KISS (Keep It Short and Simple)
Procedures need to be clean and uncluttered. Cut unnecessary words, drop useless modifiers, and trim too-detailed explanations.
- Use photos. If none are provided, pull out your smartphone and snap away. Use SnagIt Editor or Paint Shop Pro(each under #100) to add callouts and legends to the procedure.
- Include whatever else it takes — diagrams, graphs, charts, line drawings, screenshots — to give your readers a picture of what must or must not happen in the procedure–without squandering words.
- Proofread and edit to catch grammatical errors and unclear instructions in your procedure. If you can, enlist the help of a DUH tester. (Click here to see how DUH testing works.)