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A friend of mine has done a lot of human factors engineering research in this
area, and her conclusion is that you should state the task first, then the
procedure. This approach helps people perform optimally because they can
decide whether or not the task applies to them, then do or ignore the
procedure. If you read or hear the procedure before the task, you tend to try
to remember the procedure, regardless of whether it applies to what you want to
do. Then, if the task is not important to your goal, you have to (sort of)
clear your memory. If you can make that "important goal" decision early, then
it's easier and quicker to select the procedure you want.
Think about voicemail (shudder ;-) ). The voicemail android always says: "To
listen, press 1. To record, press 3. To change options, press 999." In this
way, if you don't want to record, you can tune out how. You're not trying to
remember or read a set of instructions that don't help you accomplish a goal.
I tend to construct procedures or step-by-step instruction in the same way.
Therefore, I would prefer:
To remove the head, chop at the neckline.
To close the account, rob the bank.
My two cents...
Mary Wise
Mary_Wise -at- manu -dot- com
"See you in the next world, and don't be late!"
