DD5HW4 Project #1

This being the first time I created an instruction manual; I actually learned a lot about creating a document and revising it to be readable to a certain audience. For my project, I created instructions on how to use Google Slides. This is applicable to me because in this next semester of 2017, I will be in a Senior Design class and I will have to work with randomly assigned students in my group and we will need a presentation program that all of us can use. The idea that everyone can work on the same program at the same time still blows my mind. During my middle and high school years, I remember when we would be given group work and it was such a hassle to create a presentation together. It was almost always forced onto one person to do the presentation. In Senior Design, I will be given a project and have to present it to a certain company. With the help of Google Slides, it will mitigate any hassle within groups. Along with learning the in's and out's of Google Slides, I also discovered Google Drawings. In Google Drawings, you are able to take a picture and draw indicators such as an arrow directly onto the image itself. Especially for this project, it helped me explain my steps even further. For second two manuals,  I had to assume the user/audience was already on the main page of the Google account, because if I didn't it would've surpassed 2 pages by a long shot. That is why I included that in my supporting statements below the title of each instruction set. To get an instruction set to only fit onto 2 pages was especially tricky for me, because my initial thought when starting this project was to include a screenshot with an arrow indicating where the button for each specific step was. Later, I learned that it took too much space and I had to think about how to be more precise and save space. In the step, I would indicate where the button will be on the screen, and only include a picture of the button itself. I was up late last night after work and up early in the morning just finishing this project, so I believe I should get an A for my work/time.

To answer some of the questions posted in this assignment, I got stuck trying to fit the instruction set onto just 2 pages. Initially, I had screenshots of my screen for my images for each step. Overshooting the 2 page mark by a huge margin, I resolved the problem by taking a screenshot of just the button and including the location of the button within the step. If I had just a little bit of more time, I would go over the instructions one more time and correct any surface errors. One of the course outcomes that I believed I worked towards doing this project was "Implement flexible strategies and generate appropriate processes for reading, drafting, reviewing, collaborating, revising, rewriting, rereading, and editing using a variety of technologies". I used various "Writer's Checklist" to revise/edit my project. Also I believed I worked towards "Identify the elements of rhetorical situations in common technical writing scenarios to compose appropriate texts for internal, external, and cross-cultural audiences." I did that by writing/declaring what the audience knows and doesn't know. I revised my instructions accordingly. Also, I believed that I worked towards "Identify, analyze and visualize quantitative data through various technological and document design processes." I did that by using programs such as Google Drawings to edit visuals to further help the audience understand each step. As I discussed that by working on this project, I was able to become familiarized with Google Slides, and now be able to utilize it to its fullest in my Senior Design class next semester. I learned that I can't assume things when I am writing a technical document. If I want everyone to be able to follow the steps, I have to make sure the steps are simple, have no error, and are not confusing.