DOMESTIC MAIL MANUAL

Picture an 1,000 page manual that contains every rule and regulation for mailing within the United States. This manual is used millions of times a day by United States Postal Service customers and employees. Everytime a small business mails 500 postcards they use the manual to find out how. Now imagine that this manual is cumbersome, confusing and has multiple ways of being interpreted.

The Domestic Mail Manual Transformation Project is a multi-million dollar initiative run and managed by Carnegie Mellon’s School of Design. The aim is to take this confusing set of rules and regulations and convert it into a system of user-friendly and audience focused documents that support the needs and activities of United States Postal Service customers and employees. Thus far, two publications, “A Customer’s Guide to Mailing” and “A Guide to Mailing for Businesses and Organizations,” have been produced and distributed to every post office in the nation. I served as a writer and information architect on the project.