User Manual: Rough Draft

Goals

• Analyze the rhetorical situation and determine the appropriate audience or users of written communication, considering the needs of global audiences and people with disabilities. [CLO 1]
• Conduct research appropriate to workplace problem solving, such as literature review, evaluation of online resources, interview, and site inspection. [CLO 2]
• Interpret research findings with understanding of ethical and human implications. [CLO 3]
• Use conventions of various workplace genres, such as proposals, instructions, correspondence, reports, and slide decks, with understanding of how the genre conventions can be used as heuristics and as principles of arrangement. [CLO 4]
• Collaborate with classmates in planning, researching, writing, revising, and presenting information. [CLO 5]
• Apply principles of effective visual design for print and electronic presentation, including hierarchical, chronological, and spatial arrangements. [CLO 6]
• Identify and apply the principles of effective style in the composing of usable, reader-centered written communications. [CLO 7]

The Task

This assignment focuses on writing a user manual, which includes a technical description and instructions.

Background Note

This project relates to the Fortune 500 Company that you choose during the Correspondence Project. When you read the Writing Scenario, the references in square brackets [] refers to the company you chose. The “To:” heading in the scenario lists “You” as the recipient. In the workplace, “You” would be replaced with your name.

Writing Scenario

Your CEO (pronouns: they, them, theirs) is taking actions to broaden diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the company. Today, the head of IT sent you the following email message:

From: [Name of the IT Director of the company you have chosen]
To: You
Subject: Need DEI Instructions by Thursday, August 13
Date: 08/10/2020

I want you to continue your work with the DEI website initiative. The suggestions in your recommendation report were helpful, and we would like to begin applying them.

We have a few new interns coming in, and we will assign some of them to revising the website. To get them started, will you choose one of the recommendations from your report and write a short user manual for them to follow? They’ll need a technical description of the concept(s) behind the recommendation and step-by-step instructions on how to revise.

Don’t worry about identifying the specific things on the site that need to be updated. We are creating the lists for them.

Send me your finished manual by the 13th, and we’ll get these updates underway.

Take care,
 [Name of the IT Director of the company you have chosen]

Composing Your Rough Draft

1. Complete an Audience Profile Sheet. The form you complete is the same for all assignments in this course. The audience for the assignments changes, so the responses that you add to the form will be different every time.
2. Choose one of the recommendations from your Recommendation Report. If you recommended that the company keep doing what it was already doing, choose one of the aspects of diversity, equity, and inclusion that the company is doing well. Examples:
   • Include more diverse photos.
   • Revise the language to use gender-neutral language.
   • Add alt attributes to images on the website.
3. Create a rough draft of your project that responds to the writing scenario above. Keep the following expectations in mind:
   • Technology Requirement: Use any word processor you like, just as long as it can save a file as *.doc or *.docx, OR it can be shared online. 
   • Meets the expectations of the Writing Scenario, included above.
   • Combines technical description and instruction into a single document—a user manual.
   • Demonstrates a clear relationship between the graphics and the accompanying text (p. 561).
   • Has a clear title that is specific to the instructions (p. 566).
   • Opens with an introduction that (p. 556):
     • states the purpose of the task.
     • describes the safety measures or other concerns that readers should understand.
     • lists the necessary tools and materials.
   • Includes step-by-step instructions that are
     • numbered (p. 567).
     • expressed in the imperative mood (p. 567).
     • simple and direct (p. 567).
     • accompanied by appropriate graphics for each step (p. 568).
   • Ends with a conclusion that includes (p. 568)
     • any necessary follow-up advice.
     • if appropriate, a troubleshooting guide.
   • Uses professional design and formatting that does the following:
     • Pays attention to the CRAP design principles in your report.
     • Makes information easy for readers to find and read.
     • Emphasizes important information.
     • Makes a good first impression as a polished, professional document.
   • Uses accurate/appropriate grammar, spelling, punctuation, mechanics, linking, and formatting.
   • Is an original project, written by you, not copied or rephrased from another source. If you copy or rephrase from another source, you will earn zero points for the project.
4. Submit your rough draft:
   • Submit your rough draft here by 11:59 PM on Wednesday, August 12, if you would like feedback before writing the final draft. Include a specific question in the Submission Comments if you would like me to respond to something.
   • Submit your rough draft here by 11:59 PM on Thursday, August 13 otherwise. I will not have time to comment on your draft at this point.
   • There is no grace period on these activities. August 13 is the last day of class. Work cannot be submitted past 11:59 PM.

Grading Process

You track and grade your own work in this course. Be sure to complete the following tasks:

• Track your work in your Weekly Work Log in the Class Notebook.
• Post a passage from your rough draft in Piazza with a specific question.
• Claim points for submitting your rough draft when you complete the 08/13 Self-Assessment in Canvas.