LEGO Instructions

Here is a reliable link to the full set of instructions:

https://www.canva.com/design/DAGePB_nExw/NyvUC_9fEbiz36oUUG_zSw/edit

This third one entails more of my instruction writing skills; it features levels and steps to build a LEGO Jetski. I was assigned the assignment in RPW 335 Instruction Writing. We were tasked with writing instructions for a young audience on how to build our structures. The LEGO Instructions required me to think outside the box and use terminology familiar to an eight-year-old. Centering my writing around that age group was challenging, but it was important to accommodate my audience’s needs to help them build the proposed LEGO structure.

Context

My role was one of the group members who built, wrote, and designed the instructions. The project timeline was four weeks long. We first had to decide what we wanted to build, which was challenging itself. Three out of the four did not have much experience with LEGOs, and we had to keep it under a certain number of pieces, too. These constraints challenged us to think outside the box.

Here are the steps we took to successfully complete the project

1. Eventually, we decided to build a spaceship or Jetski-looking object based on the general consensus that it looked like the easiest thing to build.

2. We took pictures of all the pieces.

3. From there, we reverse-engineered the structure ensuring we take pictures at different angles to allow the user to manufacture it.

4. We started dividing the levels: Level 1: Kit Accessories Assembly, Level 2: Jet Ski Assembly 

5. We began writing out the steps for each level, placing notes when needed to clarify them.

6. We tested three users to determine the holes in our writing and ways to improve.

7. From the user testing, we implemented much-needed changes, such as the pages were not aligned with some of the steps because of how they were printed off. We also cleaned up some steps to include more details.

Outcomes

The impact was that we successfully wrote instructions geared toward an eight-year-old audience, and our professor was able to build our LEGO Jetski proficiently. Our build was considered creative and well-perceived by our professor. The instructions were generally simple and easy to follow.

Reflection, Challenges, and potential revisions

The biggest challenges were certainly building the LEGO structure and using language to better accommodate our audience. We could have revised some of our steps to eliminate the syntax issues we apparently had. Furthermore, I think getting another user test in would have helped us better to figure out the kinks in our instructions.