A job aid is information used on the job that enables someone to produce worthwhile results while reducing the need to memorize how and when to do so.
As Joe Harless said, job aids tell you what to do and when to do it.
I’ve organized job aids here by type, and a given job aid can belong to more than one type–which is why you’ll see some more than once in the following lists.
Specific examples:
Checklist job aids (supporting accuracy and completeness)
- Assembling an IKEA desk (a complex job aid, part 1)
- Assembling an IKEA desk (part 2)
- Baby-feeding checklist
- Conveyance-of-property checklist
- FEMA Family Disaster Supplies Kit
- Rahul Samuel’s Tech Rider
Decision table job aids (if X, then do Y)
- Assembling an IKEA desk (a complex job aid, part 1)
- Assembling an IKEA desk (part 2)
- Determining flood-insurance premiums
- Online guide to Canadian citizenship
- WHO: How to Do the Rapid Test for Malaria
- Wine Folly’s “Different Types of Wine”
Flowchart-style job aids (like decision tables, but with boxes and arrows)
- Cisco router – troubleshooting flowchart
- Inspecting a fire shelter
- Wine Folly’s “Different Types of Wine”
Procedure job aids (step-by-step guides to achieving an outcome)
- Airbus Quick Reference: Engine Dual Failure
- Assembling an IKEA desk (a complex job aid, part 1)
- Assembling an IKEA desk (part 2)
- Installing WordPress
- Screencast.com’s Getting Started Guide
- WHO: How to Do the Rapid Test for Malaria
Reference job aids (collecting and organizing info so you don’t have to)
- Articulate Storyline keyboard shortcuts
- Assembling an IKEA desk (a complex job aid, part 1)
- Assembling an IKEA desk (part 2)
- HTML Arrows
- Layout for a cell at Alcatraz
- Makeover: a tech reference job aid
- PHP cheat sheet
- Shoreline assessment job aid
- Verb2Verbe – online conjugation
- Weather-Temperature Conversion
Worksheet job aids (collecting data and prompting calculations)
- Construction summary worksheet for new-housing tax rebate
- Designing ballots – an experiment in form layout
- Income-based repayment calculator for student loans
- The Scrooge-O-Meter