Infographics' poster series...Improve.

Are bad instructions worse than no instructions?

Have unclear directions ever made you want to bang your head against a wall? Perhaps while putting together pre-fabricated furniture? Or a gas grill? Or installing a swing set?

We want to know your thoughts...are bad instructions worse than no instructions? Please post your comments here.

Infographics' poster series...Instruct.

A little verification that what we do at Infographics matters

This past year Infographics had the opportunity to work with a new client to redesign installation instructions for one of their existing products. Before moving forward with another project, the company wanted to validate the work we did and determine if the investment was a good one. Today—almost  a year since we delivered the first project—we received this email asking for our help. Needless to say, we're absolutely thrilled to know that this company recognizes the value of their investment and partnership with Infographics when it comes to technical communications.

From our client:

We recently completed some observational research with consumers and professionals to see how they install our product and the results were conclusive: We need better manuals!!!

Here are the takeaways from our research:

• Use consumer friendly terms 

• Include more detailed diagrams/illustrations and exploded view images 

• Design with larger fonts 

• Define symbols and icons 

• Use more white space, less clutter 

• Review installation sequence and steps 

• Consider preferences/needs of both “left-brained” and “right-brained” individuals

At Infographics we pride ourselves in being left brain and right brain thinkers. With our left brains we evaluate and analyze the project’s specific needs, putting information in a sequential and logical order. Then we employ our right brains to visualize the whole project and process the information in an intuitive manner. We tailor our proven process and techniques for each project's specific needs. Our thorough and consistent approach results in clear, concise and complete instructions. And we're happy to know that this client agrees.

We couldn't have said it better ourselves.

You simply can't afford to stick your head in the sand when it comes to product instructions, especially in this economy. Product returns and unnecessary customer service calls are more expensive than calling on our expertise.   

infographics® -- it's more than a name, it's what we do. Our firm was founded on our personal experiences as consumers, product developers, and communications professionals who consistently found technical product communications inadequate and confusing. Data from our research confirmed more people understand concise, image-based instructional material than text-heavy collateral material. 

At infographics^® we believe that well-executed communications do more than just translate an idea; they provide a foundation for understanding. infographics^® instructions, animations, training tools and product communications bridge language and educational barriers. We help our customers communicate complex information and facilitate understanding.

Who wants to take time to read the directions? Let's just play!

A few years ago, Infographics was asked to do a complete redesign of the playing instructions and develop a new Quick Start Guide for Hasbro's popular family game, CLUE. We take our jobs seriously, so in the spirit of good project analysis and evaluation, our employees spent an afternoon playing--I mean--working.

Whether it's a Quick Start Guide for a home appliance, a piece of machinery, or even a board game, the key to communicating relevant information with your intended audience is to literally put yourself in their shoes.

And that's what we do at Infographics. We play games, we install appliances, we take products apart and put them back together...all in order to deliver instructions that are easy-to-understand and applicable for the intended audience.

The goal of the new CLUE Quick Start Guide was to communicate the game summary and objectives (basically the Who, What, Where, and When) as well as the set-up and overview of basic game play rules. Realizing that simply playing the game often trumps reading lengthy explanations, we added "case file" headers and visuals in order to quickly share with players how to set-up, play, and win the game. The more serious players could refer to the Strategy Guide in the complete instructions for more detailed information.

Infographics' Client is Jumping into ABC's Shark Tank

Knoxville businesswoman and Infographics' client Jill Quillin will appear on Friday's episode of ABC's reality series "Shark Tank." Quillin is the developer of LipStix Remix, which allows someone to mix colors and make a new tube of lipstick or combine old used tubes into one new full size tube.

On the reality show, Quillin approached a panel of well-established entrepreneurs, asking them to invest in her company. Quillin cannot say how her meeting went, although it will play out on national television this week. "I feel like I accomplished the world," Quillin said. "I was taking a risk just by getting in there. I was just thankful when I went through the door (to meet the panel)."

A little over two years ago, Quillin barely had the product completed when she started focusing on the instructions and contacted Infographics for help. "I knew the instructions would be critical to the success of customers keeping the product once they received it," stated Quillin. "After working so hard to acquire my customer, I knew a well-designed instruction sheet would be the best possible hope for my customers to stay 'in-love' with the product and have a positive experience using it."

Infographics' response: Whoever said that instructions have to be boring? Sometimes style is a significant consideration - even when it comes to instructions. According to Sara Christensen, Infographics' creative director, "we developed a two-tone retro look that was a major component of the design language for this project. Jill had a definite style of her own and we felt that style needed to be reflected in all communications related to her unique product."

"Infographics delivered in every aspect (design, copy, illustrations, etc.) and I can report that I have not had one return out of 1,000 systems sold to date!" said Quillin. "As an added bonus, the money I invested in my instruction sheet converted into a savings when I set up my company website as all the beautiful illustrations Infographics created were a perfect fit for my home page."