Usability of consumer product self-assembly instructions – a historical review of ergonomics research to create an international standard

Abstract

Selling products in kit form to consumers benefits both manufacturers and consumers – provided the instructions enable the customer to assemble the components correctly and safely. Poor usability of some self-assembly instructions is a continuing cause of consumer complaints– but the subject of only occasional ergonomics research interest. Relevant studies are widely dispersed across the literature – and across decades – but their findings generally agree on what makes some self-assembly illustrations more effective than others. This has just not been consolidated in any formally recognised guidance. This study has produced a comprehensive review of published work on the usability of self-assembly instructions (which need to convey most information pictorially) and makes detailed recommendations for best practice in their presentation. The evidence for the recommended best practices discussed in this paper will be reflected in the publication of an international standard that which is currently in the final drafting stages.

PRACTITIONER SUMMARY

This review of published research into effective presentational techniques for self-assembly instructions was instigated to support a proposal for an international standard. That is now under development incorporating requirements based on the high degree of consensus the review found across a wide spread of types of study, locations and years.

Keywords:

• Instructions
• self-assembly
• consumer
• pictorial sequence
• step-by-step

Acknowledgements

Thanks are due to current and former members and staff of the BSI Consumer and Public Interest Network (CPIN) and of the ISO Consumer Policy Committee (COPOLCO) for their encouragement and support of this project and to the members of ISO/IEC/IEEE Joint Working Group for their input of expertise and constructive discussion of both principles and details in development of this innovative standard (over many years in both cases). Separately, my thanks to staff of the former Institute of Consumer Ergonomics at the University of Loughborough for help in tracking down unpublished detailed reports of their observational studies, and also to staff of the British Library’s Science Reading Room for assistance in tracing references to obscure journals and conference proceedings.

Disclosure statement

In accordance with Taylor & Francis policy and my ethical obligation as a researcher, I am reporting that I received a fee from the British Standards Institution (as described under funding) for the initial stage of bibliographical research for this paper in 2015. I have disclosed those interests fully to Taylor & Francis. I am also reporting that I have a non-financial personal and ideological interest in application of the findings to the development of the draft international standard referred to (ISO/IEEE 82079-2) in the (un-remunerated) roles of a consumer representative on relevant national (BSI) and international (ISO) standards committees and the (un-remunerated) role of joint convenor of the relevant working group (ISO-IEC/JWG16).

Additional information

Funding

The initial work for this paper was supported by the British Standards Institution (BSI) from funds provided by the UK government to support the representation of consumers interests in standards development.