Chapter 12 Summary: Using Visual Outcomes
By: Michael Jirik and Stephanie Kerkaert
Technical Visuals:
Visuals in contemporary technical documents should have a specific purpose and convey specific content. Not only do visuals attract attention and add appeal, they also strengthen documents in other ways.
1. Visuals can be more specific than text.
2. Well-designed visuals can usually be understood more easily than text.
3. Visuals can be processed more quickly than text.
4. Visuals help readers learn.
Incorporating Visuals:
Incorporating visuals involves balancing and integrating verbal and visual information, adjusting visuals for different audiences, and knowing when to choose visuals instead of text.
Visual/Verbal Combinations:
When deciding on appropriate visual/verbal combinations, there are several choices.
1. All text
2. Text with supporting visuals (More text than visuals)
3. Visuals with supporting text (More visuals than text)
4. All visuals
These proper use of these combinations should be taken into consideration in the following situations:
· When the audience's understanding of the technical content is limited.
· When speed is critical, and reading text would slow the process
· When the process is more clearly illustrated visually
Adapting Visuals to Audiences:
Visuals can be adapted to different audiences by the complexity of content, presentation, and sometimes color and size. Audience members who are not experts need more frequent and simpler visuals than experts. Since non-experts also may not understand visual conventions that experts readily recognize, they may need additional explanations beyond the standard level of titles, legends, and captions.
Conventions in Referencing and Placing Visuals:
Textual Reference- As a general practice, visuals should be referred to in the text. Include adequate information in your text reference such as the figure number and title. Textual references may be embedded references in sentences or parenthetical references.
Labeling- Complete labeling includes identification, title, and caption. The following conventions are generally followed to help readers locate, interpret, and verify visuals:
· If a formal report has more than five visuals or includes visuals that readers would need to access independently from the text, include a list of figures or list of tables at the beginning of the document.
· Include the complete dimensions of objects in each visual, making sure to specify the units of measure or scale.
· Whenever possible, spell out words rather than using abbreviations. If abbreviations are included, use standard ones and include a key.
· Identify the source of the data as well as the graphic designer.
Placement- Place visuals as close as possible following the text reference. Surround visuals with white space to separate them from the text of the document.
Visual Functions:
7 Major Functions of visuals:
1. Provide immediate visual recognition
2. Organize numeric or textual data (i.e. tables and diagrams)
3. Show relationships among numeric or verbal data (i.e. tables, graphs, and diagrams)
4. Define or explain concepts, objects, and processes (i.e. drawings, photographs, and diagrams)
5. Present chronology, sequence, or process (i.e. line graphs, flow charts, organizational charts, and milestone charts)
6. Illustrate appearance or structure, which may include describing objects or mechanisms (i.e. drawings, photographs, maps and diagrams)
7. Identify facilities or locations (i.e. maps, charts, schematics, and blueprints)
Function 1: Provide Immediate Visual Recognition-Some things need rapid visual recognition, and this can be provided by symbols that are used by most countries:
· A solid blue circle with a white symbol signals a safety precaution.
· A yellow triangle with a black band and black graphic warns about whatever is displayed in the triangle.
· A red circle with a slash and black graphic prohibits whatever is under the slash.
Function 2: Organize Numeric or Textual Data-Numeric and textual information identifying the characteristics of ideas, objects, or processes can be displayed in tables. Established conventions for designing and effective table:
· Place columns to be compared next to each other.
· Round number is possible.
· Limit numbers to two decimal places.
· Align decimals in a column.
· Label each column and row.
· Use standard symbols and units of measure.
· Use footnotes for headings that are not self-explanatory.
· Present the table on a single page whenever possible.
Function 3: Show Relationships-Spatial relationships are often depicted in various kinds of maps, although drawing and photographs are also frequently used. Quantitative relationships exist between two or more sets of data that can be displayed using several types of visuals, but the most frequently used are graphs, including line graphs, scatter graphs, pie graphs, bar graphs, and pictorial graphs.
Function 4: Define Concepts, Objects, and Processes-Visuals can be valuable as definitions, which can be more efficient and useful than textual descriptions. Visuals can illustrate details that are difficult to describe, where explaining the same information in words would not be as effective.
