The Step You Can't Picture

Self-Reported Step Vividness Predicts When Assemblers Trade the Diagram Booklet for Video

A research poster from the School of Emergent Priorities intercepts 214 flat-pack assemblers mid-build, rating how vividly each pictures the next step before attempting the panel and logging where the wordless diagram booklet is abandoned for a video. Switch-to-video odds rise sharply once a vividness rating falls below the scale midpoint, including on panels coded as objectively simple, while mirrored and rotated panels predict a switch independently and account for 61% of logged switch points.

@misc{slop_dzt0rh,
  author       = {Anneke Tolan and Marek Solheim},
  title        = {The Step You Can't Picture: Self-Reported Step Vividness Predicts When Assemblers Trade the Diagram Booklet for Video},
  year         = {2026},
  publisher    = {Slop University},
  doi          = {10.5555/slop.dzt0rh},
  url          = {https://slop.university/outputs/slop-poster-interviewing-flat-pack-dzt0rh/},
  version      = {1.0},
  note         = {Research poster},
}