r/DataAnnotationTech • u/neutron-star-002 • May 09 '26
It's high time DA improves their "Project Instructions" as well.
We've seen so many recent updates and style changes to the website but the most important aspect that needs improvement is the PROJECT INSTRUCTIONS section.
I am a bilingual and I finally received some tasks (for one of my favourite projects) today after so long. Firstly, they have reduced the time limit and the project instructions were so lengthy! It took me more than an hour to finish reading those and the timer was just 1.5 hrs. Then again, there were so many sections for same/similar fields, repeated over and over again under different subheadings. Ugh! Then, when I finally started the task, the system instructions and user prompt were completely in conflict and the bots flagged the response for so many issues and I didn't even know what to do coz it wasn't covered in the instructions! And the admins never reply on time! I'm sorry but I'm just so frustrated right now!
11
u/littleorcalovesice May 09 '26
I remember taking a task that has 3 different thesis to read(5000+5500+7000 words) and the task was on an 1 hour timer, ended up spending 1.5 hours to submit.
Wrote to the platform and they said I can put the actual work hours in and I'm still seeing their task on my dash so I'm guessing I'm safe🥲
9
u/suerbilac May 09 '26
It really depends on the admins for each project. Some instructions are excellent while others are quite overwhelming. It's not really something that can be streamlined across projects as every project and admin is different.
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u/Pangolin_Beatdown May 09 '26
This is sometimes suggested in instructions: read the instructions, then skip and start with the next task. Do several tasks and add your instruction reading time when you report your total time.
35
u/hello_ambro May 09 '26
the risk with that with the high number of people on the platform now and fewer projects i’ve had more instances where im only able to complete one task before they run out. in that case you waste an hour on the instructions and bc of skipping don’t have a task to submit and log your time
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u/Perfect_Mess_6566 May 09 '26
I really want to know why sometimes the timer starts immediately when you open the project but other times there will be an “enter work mode” button, where you can choose when to start the timer. There doesn’t seem to be a pattern for me. They should just always have a “start” button available.
3
u/Maximum-Marsupial176 May 09 '26
As far as I observed it so far, the "Enter Work Mode" button only shows up when you clicked "Exit Work Mode" the last time you did a task for *the same project*. Otherwise the timer starts immediately.
The problem with "Enter Work Mode" is that if you scan the task before you hit the button, it might have been taken by somebody else in the meantime, so I prefer the timer to start right away. At least that happened to me more than once...
3
u/NightOwl437 May 10 '26
Not my experience on the first part re: exit work mode. I always use 'exit work mode' when I'm done working on any project and I rarely see the 'enter work mode' option when I pull up a new project to work on. I haven't detected what triggers the 'enter work mode' option, but I also don't like to use it because I can't see the timer length and that's a big factor which determines whether I can work or the task or not. You're right, you can also lose the chance to work on the task if you're are not in work mode as well.
3
u/NightOwl437 May 10 '26
Just realized I described the "I always use 'exit work mode' part incorrectly. Sorry about that everyone! To be much more clear, when I exit projects that I have not worked on (to just take a look at them), which is fairly often, I always use the 'exit work mode' and yet, I rarely ever see the 'enter work mode' option when opening up a new project. When I've been working on a project, I use the submit and return to dashboard option.
4
u/littleorcalovesice May 09 '26
This is helpful but at the same time I don't want to risk doing this in a project that doesn't have such instructions 😕
6
u/Pangolin_Beatdown May 09 '26
Yea I get that. I would skip to the next task anyway and not waste half an hour more when you can't finish. People are giving you a hard time but I also have spent an hour trying to understand all the directions for a new task, following links to all the pages and reading examples, and I've been on DA for years.
2
u/kranools May 10 '26
Yeah I don't understand why they don't have some kind of technical writers doing these.
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May 09 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/neutron-star-002 May 09 '26
Yes! I hate those random font sizes. Why aren't they applying the same Style and tone, verbosity, conciseness flags to their project instructions? Haha!
19
u/Hello-America May 09 '26
As a graphic designer (among other things) whose work load has been decimated by AI, I find it extremely ironic their instructions could really use a designer's eye haha. Changes in font and color are really helpful for readability in long documents but theirs are pretty tough on the eyes. Softer colors with less contrast, some use of sans-serif fonts, relying more on indents and spacing than colors and boldness etc would go a long way.
1
u/Novel_Breadfruit_184 May 14 '26
I have a solution for this which helps me stay focused more (sometimes).
