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-----Original Message-----
The "Ikea method" of technical writing is underrated in some cases, but
not all.
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I can't say I'm always pleased with the "IKEA" method. :-) Not all of
us process graphical instructions easily.
I purchased a small wooden storage unit recently, and I had a moderately
difficult time following the pictorial instructions.
About 10 seconds too late, I realized that I'd put the shelf dividers in
too far and had already nailed them, so when you looked at it from the
front, there was a gap between the drawers.
I went back and check the instructions, and decided that 1) they had not
indicated the proper alignment of the shelf in the instructions, and 2),
the routered groove for the shelves to slide in went back too far. The
natural tendency, for me at least, was to push the divider to the back
of the groove and then nail. Didn't realize the mistake until after I'd
nailed, and there really is no way to remove the small finishing nails
that were used.
So I have my drawer unit, which does exactly what I want it to do, but
which looks a bit goofy with the gaps between the drawers. Live and
learn. A few words such as "align the edge of the shelf with the front
of the case" might have prevented this problem. Then again, it could
just have been a faulty operator. :-)
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