...User Manual Critique Brenda Wissman ENG/221 November 17, 2014 Nancy Feldman User Manual Critique The technology we have today can at times be confusing for those that use it. To compensate for this almost all devices come with a manual that explains the proper usage of the device. These manuals break down each part of the device and gives the user a detailed description of what should be done and how it should be done properly. These manuals also inform the owner of what could happen if proper instructions are not followed. This paper is going to look at the user manual for the Samsung Galaxy S4 which is a smart phone. This paper will look at the manual and critique it for a number of things such as readability and understanding of the content. The first part of the manual that I am going to critique is the how well the manual is written. The manual is written in a way that most users will be able to understand what the manual is telling them to do. However, in the beginning of the manual it seems that it is backtracking when it gets to the point of telling the user was is to be found in the packaging. I would have put that information first and then proceed with discussing the device. The manual however, begins by describing the device, and then informs the user what should be in the package. The packaging information should also be listed first because it states in the wording that the device may look differently than described so this should be listed before the basic...
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...Microsoft User Manual Critique John Doe ENG/221 June 14, 2010 Instructor Name Microsoft User Manual Critique The focus of this paper will be to evaluate the Microsoft Word 2007 manual based on the criteria defined in Comparative User-focused Evaluation of User Guides: A case study (2007). The Microsoft Word 2007 manual is evaluated based on the following criteria: (a) attractiveness, (b) practicality, (c) simplicity, and (d) efficiency. Each of the four criteria are assigned a point value of between zero through five, zero meaning none of the criteria was not meet and five meaning the criteria was completely meet. Attractiveness A user manual should be attractive to entice the user to use it (Ganier, 2007). Attractiveness is subjective, a matter of personal esthetics, it is difficult to quantify attractiveness as it is defined differently by individuals. For the purposes of evaluating the attractiveness of the Microsoft Word 2007 manual three criteria as defined in Design 101(2007) are used: * Proximity: is related information groped together * Contrast: do the text and headings contrast with one another * Repetition: are design elements repeated throughout the manual Proximity To evaluate if related information is properly grouped in the Microsoft Word 2007 manual four main topics: (a) Activating Word, (b) Headers and footers, (c) Creating specific documents, and (d) Page numbers were selected at random from the table of contents. The main topics were checked...
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...User Manual Critique University of Phoenix ENG/221 Technical Writing Fundamentals Sony® Blu-ray Disc/DVD Home Theatre System N590 In this critique I will analyze the organization, layout, written and visual instructions of the Sony® Blu-ray Disc/DVD Home Theatre System. I. Organization The user manual for the Sony® Blu-ray Disc/DVD Home Theatre System was well organized. The table of contents helps users search for specific topics which comes in handy especially for people like me who like to skip around for what they need instead having to read the entire manual. The one downfall about the organization is that is doesn’t have a picture of the product on the cover page. Although we know what a Blu-ray/DVD system looks like and it should automatically have the correct manual in its box, there may be an instance where that has not happened or if you misplaced your original manual and need another. The photo would come in handy especially if there is a certain layout that this particular has as opposed to other models. Having the photo is further reinforcement that you have the correct product. II. Layout The layout of this manual is standard. The warning sections and intial operating instructions are seen in most user manuals. Something that used to be uncommon which we are seeing more often in user manuals is the unpacking section. This section further details the parts of the entertainment system piece by piece. The remainder of the layout includes more standard...
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...User manual User Manual Critique Robert L. Jordan, Sr ENG/221 February 14, 2011 Janet Chappell User Manual Critique Canon PowerShot SX130 IS I. Introduction The user manual I have chosen to critique is from Canon Inc. for the Canon PowerShot SX130 IS camera, a digital camera with High Definition capabilities. It can shoot in 720p HD video with stereo sound. The SX130 also has a large 3 inch LED screen with high resolution and a wide viewing angle. It also has a 12 X digital zoom for perfect pictures from close ups to wide angle shots of the whole gang. Advanced Smart Auto detects and analyzes faces, brightness, colors, distance and movement, then selects an appropriate setting based on 28 predefined shooting situations. The complete manual can be found at http://gdlp01.c-wss.com/gds/5/0300003855/04/PSSX130IS_CUG_EN_03.pdf . II. Document Organization This user manual has 180 pages divided into ten chapters. The first five chapters explain the basic use of the camera and the final five chapters expand on that knowledge by showing advanced functions. The first five chapters cover such topics as getting started, learning more about your camera, shooting with commonly used functions, choosing settings yourself, and getting more out of your camera. The last five chapters concern more advanced topics such as using various functions for shooting movies, using the various playback and editing functions...
