When attempting to put a piece of Ikea furniture together,
things can either go very well, or horribly, horribly, HORRIBLY wrong. The
directions appear to be simple and straight to the point. Unfortunately,
halfway through the process it feels like the instructions have switched to a
different language. Frustration takes over shortly after, and anger is the only
outcome.
I found this parody of the Ikea building experience, and I
think it sums things up nicely.
Excluding the final two steps, I believe many people have been
in the same boat. I don’t think that there is anything Ikea can do as a company
to make the directions clearer. It has to do with the people buying the
furniture. Not everyone is meant to build things on his or her own. The sooner
people come to terms with that the better.
I agree that IKEA directions always seem clear at the beginning, but I don't think I've ever put one of their pieces together without being confused at some point. Maybe Swedish people are just really good at building furniture.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who has put together giant outdoor playlets and bunk beds to small computer desks and chairs, I must agree that IKEA has the best format when it comes to instructions, even though the directions are still confusing.
ReplyDeleteTheres always that feeling of dread when you first open the box and hundreds of tiny screws and nails, etc..all come spilling out and you have to arrange them in piles and match each piece to its part number. Ikea usually tries to simplify this step (though they are not always successful) by using similar parts and having uniform screw or nail size as opposed to five different types.
One time I put together a few computer desks (from Ikea) for my cousins, and the package literally came with one tool (an allen wrench) which could be used to install every piece. I found that to be a simple and efficient solution, but it can only work for a piece of furniture that doesn't require wood boards to be nailed to the back, which most entertainment centers and computer desks have.
And I think your right, some people can understand the directions or how the piece goes together without much trouble (I think I've gotten to this point but it took a lot of practice and as Rebecca said, I still get confused at some point) whereas others will never be able to construct much without having a lot of trouble. I guess thats why they offer to put it together for you but at a high cost.