Animated assembly guides can beat static diagrams by making instructions clearer, easier to update, and more engaging.
When setting up a piece of domestic equipment recently, I was slightly irritated to find a thick ‘product safety’ booklet (a legal requirement) but no other paperwork. Where were the setup instructions and the user manual?
Then I found the QR code to get them.
I rolled my eyes, just as you’d expect from the old man that I’m becoming.
An hour later, I realised I should have been pleased. The online guides were delightful. There was a full text guide, as I’d have expected, but also a series of demonstration videos, which I realised got me up and running much more quickly (and thoroughly) than a text-based manual would have done.
However, it was the assembly guide that impressed me the most. I think many people struggle with the 2-D diagrams supplied with many products. The fault isn’t with the illustrators (who do their best) but with the limitations of paper. Online, however, there were animated illustrations that showed tab A twisting into slot B in a beautifully obvious way.
What’s more, as with any online presentation, the manufacturer will have had the option to update and improve the instructions at any time.
Software to create animations is now more powerful than ever, and those of us who have access to a graphic artist may find they’d be thrilled to be asked to create animations to explain anything around our products.