Instrueer

Instrueer is a neologism used to describe a person, role, or software capability dedicated to designing, organizing, and communicating clear, step-by-step instructions for performing tasks. The term blends instruction with the suffix -eer, echoing other professional roles such as engineer or volunteer, and is often framed as emphasizing procedural clarity and modular instruction design.

In use, instrueer can denote a professional who specializes in breaking complex procedures into reusable units, a role within instructional design teams, or a software feature that generates or curates stepwise guidance. It is commonly discussed alongside instructors, instructional designers, and prompt engineers, but places special emphasis on the explicit delineation of actionable steps and decision points rather than on broader pedagogy alone.

The concept emerged in online education, maker and documentation communities in the early 2020s and has since found footholds in technical writing, software documentation, and AI training contexts where precise sequences are required. Typical outputs include task analyses, step-by-step guides, decision trees, checklists, and multimedia tutorials. Instrueers also assess accessibility, localization, and maintainability, updating guidance as processes change.

Critics argue that instrueer is still ill-defined and risks duplication of existing roles or over-engineering simple tasks. Proponents counter that it helps reduce ambiguity in procedural work and can improve consistency across teams. Depending on the context, a single person may fulfill the instrueer function or the term may refer to a tool or framework designed to automate parts of the instruction design process.

See also: instructor, instructional design, technical writing, prompt engineering.