Some factors determining when instructions will be read

Abstract

Many consumer products are accompanied by written instructions. This paper explores the relationship between the claims that people make about reading these instructions and a number of other factors, including the characteristics of the product, the age of the consumer and the consumer's attitude to the product. Six product categories are examined ranging from complex electrical items such as videotape recorders to simple familiar products such as fish fingers. It is shown that product category is one of the determinants of people's willingness to read instructions. The age of the consumer was found to have no predictive value, but the consumer's assumptions about the simplicity of operation strongly determined whether the instructions would be read. Attitudes concerning familiarity, safety and cheapness of the product did not correlate with claims about reading instructions, but people claimed to be less likely to read the instructions of products used frequently. The implications of these data for manufacturers are discussed.

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