We’re all familiar with the classic scene: Dad comes home with a brand new, state-of-the-art entertainment system, lugs the behemoth box inside, the children jumping up and down in anticipation—until Dad pulls out the instruction sheet. Smiles fade, kids go to bed, and Dad continues to stare at the instruction sheet (which may as well be a doctorate thesis on advanced string theory), until he tosses it aside, working well into the night rerouting cables and pondering the meaning of HDMI-2.
We all identify with this scene because we’ve all been there. For some of us, the thrill of putting something together without using the instruction sheet comes with a certain sense of accomplishment. However, for those of us who are more “engineering-challenged”, we rely on instruction sheets for our own sanity (and those around us!).
Here at simplehuman, we do our best to make isheets (short for instruction sheets), as simple as possible. To talk more about designing efficient isheets, I asked Paul Hamburger (yes, that’s his real name), our lead graphic designer, to guide us through the process.
“When designing an isheet, what we’re really doing is designing information,” Paul explained. “It’s putting together images, icons, and copy to tell a story that’s as simple and concise as possible.”
Paul pointed out that most of our products don’t require an isheet, and if the story can be told with a simple sticker that’s always our first choice . However, with anything that requires installation, like our cabinet organizers, the isheet is designed to make DIY hassle-free. Occasionally, we even post installation videos.
Once our team has decided an isheet is necessary, the design process begins.
“The key to designing a great isheet is approaching it from the user’s point of view,” Paul explained.
“Most people reading the isheet have never interacted with this object before, so we force ourselves to pretend we just landed from Mars—although for some of us, no pretending is necessary.” The team then tests the isheets by observing as colleagues and friends follow the steps —this allows the team to make and test adjustments quickly.
Paul and our graphics team often go through several drafts of isheets, altering the copy, reworking the layout, and making several other changes until they feel the message is clear.
“I’m pretty sure we have an icon for just about every mechanism,” Paul said. “Sometimes a very simple icon is more intuitive and easier for people understand than a photo, it’s just how our brain works.”
So whether you prefer the adventure of assembly, or you take comfort in the guidance of a well organized to-do list, our graphics team is working hard to make sure that simplehuman isheets stay, well…simple!
Tags: instruction sheets
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