I share the experience and frustration. Seems like the UX was designed by the same people who design the assembly instructions for baby cribs.
But for those that haven't signed up for G+ or even worse, don't have a Google account at all, forget about it. I wanted to set up a Hangout for my family members in other states to chat in, but after the catastrophe above, there's no way I am going to try and convey those instructions to others..