I had cause to build some flatpack furniture over the break and was surprised at how clear the instructions were. As well as the traditional images, arrows and text, there was the addition of links to videos. Used to explain how doors were levelled, or drawers assembled, they’re a neat idea.

There was, however, one major problem. The instructions had been designed for use as an interactive pdf with clickable links etc and I had a hard copy. There was no link to an online copy and I had to go online to the supplier’s help bot to get a copy sent to me. It was that or type in a whole YouTube URL into a device to watch the video.

If you’re putting online learning support in place for people, make sure you’re covering ALL the bases fully, not half and half analogue and digital. It’s an unsatisfying experience for the user and remedied with a simple QR code linking to the instructions or a bit of forethought in how the content is presented.