INSTRUCTIONS

About this Project

For this project I was tasked to create a step-by-step instructional document that walked a reader on how to use a piece of software. I decided to create instructions on how to install an extension in Blender, a free and open-source 3D creation software. The reason I chose Blender was because I personally use it, so this felt like a good time to create something useful that other people can use if they are new to the software.

Before I started to create any content for the instructional document, I needed to know what I wanted to teach and to whom. I initially wanted to share how to create a procedurally generated forest using Blender’s geometry nodes but quickly realized that I would quickly go over the 1000-word limit for the project and it would be too complex for new users, so I scrapped that idea and went with something simpler, installing extensions.

After I had a topic, I created an outline where I started listing the actions a user would take to reach the desired result. First, I segmented the document into five sections: an introduction, installing Blender, setting up Blender, installing a Blender extension, and using that installed Blender extension. With these sections defined, I started making a basic list of steps while I used the Blender software for reference.

Once I had a basic list of steps, I started working on the project draft. This draft also included annotated screenshots to help the reader better understand what they should interact with and what the results should look like. I walked through the steps I wrote down in the outline while using the software and in the draft fixed any issues I encountered and wrote down any notes the reader should be aware of. I reviewed my work and submitted it.

The feedback I received pointed out a significant number of improvements. On the formatting side, I updated the hyperlinks to display the title of the lined web page rather than displaying the entire URL of the web page, which is best practice for technical documents and integrates better with the flow of the document. I also had to fix sections where I would use the first person, which should be omitted in favor of the second person in instructional documentation.

In addition, I also rephrased some sections to be more descriptive of what the user should be seeing because describing an image as “something that looks like this” isn’t very helpful to readers, and specifically to those who rely on screen readers.

From working on this project, I learned about the process of developing a useful and straightforward instructional document. Small details really matter when creating step-by-step instructions as missing one small detail, incorrect language, missing screenshots, and poor layout can leave a reader confused on what to do next. Good instructional writing must account for all of that. It also forced me to see the software from the perspective of new users and what kind of siutations or errors they might encounter.