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...Manual Critique Steve Nunez Eng/221 August 16, 2011 Robert Hodges Manual Critique The Canon iR1210 is an All-in-One office printer designed to make an office more productive. It also has with it a six-page owners manual designed to inform the owner of many features of this printer and how it can make a person’s work around the office more productive by having this printer. This paper will provide critiques of the owner’s manual for the iR1210. The criteria for this critique will be in the following areas, Audience Recognition, Introduction, Glossary, Technical Description, and Graphics. The link to find the manual is by going to www.safemanuals.com and clicking on the Canon iR1210 link and that will enable anyone to download the manual. In writing a manual the goal is to offer customer support. Audience Recognition is a way to decide what to say and how to say. The writer needs to recognize who the readers are and give them what they want. The iR1210 manual does do very good job information in very simple terms what the iR1210 is capable of doing for the reader. The writing is very clear and to the point and avoids using any jargon that the reader may understand. The one downside for the audience recognition it does not have any instruction on how to use the product. It only really gives the readers highlights of the product so it does lack a bit of thoroughness. An Introduction to a manual is a way to promote good customer-company relationships...
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...User Manual Critique Ryan Parker University of Phoenix ENG/221 Technical Writing Fundamentals August 8, 2012 Susan Boyle I. Introduction This Sony® manual critique will analyze how the document is organized, the layout, the use of visuals and written instructions of the document. II. Document Organization The user manual for the Sony® Blu-ray Disc/DVD Home Theatre System is well organized. It includes a cover page with the title but does not have a visual picture of the actual product. In some products it is helpful to the consumer if the manufacturer has a visual on the cover. This ensures the customer that they have received the correct documentation for the product they have purchased. III. Layout The layout of this manual is standard. It includes the scope, which is, that it contains operation instruction for the product. There are the warnings that are necessary for the safety of the consumer. One section that I noticed it contains is the instructions for unpacking the product. This is something that I do not normally see. The unpacking instructions are combined with the parts list of the home theatre system. The manual also contains the standard index, instructions on how to hook up the system, how to operate the system and how to make adjustments to customize the settings. IV. Use of Visuals The uses of the visuals in the home theatre manual are detailed but general enough so not to confuse the consumer that is not technically knowledgeable...
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...User Manual Critique Week 4 Assignment Gregorio Cisneros ENG/221 07/17/2014 Joseph Aguirre The following review and critique will be on the Keurig, Inc., Keurig® K-Cup™ K70/K75 Platinum Brewer Owner’s Manual. The document is available online via the following website link: http://www.keurig.com/~/media/Files/Keurig Brewer Manuals/2013 Use and Care Guides/Platinum Use Care Guide.ashx This review will cover the purpose and function of the manual, format and design, manual usability, the uses of written communication and appropriate usage of visual and technical elements. This critique will demonstrate how this manual is both concise and effective manual. Purpose and Function The purpose of the manual is clear to the reader as to help product owners know how to setup the unit, use the device correctly. The manual also informs readers of the device controls and features, how to clean and maintain the device, knowledge of troubleshooting topics and solutions, and informing the end user of warranty specifications. The fundamental function is to educate the consumer how the Keurig product works and provide additional available support content pertaining to the device. Format and Design The manual format is both pre-printed physical copy or available online for viewing and downloading. The document dimensions are smaller than 8.5 in. x 11 in. letter size. The manuals custom size of 8.5 in. x 5.5 in. size makes it compact and economical. The cover is a 4-color process scheme...
