Beyond comprehension: A usability study on user instruction manual for stove with steam function

Abstract

This paper presents a study on the redesign of a user manual and pocket guide of a stove with steam function produced in Brazil. The redesigned material was validated through heuristics evaluation, usability and readability tests. The results in graphic presentation were satisfactory. However, the instructions provided were not sufficient to a successful use of some functions, due to ergonomic drawbacks in the product design and in its digital touch panel. This may led to users' cognitive overload in task performance, which could not be prevented, but only minimized by the manual. The possible contributions to the field and the need of a user-centered approach to the design of instructional material by product manufacturers are highlighted. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.