The Role of Consumer Impulsivity and Self-Efficacy on User Manual Behavior

Introduction

Learning continues throughout the life of individuals. Schools, universities, courses are formal institutions that provide students with the education they need. For individuals in work life, learning continues from different sources. New workers receive on-the-job training from the foreman in a factory. Companies regularly implement in-service training programs for their employees such as occupational safety, quality assurance and customer satisfaction. Without the guidance of teachers or professors, individuals can perform self-education (or autodidacticism) activities. By using internet, individuals can single-handedly learn how to use a computer software (such as Microsoft Powerpoint) without the need for a formal institution (Selwyn et al., 2006). Similarly, by reading cookbooks an individual might learn how to cook individual dishes. By watching Youtube videos, an individual can even play guitar.

Individuals as consumers have to go through short episodes of self-education process in new consumption situations. Consumers experience a vast array of products for which they have general usage knowledge, in their daily lives. Automobiles, electronic goods, household appliances, cosmetics, cleaning products, medicines, and furniture are products that almost every consumer has to use. The brands in these product categories may differ in terms of use and operation. Therefore, consumers may need more detailed information about the products. In order to inform the consumers about their products and the issues they should consider during their use, the businesses provide supplementary user manuals.

User manuals have been in the history of humanity since ancient times. The earliest forms of manuals were antique recipes used for cosmetic, horse care, cookery, and agriculture-related purposes (Martelli, 2018). 
It can be said that the proliferation of standard products targeting consumers after The Industrial Revolution and introduced legislation in the markets led to the widespread use of user manuals.

User manual can be defined as a generic term for any document that explains how to use, maintain and handle a product from its delivery to its disposal, and in addition gives any technical information that a user is likely to need during the life of the product (Pham et al., 2002, p. 433). User manuals can be named differently (such as user guide, owner’s guide, or installation manual) according to their product class. Today, user manuals can be provided in various forms, such as leaflets, booklets, handbooks, CDs, and USB flash disks. Besides, user manuals have been published on company websites due to the proliferation of internet access, low cost to companies, and less environmental harm. Consumers can access the user manuals by having their mobile phones read the QR code supplied with the product. Manufacturers often provide user manuals freely. Sometimes, such as during a software learning process, consumers might even prefer commercial manuals to free official ones (De Jong and Karreman, 2017).

User manuals often provide information about safety, maintenance, installation, assembly, warranty, aftersales services, and technical specifications of products. Types of the necessary information for manuals are defined in standards published by organizations such as ISO (IEC/IEEE 82079-1, 2019). In order for consumers to understand products better, recall forgotten functions and tasks and prevent mistakes, manuals can be read (Tsai et al, 2012). In a study conducted on 60 products in six product categories, it is shown that the product category and simplicity of the operation has influence on reading the user manual (Wright et al., 1982). However, in general, consumers appear to be reluctant to read user manuals. Besides, they are impatient and discouraged by large manuals (Mehlenbacher et al., 2002).

Preferences of consumers regarding user manuals vary across countries. For instance, in user manuals, Chinese consumers like cartoon pictures more than Western consumers do. On the other hand, Western consumers prefer instrumental pictures more than Chinese users (Li et al., 2021). Using English terms is common in manuals, and less educated and the older consumer may find it negative (Jansen and Balijon, 2002).