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...ENGLISH 221: Technical Writing Fundamentals PRINT OUT—PRINT OUT-- PRINT OUT—PRINT OUT-- PRINT OUT If you have any questions about the syllabus, please post them in the Main Classroom. Susan Colebank scolebank@email.phoenix.edu (University of Phoenix) susancolebank@gmail.com (back-up; do not CC this address when you e-mail me at my UOP address) COURSE NUMBER: ENG221 COURSE TITLE: Technical Writing Fundamentals COURSE START DATE: 1/17/12 COURSE END DATE: 2/20/2012 FACILITATOR AVAILABILITY I am in the Classroom five days of the week: Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. I am on in the morning and then again at night, with the afternoon set aside for telecommuting and taking care of my daughter. I provide you with these times to make it easier to communicate with me, and not to limit our contact. I want you to know that, should you need to contact me outside this timeframe, you should not hesitate to do so via my University of Phoenix e-mail. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND e-mailing me with your questions or concerns, since it is best to document our conversations with a paper trail. I have yet, in nine years of being a UOP instructor, found a student who has a question or concern that couldn’t best be discussed via e-mail. If you need to call me, then please e-mail me first to schedule a time and to leave your phone number. For emergencies, when you are not able to gain access to messages on the Online Learning System (OLS), please send a message to...
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...Manual Critique Nathan Coffman ENG/221 October 6, 2014 Nancy Henderson Manual Critique I will start by saying that I chose a manual completely at random. For my critique I chose to use a manual I found online for an Avaya 3920 wireless telephone. The five criteria I had set for the manual beforehand were: it needed to be written in the second person, it needed to have a table of contents, it needed to be easy to understand/non-technical, the terminology needed to stay consistent throughout, and the manual needed to appear professional. The first thing that I noticed when the manual opened was that the first few pages were essentially legal notices. There was also a portion about the author/s making their best effort to make sure everything was accurate at the time of writing. I thought that was a good way to start. They seemed to cover all of their bases from a legal perspective. After getting through the legal notices, I found the table of contents. Ding, Ding, Ding, it matched one of my criteria. The table of contents was laid out, in my opinion, just the way it should have been. It started out with the introduction and all things a person would expect with that. (Welcome, brief description of the manuals layout, and it gave a website where the user can get more information.) The other sections in the table of contents were mainly for installation and setup. After I got through examining the table of contents I started to read the actual manual. The main...
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...What Happened to all the Manuals? Chuck Eberhart ENG/221 January 13, 2014 Glen Jenson What Happened to all the Manuals? The first thing I thought of for this assignment was a video game manual. I went to grab a game and take a look, and was disappointed with what I found. I thought for sure there would be more information in an online manual, but I was wrong. It seems over the past several years that the amount of information has seriously declined when it comes to video game manuals. I’ve been a gamer since my original Nintendo system in the early parts of 1990, and I’ve seen a sharp decline in the amount of information that is provided in game manuals. I have picked 2 different game manuals from different eras to compare and critique. I looked up the manuals for Call of Duty: Black Ops and Super Mario Bros. The first thing I notice is the size of each. Mario is twelve pages and CoD is only 6. As far as content, the manual for Super Mario Bros very nice description of the plot of the game, a complete description of what each of the four buttons do, as well as how to play and what a user may encounter while progressing through the game complete with pictures to back up what is in the manual. The only plus I could find about the Call of Duty is that it had a table of contents, something that Mario was lacking. It has a very basic explanation of the menu screen and the different game options given. Anyone that has played the Call of Duty series knows there are...
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...User Manual Critique Chris Bolte ENG/221 November 5, 2012 Janet Chappell So many people depend on some form of media to escape the everyday grind, stay informed, or simply to relax. Media comes in many forms, such as film, radio, internet, and text. Consumers all over the world fill their homes with these many forms of media. In fact, as of May, 2011, consumers worldwide spent over $4.2 billion dollars on home entertainment, and that figure is down from the previous year by 9.8% (Dan, 2011). That is not $4.2 billion spent a year -- that is $4.2 billion spent during the first quarter alone. With all of those media devises in all those homes, it can be a hassle keeping track of all those remote controls. After all, everything comes with a remote control these days. Many have tried to organize the handful of remotes that are in their possession by labeling them, keeping them in a designated drawer or basket, or even gone as far as “Velcroing” them to the wall. However, there is a better method to the madness that requires a little less creativity, but more ingenuity. It is a great little solution known as the universal remote. In most cases, you can put up to four devices onto one remote, eliminating the frustrating remote control cluster that many people deal with, and they can cost as little as $4 and up to more than $100. It all depends on your needs and budget. In this user manual critique, the item reviewed is the One For All Universal Replacement...
