Purpose

The document is a job card, intended to be used once - while installing the Towel Holder - and then discarded after use. The document has no exceptional design characteristics because it is intended to be mass produced and used on the packaging of the entire Designer Collection’s product line – you get the same installation guide for the Towel Holder as you do for the Towel Rack and Clothes Hook.

Audience

This document is designed in particular for Do-It-Yourselfers (DIY) who have some experience with home renovation and/or the use of tools.

The audience must have the need to install a new Towel Holder. This could be inspired by: a renovation, building a new bathroom, upgrading for aesthetic value or replacing a broken Towel Holder.

The audience is massive, as the document has all of the instructional text written in three different languages: English, French, and Spanish. This means the document can be sold anywhere in North America because it uses the three official languages in the region – supporting its mass production characteristic.

Context

The document is intended to be used in the bathroom (project site) while the installation is taking place. Once installation is complete the document is then discarded.

The document is also intended to be used in the aisle of the hardware store, so a potential buyer can examine the project and assess whether or not they – or a significant other – can complete the task.

Text

All of the text used in the document is a Serif typeface, with the exception of the company’s logo. The Serif face gives the document a human touch, hinting at the idea a professional contractor is watching over your shoulder while you complete the project. However, the document runs the risk of the helpful professional turning into the know-it-all friend due to the lack of authority generated by the text.

Graphics/Images

The document does an exceptional job using graphics. The white ground and black figure provide a perfect contrast so the user does not struggle to decipher the information. As well, the hand-drawn images promote the “human touch” mood already established in the document by the Serif typeface.

The images themselves are well laid-out using the Gestalt Principals of Grouping, Common Space, and Closure. The “Three Easy Steps” are easily identified by their close proximity to one another (you see step one, two and three all in a row) and the thick dark border enclosing each image indicates that each image is a complete step.

Colour

The blue colour scheme and dominate blue background are an excellent choice for the document as it calms the user and helps to alleviate any anxiety the user feels about doing the project. If the user hits a snag while completing the project and must refer back to the document, the blue colour will help to calm the user and focus once more on the project.

Layout

The layout of the document is exceptionally poor. The most salient (and important) object in the document, the Mounting Template, is in the lower left corner of the document. According to the Gutenberg Theory, this goes against a Western user’s natural instinct to read a document from upper left to the lower right.

As well, there is no semblance of a grid system being used which leads to a lot of open/white space while the graphical elements of the document are cluttered together in the middle creating a lot if unnecessary noise.

Conclusion

The entire document is intended to build the ethos of the Nystom Company, in that if the installation goes well for this project, the user will purchase other products because they should be just as easy to use. However the document lacks in several key areas, namely the tone – lack of authority – and layout – too much noise when there is so much white space and the placement of the most salient and important object on the document in the lower left hand corner of the document.