The best instruction manuals include only three simple steps.
Three is a magic number. The best instruction manuals that come with toys, games, and devices include only three steps.
A long list of steps, on the other, hand increases our level of frustration and confusion.
I got a couple new devices for Christmas yesterday. Each instruction manual included just three steps to set up and the devices did the rest (nice job Apple and Amazon).
Some of the kids’ toys, on the other hand, had a long list of instructions leading to constant questions, interruptions, confusion, and misplaced excitement.
The Rule of Three applies elsewhere, of course.
Teachers should stick to just three ideas in every lesson and no more than that.
The homepage of your website should have a section in the middle that describes a three-part plan that describes how people do business with you.
(Read: “How to Strategically Lay Out an Effective Home Page” by Donald Miller)
