I can't understand the manual
By beamer88
@beamer88 (4259)
Philippines
November 27, 2011 4:43am CST
I've recently posted a topic about batteries. Some comments I got are about reading the manual of things. What got me thinking is whether these manuals are actually helpful. I mean, I've read some that I really can't understand. They're full of technical terms and are not written in easy-to-understand layman's terms. Have manuals really helped you in using the thing you've bought - a gadget, an piece of appliance, a toy?
1 person likes this
5 responses
@lovinangelsinstead21 (36850)
• Pamplona, Spain
9 Apr 12
Hiya beamer,
Not really either. I have had four instruction manuals and read through them as they are of the electrical appliances I have had to try and learn about as they all operate the same way but different at the same time.
Some of the Buttons in the Manual did not correspond to what they should be and so I had to guess and learn it that way instead.
Easiest thing to understand was the Fridge Manual on or off (grin) how easy can that get?
Hardest Manual to understand was the Oven and the Washing Machine whose instructions seemed as if they have been written by someone else who does not really know the workings of them either.
Never mind I have it all sorted out now. The ceramic induction Manual was not at all helpful either. It did not tell you very much about the working of it again with practice I have got the hang of it.
One Manual of a Panasonic Television was virtually impossible to understand I had to guess and learn that way and then I rechecked the instructions again but none of them correspond to how it really worked the same went with the Dvd.
Anyway it was fun to learn while I was learning it.xxx
@beamer88 (4259)
• Philippines
10 Apr 12
Manuals should really be reader-friendly, and they should specifically correspond to the actual item. The user manual of my car is so general that some of the instructions aren't applicable to the variant I'm driving. I've also a gadget whose manual is totally off. Maybe there was a mistake in the packaging or something. Oh, well, sometimes we just really need to learn how to use some things without manuals
1 person likes this
@lovinangelsinstead21 (36850)
• Pamplona, Spain
11 Apr 12
Hiya beamer,
When I had a new Dvd I was trying for ages to figure out how to record on it and then set the timer on it to record at a certain time.
I read the instructions again and again and then for a laugh I read them in French lol and Spanish and I got to understand something that was bugging me I understood it and I wondered if it would work and it did.
Of course it was not straightforward at all seems like the french and spanish translation had done a better job of it and I got to learn where it all was on the menu that had been a total mystery for me.
I think sometimes we should rewrite those manuals so that other people can understand them (grin).
Of course it is fun to learn how to use them without breaking our heads about how to use them. Making mistakes is fun in the sense you learn how to do something the right way.xxx
@toniganzon (72281)
• Philippines
6 Dec 11
I read the manuals religiously to educate me with how to use the items i have bought especially the electronics. They do help a lot. But the cellphone nowadays don't come with helpful manuals and they're all the same. Especially for smart phones there are tips and tricks to make them really useful that you couldn't find in the manual at all.
So what i do is to try to find what i'm looking for in youtube or gadget sites to help me make use of those gadgets to their fullest.
@luntian_grace (1373)
• Philippines
29 Nov 11
yes i do read the manuals and it helps me a lot. like the manual on the sony alpha33... i was trying to figure out how to manually change the f-stop settings using manual mode on the camera... then the manual help me. there are terms that are technical but if you come across with those tech terms try to research in the net what they mean.
well it help if before you buy a gadget you know something about it... basics is what i am trying to point out... you just can't jump in to something with out knowing. like in case of cameras you should know what is bulb, aperture, iso, and shutter speed so you won't be lost and has no clue what it is... because the manual is expected to talk about it from page one to the last. in computers you should know what the hell is a OS, RAM, DDR, the processor, or your BIOS may be, so you won't end up having a headache trying to digest everything all at once.
@beamer88 (4259)
• Philippines
29 Nov 11
When it comes to gadgets, I have to read the manuals. I'm not a techie person so without it, I find a hard time using it. Although I've never read my laptop's or my mobile phone's manuals. I guess I get a thrill of discovering things while I'm using them :)
@fabsprecious (1565)
• United States
27 Nov 11
Personally I normally don't read manuals unless I have a hard time understanding something. My hubby is exactly the same way, he prefers at times to do it himself. Like you said most of the times, there are so many technical and sophisticated words that at times you don't understand what you are reading. But again there have been times in which a manual is mandatory in order to get things done, I guess it really all depends on the situation and the project in hand.
@beamer88 (4259)
• Philippines
29 Nov 11
I guess you're right, it depends on the thing you bought. For some, manuals are indispensable, especially when you have to construct something with a lot of small parts. I easily get lost on where to put those small screws if I don't refer to the manual.
@Cherish14 (2693)
• Philippines
10 Apr 12
hi there,
i usually don't read the manual unless there is something i really can't figure out.
