Tutorials n' stuff

"A lot of manuals skip [tutorials] in favor of giving abstract instructions for how to do something, but not all brains can learn that way. For many people, a step-by-step tutorial is the only thing that helps them "get it." So, even though some users will never need or read the tutorial sections, they can mean the difference between a new user who actually uses the product and one who never gets past opening the box."

Sierra, http://headrush.typepad.com/creating_passionate_users/2006/09/how_to_get_user.html

I think this is relevant to design because it ties into the usability of the tutorial itself. Tutorials often are very confusing because of the limits of being printed on paper. I think that a really successful and cost-effective way to present a tutorial would be on a website online. There, the manufacturers, or whoever makes the manual, would post videos of sample users performing the actions described in the tutorial. That way, it would be more like a person showing you how to do it in real life, and therefore easier to learn. Also, the company could have cool visuals that wouldn't cost money in printing costs. Plus, the internet is fun!