When one purchases the X10 Hoverboard by Jetson, they receive an owner's manual included with their product. This two-page owner's manual conveys not only Jetson's brand but also the setup, maintenance, and safety information for their product. The writers and designers addressed the specific audience, purpose, and document-related factors in the creation of the X10 Hoverboard.
Those intended to use the X10 Hoverboard are able-bodied teenagers and adults who weigh less than 265 pounds. For example, one bullet point located in the Safety Warning section states, "This product should not be used by children or persons with reduced physical, sensory or mental capabilities, or lack of experience and knowledge unless they have been given supervision or instruction." The safety warning deters people with disabilities from using the product. Therefore, the design and layout of the manual do not accommodate people with disabilities to read or comprehend because Jetson does not intend for them to use their product.
Additionally, the X10 Hoverboard manual offers customer support phone numbers for people in the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Portugal. Upon further investigation, only certain Jetson products have manuals written in Spanish, but none of them are for their hoverboards. The writers designed the X10 Hoverboard manual for people who understand English well. The writers used the imperial system to describe measurements for the X10 Hoverboard's specifications, maintenance, and safety warnings even though people in the UK, Spain, and Portugal use the metric system. These audience-related factors for the X10 Hoverboard better serve healthy teenage, and adult Americans compared to their UK, Spanish, and Portuguese audience. The X10 Hoverboard manual has multiple purposes.
The problem, which those reading the manual are trying to solve, is how to operate their X10 Hoverboard. The writers and designers of the manual communicate this information through bullet point text instructions in small-sized font, which coincides with labeled diagrams. Another purpose of the manual is to hold the user responsible for loss or damage of the hoverboard due to improper use by providing care instructions and safety precautions. Additionally, the manual takes advantage of the small font size and compressed text by dedicating half of the second page of the manual to branding and social media promotion purposes.
Rather than taking into consideration the importance of white space and font size, which would allow for better readability, the dedicated branding side of the manual uses bold patterns to fill the space. Jetson also includes its slogan, social media links, and a way for the consumer to share their X10 Hoverboard experience using a hashtag or by leaving an online review. The manual helps establish its brand by using the company's colors of red, white, and black shown in the text color and hoverboard diagram. They also associate safety with their brand's color. The photograph next to the hoverboard diagrams depicts a person riding it while wearing a black and red helmet. The instructional nature of the document dictates the medium one reads the X10 Hoverboard in.
It is more convenient for the consumer to access the digital version of the manual on their cell phone wherever they are rather than carry around the print version they receive upon purchasing the product. However, the design of the manual is well suited for one to read as a PDF on their cell phone due to its landscape orientation and small text. Because of the small-sized screen of a cell phone, consumers must enlarge the text and continuously scroll back and forth horizontally to read each sentence. The emphasis on the graphic images serves younger people trying to understand the manual themselves or parents showing the diagram to their child. The labeled images may be easier to use to understand and locate on the product compared to a detailed description of the product. Jetson also provides its audience with content in more than one medium.
In tangent with the digital PDF version located on the Jetson website, the company also provides a frequently asked questions section to address other relevant questions relating to the X10 Hoverboard. Consumers also must download the Jetson app from the App Store or Google Play to use the hoverboard's additional features. Overall, the audience, purpose, and document-related factors for the X10 Hoverboard manual caters to English speaking, visual learners, but falls short with its readability and accessibility for those using the digital document.