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See? We told you it was no fun.

See? We told you it was no fun.

With a great deal of assistance from my father-in-law I recently installed a new sink and faucet in my kitchen. I learned in choosing one that there are 3 or 4 major manufacturers and they make almost the exact same products. I ended up purchasing a Peerless faucet on some completely minor detail.

When I got home and opened the box, I saw that the faucet came with a small folded piece of paper called ‘A PEERLESS GUIDE TO DE-INSTALLATION’.  

All instructions for installing new faucets have the same first step: “Remove the old faucet.” Well, we at Peerless thought it was about time someone provided some instruction on that, too. Good luck to you, and may all your coupling nuts turn freely.

What does this have to do with educational technology? A LOT!

I am a trainer. By nature, I create a lot of help documentation. I’m no rocket surgeon, but I think I am able to put together a how-to document better than 99% of the companies I end up buying stuff from these days. Most of the time, I am learning what NOT to do when I read the instructions that slip out of boxes. In this instance, the tables were turned. I have a grand appreciation for this document in so many ways, and I hope that I can apply some of what they have managed in my own documentation process. For example:

  1. It was information for sure, but more importantly it was HUMEROUS all the way through. I wanted to read the next step. A task that was no fun was made much more enjoyable by the laughs this document provided. Much of providing someone assistance is psychology, and Peerless nailed it on this one.
  2. It held lots of tips and tricks that I would never have known. Decades of plumbing wisdom came free with the purchase of this faucet.
  3. The graphic design was very, very well done. Most companies put little or no effort (read $$$) into the creation of instructional materials, and it shows. It was very clear that Peerless paid attention to the details. I am more confident in the quality of my faucet because of this, and I am more likely to purchase a Peerless faucet for other rooms in my home because of it.
  4. The steps were broken into chunks in the same way you would actually DO the work. One of my biggest pet peeves is when documentation is one long list of the 72 steps involved to complete a job. Again with the psychology – that is very overwhelming to look at. By breaking the steps into smaller, digestible, very accomplishable tasks, Peerless made a difficult task seem like something I could manage.

At this point I have only one thing to say to Peerless: Why don’t you do your packaging like this on the exterior of the box? I had no idea this gem was hidden inside. If I had seen anything like this instead of the generic product shot and model number on the box, I would have chosen a Peerless faucet by choice, instead of by accident. Something for you to think about.

In doing a little leg work for this post I noticed that Peerless has a section of their website that follows this theme. You can read the document I talked about, or
get additional coaching, print party invitations to motivate you to actually install the new faucet before guests arrive, find door hangers that will let your family know your mood at this point of the installation, or show off what you have been abel to accomplish by uploading pictures of your installed faucet.

Peerless “gets it.” 

Posted in My Thoughts.