds. They do not need gourmet. And I wanted to do it. I’m a once-, maybe twice-a-year baker.
Anyway, I followed the directions exactly, as I knew that baking left no room for error or even improvisation. I saw what ingredients I needed, I prepared what I was to prepare. I mixed until the batter was smooth. I then saw that I was to bake for 40-43 minutes, set my timer and left my cupcakes to bake.
Twenty-five minutes later my kitchen smelled overwhelmingly deliciously vanilla-y, and I checked on the cupcakes only to see I had significantly overbaked them. The problem: I had read as far as I had seemingly needed to, but not the entire thing. My mistake, yes, but when writing directions, one must anticipate the ways in which you will be misread.
We used to have a very lo-tech and complicated order process requiring several clicks for our autographed by the author stickers. It saved us from having to have a shopping cart, and four years ago (when we built the first site), shopping carts were not very accessible. Our sales were okay, but not stellar. This year we revamped the site with an easier-to-use checkout and therefore much easier to follow directions. Our sales quadrupled nearly instantly. This could be attributed to a marketing blitz if we had done one, but we didn’t. It was all a prettier (see screenshot above), easier to use interface with straightforward directions.
The fate of the cupcakes? Luckily Trader Joe’s doesn’t close until nine. I bought a second box of mix and success was mine. The cupcakes baked for only 15 minutes and everyone seemed to enjoy them. And while I recommend always to read the directions through before starting, I also recommend to write directions with the harried, busy, browser in mind. Assume I am a smart woman, but give me the benefit of being really quite busy. Thanks.
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So true! So true!
And I remember being so pleasantly pleased when our sticker sales went up so significantly. We didn’t do a marketing blitz at all. Just goes to show you how far usability, really good navigation, and a visually pleasing site can get you!
Ah, the old every-oven-is-different problem. I don’t think I’ve ever had an oven that wasn’t off a bit in one direction or the other. I’m a big believer in oven thermometers. Get one.
And if that isn’t bad enough, baking pans and cookie sheets behave differently. For years I couldn’t seem to bake some of my favorite Christmas cookies successfully. Then my wise mother asked if I was using a different cookie sheet. Bingo! I had new ones that didn’t cook the same at all.
It’s always something.
To be fair, Candice, it wasn’t that the oven was different, it was that I didn’t read all the directions. This was unequivocally “driver error”, (she says sheepishly)
OK. I admit it. I coughed, hiccuped, and coughed again when I read the title and the last line of the post.
Then I thought.
I reached the conclusion years ago, for recipes, never go to my mother, but go to my father instead. He’s tell you step-by-step exactly what to measure when and what to add when. He’s an endocrinologist, the talent comes naturally from his years in the laboratory. Now, my mother is a statistician. So everything is always averaged out, taste a bit here, sprinkle that there, every time something a tad different, and impossible to duplicate.
Thanks for the baking advice. I truly need it. Tarrin is the master baker in this world. Her cupcakes are divine.
My issue was with the directions. Yes, y were correct, but they didn’t anticipate the easy way in which they could be misinterpreted. When writing web copy, especially directions, I regularly ask myself, “Now, if someone is distracted, how will this be misinterpreted, and can I do anything about that without inherently ruining the message.”
I can’t stand it when I go to a site that is not easy to find my way around it is so annoying. My favorite sites are easy to get around and find stuff I don’t want to have to work too hard to find the interesting things you know? If I go to a site that does not have clear buttons (I guess you call it navigation) and is confusing I will just leave that site because who wants to bother?
I’ve been invited to contribute to the redesign of of my new employer’s website – including adding a shopping cart – so thanks for the advice!
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