Function 5: Present Action or Process
Action can be presented by showing a sequence of drawings, such as the movement of a whale breaching as shown in Figure 12.28 in the text. Action and process may also be depicted by charts. Block charts show divisions and subdivisions of a system or process. An organizational chart shows division of hierarchy. A flowchart shows a sequence of steps in a process and sometimes how long each step takes. Charts provide a basic visual overview.
Function 6: Illustrate Appearance, Structure, or Function
The best way to present physical characteristics visually is to provide diagrams and drawings. Diagrams illustrate the complex physical components and structures of objects, mechanisms, or organisms. Adding labels and color help to enhance diagrams. Drawings can depict the actual appearance of an object or organism. They can delete unnecessary information and be simple to still be effective.
Function 7: Identify Facilities or Locations
Maps are used to show geographic information. They can be categorized into topographic, demographic, agricultural, meteorological, or geological data. Maps can also refer to web sites by providing information to the overview of the website. Maps provide boundaries, symbols, population density, land elevations, and so on. Photographs provide an actual view of a subject. Photos can be taken of objects through a microscope to view details of such small things not able to be seen by the human eye. There can also be aerial and satellite photos.
Conventions in Use of Color
Color can be an extraordinarily powerful tool to help create more effective visuals when the appropriate conventions are followed.
Cautions against Misuse of Color:
Problems to Avoid:
· Overuse of decorative color
· Too much color
· Cultural insensitivity
Suggestions for Appropriate Use of Color:
· Signal Safety: The most widespread international agreement about the use of color is probably with traffic lights. Government agencies and international organizations use color to signal various conditions as well as levels and kinds of dangers.
· Attract attention: Color can attract readers to the topic. A colored drawing will likely attract more attention than a black and white drawing of the same thing.
· Enable accurate identification: Colors can help readers focus on certain features of the object. For example, by using green to symbolize the lymphoid system, the reader can easily distinguish the lymphoid system from other systems of the body.
· Show structure or organization: Using color to relate specific information makes it easier for the readers to understand. They are able to chunck information together.
· Highlight components and their process or movement: Color can show readers a path of movement through a visual and track changes.
· Aid Comprehension: Color can make an image easier to understand. Colors in photographs may be added to create "false colors" to images with shades of gray or pictures already with color may be intensified.
· Influence interpretation: Color influences the way viewers interpret information in visuals such as phase diagrams, which are familiar to chemists, physicists, chemical engineers, and materials scientists.
Color in Designing Electronic Documents:
Color in electronic documents is just as important as color in paper documents. One must consider different elements that will affect the way in which the visual is viewed. Some things to take into consideration is whether the image will be viewed on a screen of higher or lower resolution, in a room with dim or bright lights, and if the document will be printed. If the document might be printed, consider how the color may differ from on screen to on paper and how it might look if it is in black and white.
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19 comments:
incorporating visuals can help the reader to better understand the topic, sometimes better than the test. For instance, at work i make work instructions-for every step there is a visual showing the action taking place. In a production facility using time efficiently is key, pictures are processed quicker than words, therefore helps production time.
As people say, a picture says a thousand words. Visuals, in most cases, can be very helpful in documents. Not only do they help explain what may be too complicated in writing, but they also increase the understanding for international readers who may not understand the language too well. However, the author does make a good point when he explains that a document may be too colorful or gaudy. When I am looking a high resolution, brightly colored screen in a dark room, like explained in the chapter, after some time I will have to get up and do something else. My eyes will just hurt. As a company, this is not something you want happening. Therefore, sometimes it seems, less is more when it comes to visuals and colors.
A lot of people will find themeselves trying to understand the information given by looking at the visuals given. I find this especially with instructions on assembling things. Most people, if they even look at the instructions, just look at the visual aids that go with them. Positioning visuals is key for your audience to grasp them. If you have instructions with visuals and your visuals are not positioned in order with the instructions you can confuse your audience. Also if your visuals are copy and pasted into a power point or a document they may be blurry or unclear. You have to be careful and make sure that visuals are easy to see.
Incorporating visuals is an everyday thing that is important in all aspects of education and personal life. Visuals are a helpful tool that is used to back up or support information or text. Visuals make it easier to learn or understand new information.