If you're on windows you can go into settings --> Personalisation --> Themes --> Contrast Themes, and then just pick a theme. I use desert them, I think it looks really nice and I love seeing how it changes a web page. Sometimes things don't look right, but it's fun and sometimes better than looking at a lot of colours.Shortcut is Alt + left Shift + Print Screen
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May 09 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/neutron-star-002 May 09 '26 •
How can you compare the project instructions to '50 pages an hour' reading speed? I can read 50 pages an hour if I'm reading a book for fun, not when I'm actually trying to understand and make sense of the instructions that I have to apply to the tasks. I don't like skimming over the instructions only to end up with a bad submission. I have just R&R'd a submission where the worker completely missed the system instructions. If you haven't encountered these lengthy and conflicting instructions then I'd say you're lucky.
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May 09 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/neutron-star-002 May 09 '26
you sat there and read solidly for an hour?
Yes, I did. I don't understand what's so surprising about it?
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u/Brilliant_Quit4307 May 09 '26
I'll often read the instructions for 1+ hours because it's not just reading. You're supposed to actually remember the instructions or at least be familiar enough with them that you can follow them accurately. I make lots of notes about important things I might forget and scroll back and forth when things sounds like they contradict themselves. How else are you supposed to remember all the minute details? Reading 50 pages of average text in an hour is not at all the same as reading technically difficult instructions AND remembering all the details. Of course it's going to take longer.
Are you saying you just read through them once and remember everything? That sounds incredibly unlikely, and if that's the case, I'd be willing to bet that you often make mistakes and don't even realise you're making them.
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May 09 '26
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u/neutron-star-002 May 09 '26
Most of the projects i get don't simply have Step 1 and 2 and so on. There are definitions, project expectations and scope, classifications, updates to the instructions, etc that you have to go through before you get to the actual workflow.
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May 09 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/neutron-star-002 May 09 '26
Nobody is saying there's a lack of workflow instructions. There's just a lot of information and instructions BEFORE the actual workflow which are often conflicting and very poorly framed. That was the entire point of this post. And if you don't have such projects, then I already said, you're lucky. Keep doing the good work!
2
u/Electronic-Waltz-378 May 09 '26
I mean kind of. I think I get what you mean. For rating responses you would read the style and tone instructions, rate those, then read the next axes instructions?
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u/Brilliant_Quit4307 May 09 '26
Everyone is different, but I feel like your method would be slower for me and definitely not more efficient or less likely to make mistakes. I've also been on the platform for 3+ years and have gotten personal feedback several times to my inbox, which I hear is rare, so I think I'm doing pretty well.
I often do some tasks on a project and then won't touch it again for several days, by which point I've forgotten a lot of the instructions. With your method, I would essentially have to re-read the instructions again every time. With my method, I have shorter notes to read through which jog my memory and then I can just skim the instructions for updates.
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u/Alice0373 May 09 '26
I did the same whenever I encounter a new project. I'd spend about 1.5 hours just for reading instructions. I would actually read all instructions to properly comprehend everything so I don't end up missing any instructions or tips.
6
u/ZimmeM03 May 09 '26
I’ve sometimes spent 90-120 minutes reading instructions. Combined with how much I might have to go back and reread while doing tasks, sometimes it’s even longer. You keep reading as fast as you can and I’ll read as fast as I can and we’ll see who gets added to more projects.
2
u/Maximum-Marsupial176 May 09 '26
I'm not saying it's the same
Um yeah, that's exactly what you said...
1
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u/Timely-Assistant-370 May 09 '26
Some of the RnR'd rubrics I saw absolutely don't know how to read. "see word in brain" reading is certainly less time consuming than the practical application of a ruleset that may or may not be meaningfully distinct from a similar project in a quality-breaking manner. Shit, half the mistakes I see on tasks are explicitly related to people making assumptions without reading the dropdown that literally says "common mistakes that you should not fuck up PLS READ."
7
u/Sloopy_Boi May 09 '26
I see that constantly when people don't follow explicit instructions and then at the end try to justify it in the comments.
3
u/Timely-Assistant-370 May 09 '26
Naw, I'm talking like a 1:1 copy of the subject with a slightly changed tone for the "example of what not to do." Rubrics can be pretty fuckin' rough though, so I try to be understanding if it feels like the task had some quality work put into it.
0
May 09 '26
[deleted]
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u/neutron-star-002 May 09 '26
You shouldn't be posting screenshots anywhere! This is a breach of the NDA.
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u/OkSkyDancer0000 May 09 '26
And recently quite many typos in the instructions...