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...ENG/221 March 30, 2015 William Watson The manual I chose to read and critique is the Samsung Galaxy S III. I can say that I’m a big fan on the S III. I have had this phone for almost 2 years and I have yet to have any complaint with this phone yet. With that said I first purchase the phone I had a few issue with how the OS flowed when I first looked at manual, I was able to comb thru most of the setting and feature this phone provided for me. After reading the material in our class I have realized that there is an art to creating a manual, and that a manual should not be just words on a paper but it needs to certain point check off in order for it to be a great and well-rounded manual. For this manual that I’m writing about, I will be judging this manual on a few criteria’s * The usability of the manual * Are there any error because of no proof reading * Dose the manual appeal to different types of learning * Is the manual acceptable for user who are not tech savvy to understand * After the reader has read the manual with the user be confident to work on their new product Usability of the Manual When you first look at the manual you will see that the usability of the manual is executed very well. When you look at the table of contents you will see that every feature and function that the phones is lay out in the table of content. As to notice in the table of content you will not only find the titles of the category, you will also see sub category’s...
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...Apple Magic Mouse Ruben Santoyo University of Phoenix ENG/221 March 14, 2011 How can a new and more modern computer mouse can help people use their computer more effectively with out the hassle of having to connect it to your Mac computer every time you take out. Now days there are a lot more choices when it comes to newer technology but with this new approach to a wireless mouse this will help you to not only get started easier but without the time to spend in the case of connecting everything to your laptop. This is not new with technology but in the Mac world this will improve all the touch problems that have emerged with touch pad in the laptops. But with all the things that this will improve there is always a negative aspect like in any other products particularly in the instruction manuals. With all the new things and more efficient aspects of this product there is always something that they never take a closed look at and that is the manual. If they don’t take a look at that this will make the product less desirable from the consumer when they buy it. But in some things there are always good and bad things to critique and in this case this mouse is a pretty good mouse in all. This new apple mouse it has the advantage that when you are not using it this will automatically turn itself off this will make the battery last longer. When it comes to size it is really small and will fit anywhere you want without taking too much space...
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...User Manual Critique guess ENG 221 April 3, 2013 soijd User Manual Critique The user manual is for the Samsung GT-S5250 mobile device. It is a user manual with instructions, operation, and maintenance of the Samsung Wave smart phone. In order to approve or disapprove of this user manual, the manual will be critique in six criteria: Organization, order of information, access features, variety features, graphics, and content. Provide positive and negative examples from the online manual that represent each aspect of your designated criteria. 1. Organization The organization of this user manual will be broken down into five sections: chunking, white space, sections, headers/talking headings, and length. Example figure 1 at end of section. a. Chunking- All the information in this manual is separated in separate chunks. The chunks separate the information for easier reading. The reader can easily identify the beginning and end of a section. b. White space- The white space between chunks is good. Some pages have too much white space that can be use for additional information. Information, warnings, or a tip is information that could be added in the extra white space. The white space allows the reader to know where a chunk of information ends and the next one begins. c. Sections- the sections in this user manual are good. The sections are separated by topic titles. Each section has sub sections under...
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...ASUS X51V Live Update User’s Guide Critique Samuel Adams ENG/221 Jack Bean 2/20/2012 “A manual provides instruction and other information necessary to accomplish something—that is, to solve a problem” (2010). From savvy businessmen to home mechanics, a properly created manual can make the difference between success and failure. User manuals are found with every device we use today and many do their intended job professionally: Solve problems. The online user manual for the ASUS X51V motherboard provides the reader with instructions on how to update the BIOS and Drivers through a program called ASUS Live Update. The manual consists of a numbered list accompanied by an image for each number. While ASUS does succeed in solving the problem provided, the quality of the guide lacking and barely does the job of catering to the reader. Considering the Reader The ASUS Live Update guide was published in 2010, a year after the release of Windows 7, but utilizes Windows XP for their example. While it may unnecessary to include older versions of windows, due to compatibility issues, the reader could be confused by the images if they are using a user interface from Windows Vista or Windows 7. The method for opening the file displayed on the image may be very similar across the Operating Systems but not every user will find this as obvious. In this sense, the images are hindering the user more than they are helping the reader. The author also seems to assume that the reader has knowledge...
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