Memorandum
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TO: Cuisinart
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FROM: Dorli
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SUBJECT: Manual of Cuisinart Yogurt Maker YM80
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DATE: September 18th, 2021
This memo contains the results of an assessment of the Cuisinart Yogurt Maker model YM80. The overall purpose of the manual is to inform buyers of safety precautions, itemize main parts, instruct on how to use the product during yogurt making, provide helpful recipes and solutions for potential problems. The manual was provided in both online and pdf format. This memo will showcase a Technical Writing student’s viewpoint on where the manual remained effective and where it may need improvement.
Effective
First impressions of Cuisinart’s manual are good. Basics were covered. The high contrast color scheme makes it easy to read. The website version of the manual uses sans serif font whereas the pdf version uses serif. This results in the manual being easy to read in both formats. After reading over the manual twice, I found more reasons it is effective. Material is broken down into chucks allowing readers easy access to what information they may be targeting at the time. Instructions are first listed, then given more detail in the following paragraph on almost every page. Granting readers access to a listed version of instructions may prevent them from skimming a paragraph and missing the information they came for. All of this is done using language that is not complicated to understand. The writer also made good use of visual aids. Graphics were provided when necessary, such as displaying the main parts with labels.
Shortcomings
Overall, I believe this manual was done very well. However, there are a few minor shortcomings I’d like to point out here. The pdf format of the manual contained distinctive bold headings throughout whereas the website version did not. The web version headings looked like the instructions themselves and instead of being bold/colored they are plain and in all caps. I advise Cuisinart to produce the web version of the manual with the same format as the pdf, using distinctive bold headings without being in all caps. Safety Instruction #14 is unrealistic for an in-home appliance. The instruction tells the user to always wear shoes when using the yogurt maker. Many if not most users will be in the comfort of their own home and may not interrupt their usual routine by putting on shoes before making yogurt if they were not already wearing them. Perhaps there are not only safety but legal reasons to list this advice so it needed to be added. If so, it's understandable. On page 8 the acronym UHT is used suddenly. This means Ultra High Temperature milk, but it is not explained in the manual at all. Readers will be expected to know what this means ahead of time or stop at some point to look up the meaning.
I suggest Cuisinart to consider the recommendations above regarding the shortcomings of the manual. Otherwise, the writer of this manual did an admirable job. They explained details in the manual as if they were the installer, user, and maintainer of the machine. This provides the utmost help to the buyer since they may need information from different perspectives whenever they pick up the manual with a problem.
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Link to manual
http://kitchen.manualsonline.com/manuals/mfg/cuisinart/ym80_1.html