On a recently flight on Southwest, I came across this insightful and humorous article on Owner’s Manual: Six rules will tell you how to read instruction guides in the in-flight magazine Spirit. I could identify with all six rules. My most used rule is #3: Every problem can be solved by turning the unit off, then turning it back on. It works about 90% of the time. As a designer, the rule that resonated with me the most was rule #1: If the product needs a manual longer that one page, the designer failed. As someone who also follows rule #2: No one reads manuals, I agree that if your product is not simple and intuitive to use, get back to the drawing board.

Complexity and over-featured are out, simplicity and focused purpose are in. Take for example the iPhone, no owner’s manual in the box — just the phone, charger and headphones. I think if you want an owner’s manual, you can download it from the Apple website. I wonder how many have gone to the trouble of downloading and reading the manual rather than asking a friend or just trying what you want it to do? The iPhone invites exploration. And that openness to allowing your customer to explore and learn new abilities of your product or ways to use it builds brand loyalty.

As you revisit the owner’s manuals of your products, change the conversation from protecting against product liability to building brand loyalty.

Brand Engine designed two new product lines for Smart Balance that are now just launching – 50/50 Butter Blends and Milk. Our project goal was to leverage established Smart Balance brand equities and clearly communicate the unique product attributes and benefits over conventional products in each category.

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