Clarity for anyone curious about my role as a Technical Writer:
Have you ever purchased something new, opened the box and found yourself staring with disdain at a pile of parts and confusing instructions? My goal is to prevent that frustration from happening.
Most people will admit that they do not read the instructions after purchasing a new product and to be fair, manuals are not thrilling page turners. I strive to create the cleanest illustrations possible, designing the documents doing my very best to convey pertinent information clearly.
assembly manuals
This is a manual I created for a new kit which converts any standard, frequently purchased cart attachment from a 45 degree unload angle to 180 degrees.
As with every document I create, I keep the end-user in mind and want the assembly process to be very easily understood with clear information, instruction, and obvious illustrations.
This is a miniature (half size), brief manual with instruction to convert an LP Heater to Gas.
part explosions
This is one of many part explosions created for complex products we produce. This particular item is a gas-powered ride on spreader
(for lawn fertilization).
As this product comes preassembled, the end user (typically professionals) would reference this guide for replacement parts, if needed.
This is a breakdown of parts that attach an adjustable deflector to a fertilizer spreader (lawn equipment).
hardware identifier
In my own experience as a consumer, I've discovered that each piece of hardware is not always easy to identify.
Some companies offer a variety of packaging options, however, these can be expensive. As a solution, I have designed an additional page in my manuals with to-scale hardware illustrations.
The end-user can simply lay their hardware on top for clarity.
concept art
I enjoy creating concept art for new product development pitch meetings.
This is a series of options I created for a John Deere new product pitch for a new tow spreader option.
I enjoy creating concept art for new product development pitch meetings.
This is a concept kit I designed combining a variety of our products with a roller.
This would replace the need for weights or a weight tray. The roller tank can be filled with water instead.
I enjoy creating concept art for new product development pitch meetings.
These are very rough sketches of attachments we could pitch to one of our clients, Ryobi.
photography
Some brands (in this instance, John Deere) request photography in their manuals.
I shoot and edit my own photos as often as I can.
In order to illustrate clearly which portions of the product are the focus,
I've taken to lowering the opacity of parts that are in the frame but not the focus of each step (as illustrated here).
<< BEFORE >>
This is the hero shot of a
Sprayer attachment, straight out of the camera, taken in the studio at our office.
<< AFTER >>
This is the edited hero shot of a Sprayer attachment.
Technical Writing: ( pg 1 - pg 2 )
