Teaching an Alien to Drive

The challenge in delivering usable information is in knowing what level of detail and complexity is appropriate, and what elements of a given process you can assume that your reader knows and which ones you'll have to explain. Even if a teenager who is learning to drive has never started a car before, they will most likely know where to put the key and how to turn on the ignition from years of sitting in the front seat as a passenger and observing. If you were writing a set of instructions for them on how to drive, you could simply say "start car" and move on to the next step without explanation. You wouldn't have to explain what a car is and what it can do. Your reader knows these things in this case, so to explain to them would be a waste of your time and theirs.

Hypothetically, though, what if you needed to teach the same skill to someone with no observational experience? What if an alien landed on earth and instead of saying "Take me to your leader." it said "Teach me to operate your vehicle." This may sound pretty simple, but it's a way to remember to think about what your user may already know and what you'll have to explain. Let's illustrate technical writing in action by teaching an alien to drive.

Break Down the Steps

As we discussed above, you could just tell your teenager to start the car, but our alien will need more detail. Let's assume that this hypothetical visitor to our planet understands and reads English and has hands and feet that resemble ours. On his world, though, all the vehicles operate through mind control, so steering wheels and pedals are strange to him. What steps will be needed to help him learn to start the car?

It may be helpful to briefly explain how a car engine works.

This car contains an internal combustion engine, meaning that small explosions inside it cause pistons to move up and down, causing the drive train to spin.

The engine is started by means of an ignition system that sends an electric spark to the engine and ignites the fuel.
Okay, there are a lot of terms here our alien might not understand. To keep from actually writing the world's longest owner's manual here, we'll pretend that we've defined these terms.

The ignition system is ignited by turning a key in the appropriate slot. The key is a security measure designed to insure that only authorized individuals operate the vehicle.

The steering wheel is the circular object sticking out on the vehicle's driver's side (we would definitely want to include a drawing or photo here). The ignition key slot is located on the right side of the steering column below the steering wheel (time for another drawing).

There are yet more terms here that may need definition depending on the user. As you write your technical copy, ask yourself if your users are likely to understand terms and concepts. If not, how can you explain to them so that users learn what they need to know without getting bogged down? For the sake of brevity, again, we are going to leave some terms undefined in this example.

Place the key in your right 'hand.' Insert the key in the slot. Rotate the key clockwise until you feel resistance, about one quarter turn. We would probably have to define clockwise for an alien, wouldn't we?

When you turn the key, you should hear the engine starting and see your dashboard lights going on. As soon as the engine has started, relax the pressure on the ignition key and allow it to return to its original position.

NOTE: It is important to relax pressure on the key as soon as the engine starts. Continuing to run the ignition system can flood the ignition chamber with fuel and stall the engine.

With this set of instructions, we've hopefully succeeded in helping our alien friend start the car. Again, most of these steps would be assumed when teaching a human driver who has had an opportunity to observe cars starting in the past. By considering the needs of our audience, we have strived to provide all of the detail necessary to help the user succeed.

What if there is something wrong with the car and it doesn't start? Most manuals will include a troubleshooting section. We might include a reference beneath these instructions to let the user know what to do if something goes wrong.

If the engine does not start when you turn the key, refer to Chapter X, "Troubleshooting."

WARNING: Turning the key in the ignition for more than five seconds can flood the system and prevent it from functioning. Do not turn the key for too long. See Chapter X, "Troubleshooting," or call our toll free number for assistance.

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