Some people learn by reading, hearing, and some learn by seeing. Visuals help people understand in a different way than text. Visuals are a very useful tool when describing something. Visuals range from charts, photographs, diagrams, tables, and so on. I work at a restaurant, and visuals are very important in the menu and especially the assortment of pie. When using color in documents and presentations, do not overuse color and make sure it is sensitive to the eye, people cannot look at neon, bright colors too long.
I think visuals help no matter what you are doing; reading an article, listening to a speech, whatever it might be. Visuals help to put a picture in your head to better understand what information you may be taking in. I also think color is what grabs the eye but agreeing with the context that color needs to be used in the correct or appropriate manor in order for it to be effective.
This chapter has very important information if you want to keep your audience awake. It talks about using visuals and the most effective way to use them. It is sort of interesting that there is actually an “art” of the correct way to use them. The effectiveness of your lay out that you choose for your page is all determined on where you put your pictures, how big they are, or even if they are in color or not. When I am reading of my classes it is always nice to have pictures to break up some of the reading and to better understand what I am reading about. Instead of trying to picture it.
The chapters concepts dealt with the use of visuals and how to use them effectively. I know that I have received instructions that would have been much easier if the company would have taken the time to use visual aids. There is nothing more upsetting then reading instructions and being totally lost. This is why in our instructions we used many pictures to illustrate what the intent was this way an individual might not understand the instructions but see what to do and be able to complete the task.
Visuals are a very importand part of writing any kind of technical document of any type. There are times where you just can't clearly tell someone in words how you are supposed to put a staples box together for instance. Also, to not everyone has English as their first language, pictures are in my mind a truly international language.
Visuals are a great part of documents and are very important, especially in technical communication. By using a template, you can make the document much more easier to read and understand. At work i deal with many programs and one of them is a database we use to keep track of work orders. The visual layout is the same for every order, and it is nice to be able to know exactly where to look if someone wants to know a certain detail about an order. The basic layout helps accomplish this.
Using visuals is key. I hate when i have to read instructions on how to do something and there isn't a visual to help make the written instructions make sense. Visuals can also help an audience understand a topic you may be discussing. They can even be used to help translate thing into other languages.
Technical communication relies on visuals very much. Most importantly I think is images, such as those on instructions. If there werent pictures with the textual instruction some things could be next to impossible to put together. With the right combinations of text and images greatly increases the ease of understanding instructions. But the pictures and text must go together well otherwise they might create more confusion than there would be.
I think visuals really help out. Some of us are visual learners so we have to have something to look at when someone is teaching us something. I like visuals because it helps me better understand what is going on and what the person is trying to accomplish.
I agree that visuals can help someone understand a topic better. Just having a picture of what something looks like can help a lot. For example when you are following instructions i think that it is helpful to have a picture to see if what you are doing is correct. I think that having a picture will speed up the process of following instructions or even help understanding a topic better
Personally i believe visuals are essential in any presentation. A graph or pie chart works great but even a clip art picture helps get the point across. We also find visuals in everyday life. A lot of traffic signs rely on visuals alone to relay the message. Pedestrian crossings, animal crossings, slippery roads, all sorts of these signs relay a quick, easy to understand message to the driver.
Visuals can really make or break a presentation. Good visuals make hard concepts much easier to understand along with adding some 'spice and variety' to the document. On the flip side, bad visuals will really detract from what you're trying to explain. They can distract the audience and cause confusion. Knowing how to use visuals will drastically improve your technical documents and presentations.
I actually found this chapter more interesting than most of the other ones. It really went from the basic "this is what visuals do" to "this is how the brain reacts to certain aspects of visual pickup." I felt like it went a lot more in depth and really told you what is going on. The more efficient you are at using visuals, the better you can get information to your audience.
Pictures explain more than text do. It is easy to understand the text if appropriate visuals are present along with the text. But putting irrelevant pictures at wrong pictures can create a chaos in the writing. Visuals also help us refresh our mind in the midst of the long paragraph of bulky writing.
Visual outcome is important in technical writing, because whenever one writes, they need to visualize and think through what they are writing about. From my own understanding visual outcome give you a clear idea about what you planned on writing about. It serve as a guideline in writing a piece of paper or document and will be of great help in what the paper is all about.
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