I recently completed 2 projects. One project was covering Microsoft Word, and the other project was covering Microsoft PowerPoint. For the Word project, I created an instructional manual explaining how to download Google Chrome to your Mac. This included step by step instructions with screenshots to help with the process. I also created a step by step presentation using PowerPoint about how to prepare and upload a Digital Edition magazine/journal.

I encountered a few obstacles while completing these projects. One obstacle was making sure to include all of the appropriate steps. Since I already knew how to complete both tasks, I would catch myself leaving steps out because I was assuming the individual would automatically know how to accomplish certain things. I also found it difficult to explain steps in a brief manner because it's easy to overload somebody with information.

I did a variety of things to overcome these obstacles. I tried to write down all the information I knew about the step and then pick out only the relevant and "must know" information. Then, I went through the process myself and only followed the directions I wrote down. When I came across something that was missed, I would add that to the steps.

I learned a few different things throughout these projects. First, I learned to never assume an individual knows certain information. When writing a step-by-step process, it's important to set the individual using the information up for success. However, I also learned tactical things such as how to use alt text on an image in Word and creating an accessible Word document.

I believe these projects will help me greatly in the future. Not only have these projects improved my ability to write instructional information, they have also guided me to write them in a more concise and brief manner.