1: This is a PDF-friendly slide deck that helps to teach University of Minnesota students how to operate the Academic Search Premier (ASP) search engine offered through the library system. This search engine offers a plethora of ways to refine or broaden a search, and the guide offered on the website is very text-heavy and lacks images. My version of this how-to guide prioritizes the user’s needs by providing concise written and visual help.

2: I originally created this guide in text document format for a class, but I revised it so it would better suit being delivered within an online context. My goals for revising the document were

• ensuring consistent proximity of text to images

• placing optional steps in the best possible spots

• balancing white space

• and using plain language and defining jargon that couldn’t be substituted for other words.

This revision also enabled me to utilize my skills of visual design and adherence to style guides.

3: When I first wrote the steps for these instructions, I made sure I knew how the product worked. I spent time using the search engine, putting myself in the shoes of different types of users: students and staff, experts and novices. In the end, I created a comprehensive guide that can aid expert users while not impeding on the novice users.