Chapter 12 Summary

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.

Chapter 13 Summary

Greg Gehrman and Jake Vorhies

Chapter 13

Designing Electronic Communication

Objectives:

1. Identify the characteristics and features of effective electronic communication
2. Understand the principles of effective design for various electronic media
3. Analyze key aspects of information architecture: organizing, labeling, and navigating
4. Analyze key aspects of effective Web page/screen design: layout, color, and graphics
5. Understand the standards and tools fro designing electronic communication
6. Understand the iterative design process
7. Assess Web sites for usability and accessibility

Characterizing Electronic Communication:

• Interactive and nonlinear: accomplish tasks, sometimes something as simple as accessing information on static web pages.
• Virtual and open: The virtual spaces allow users to move beyond boundaries at will. Standards and conventions are fluid, leading to varied designs and functionality, and often uneven experiences.
• Complex and dynamic: Integrate diverse components.

Types of Electronic Communication:

· Computers

· Cell phones

· PDAs

Web sites and web-enabled environments:

-The World Wide Web is the largest part of the Internet, a huge network comprised of other networks and millions of individual computers. Internet traffic is routed along a number of backbones, which are primary networks owned by organizations and companies.

Audiences and Electronic Communication:

· Reading and Navigating Electronic Communication- Reading electronic media is not simply reading an electronic display of information; instead, it is interactive and brings with it a number of complications.

o Screen and page size- How much the reader can see at one time

o Legibility- How easy it is to read what’s on the screen

o Responsiveness- How quickly should a system respond to users’ actions

o Navigation-How easily can readers navigate the Web site

o Equipment and service- How much are readers constrained by physical realities

· Navigating Electronic Communication- finding different ways to look through the Web site and arriving at the same page.

Principles and Practices of Effective Design:

1. Information Architecture: The Framework that structures content.
2. Page/screen Design: The look and feel of the information in the space on the screen, another mechanism to help users understand information organization context.
3. Content: Is organized and written differently from electronic communication than for traditional print documents.

Information Architecture:

1. Organizing information:
1. Categories of information available to users are determined.
2. Relationships of categories of information are established
3. Pathways through information are created based on judgments about relationships among categories by the designers
4. Points of interaction are established

2. Labeling Information: Labels are pervasive in electronic communication. Labeling information effectively is one of the most important ways that you can assist users of electronic information, because people tend to scan electronic materials for key words.
3. Navigating Information:
1. Menus: Are generally horizontal or vertical lists of links to sections or individual pages within a Web site.
2. Breadcrumb Trails: Are sequential lists of pages that let users know where they are on the site and where they have been in relation to either the site’s home page or their entry point onto the site.
3. Embedded Link: Are links within text that take users to another page or site.

Page/Screen Design:

1. Layout
1. Content:
2. Identification:
3. White Space:
4. Scrolling:

2. Color
3. Graphics
1. JPG image: Joint Photographic Experts Group
2. GIF image: Graphics Interchange Format
3. PNG image: Portable Network Graphic

Developing Effective Content:

· Writing for Electronic Communication

o Be Concise

o Keep chunks of text short

o Use headings and bulleted lists

o Use active voice

o Consider international readers

o Use an “inverted pyramid” structure for organizing information

o Limit in-text links to other sites and provide information about the links you do include.

· Building Credibility

Standards and Tools

· Markup Languages, Scripts, and Programming

o HTML is a system of tags that, when inserted into plain-text documents, tell Web browsers how to display documents.

· Style Sheets and Templates

o Style sheets contain information about elements such as fonts, heading levels, colors, and backgrounds.

o Templates can also be used to manage the layout of Web pages.

· Style Guides

o Include info about the way that particular info is designed and should be maintained.

Understanding the Iterative Design Process

· Planning the Iterative Process- you need to know its purpose and scope, the overall look and feel, the resources you’ll need, limitations you must contend with, and the schedule.

· Analyzing existing sites

o Can cut your planning time by allowing you to identify what works and what doesn’t.

· Creating prototypes of your Web site

o Involves developing mock-ups of ideas for your Web site and brainstorming those ideas with team members, clients, and possibly potential users.

· Coordinating the Process

o Make sure that everyone in the group know what they are doing

Ensuring Usability and Accessibility:

• Understand the opportunities and limitations of the virtual environment and its potential users.
• Know something about the assistive hardware and software available and be aware of how the design of electronic information could impact the technology your audience may be using.
• Concentrate on good design principles and integration rather than on what “cool” things you can do with programming languages, unless those functions help the majority of your audience receive the information and services you are offering.
• Use various methods for providing information so that you accommodate the greatest number of visitors.

Features of Accessible Electronic Communication:

• Provide alternative representation of information
• Use alternative tagging
• Add transcripts and captioning to audio

Individual and Collaborative Assignments:

1. Identify accessibility, comprehensibility, and usability
• Who’s the sponsor?
• Who are the intended audiences?
• How accessible is the site?
• How easy is the site to understand?
• How easy is the site to use?
2. Compare impact of screen size
• What are the differences in screen display?
• What are the differences in the ways content is presented?
• What is gained or lost in the different screen sizes? In content? In convince?
3. Credibility of Web sites
4. Credibility of nonprofit organizations
5. Assess the usability of your university’s Web site
6. Create a prototype for a Web site
7. Consider privacy policies
• How easy is locating the privacy policy?
• Does the site appear to collect information about visitors? If so, what information is collected? How is it collected?
• Does the site appear to share the collected information? With whom and why?
• How can users “opt out” of information collection?
8. Assess Web writing style
• In what ways does the writing conform to principles of effective writing for the Web?
• In what ways does it fail to conform?