When Instructions Are Confusing
Have you ever played the Telephone game, where a message gets passed from person to person and comes out all wrong at the end? Confusing instructions can do something like that to a computer — the result ends up very different from what you expected! Today you will find out what makes instructions confusing and what you can do about it.
Unclear Instructions Lead to Surprises
When an instruction is unclear, the computer has to make a guess. And a computer's guess might not be anything like what you imagined! Here is an example. You ask a computer: 'Make it bigger.' Bigger? Bigger than what? By how much? The computer does not know what 'it' refers to or how big is big enough. A clearer version: 'Make the red circle twice as big as it is now.' Now the computer knows exactly what to do. There is no guessing. Here is another example. You ask: 'Draw something nice.' Nice is a feeling word — it is hard to measure. The computer might draw something you think is not nice at all! A clearer version: 'Draw a rainbow over green hills with a yellow sun in the corner.' Now the computer has a real picture to aim for.
Vague words like 'it,' 'something,' 'nice,' or 'better' leave room for guessing. Specific words take the guessing away and lead to better results.
There is a special word for an instruction that is too vague: ambiguous. Ambiguous means it could mean more than one thing. Here is an ambiguous instruction: 'Put the toy next to the box.' Next to? On which side? In front? Behind? The computer does not know. A clearer version: 'Put the toy to the left of the box, touching it.' Now there is only one possible meaning. When you write instructions for a computer, try to remove all the ambiguity — all the possible ways to misunderstand — and you will get much better results!
Match each confusing instruction to its clearer version.
Terms
Definitions
Drag terms onto their definitions, or click a term then click a definition to match.
Being specific does not mean writing a huge paragraph for every instruction. It just means choosing words that point to exactly one thing. Use names instead of 'it.' Use numbers instead of 'a lot.' Use directions (left, right, top, bottom) instead of 'over there.' With a little practice, writing clear instructions starts to feel natural — almost like a superpower!
After you write an instruction, ask: could this mean more than one thing? If yes, make it more specific until there is only one way to read it.
Why is the instruction 'Make it nicer' a problem for a computer?
What does the word 'ambiguous' mean?
Clarity Makeover
- Write three confusing instructions on paper. Use vague words like 'it,' 'something,' 'better,' or 'over there.'
- Exchange papers with a partner.
- Each person rewrites the confusing instructions to make them specific and clear.
- Share your clear versions and compare. Did you both make them clearer in the same way?
- Talk about which words were the trickiest to make specific.