TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Tilting at windmills: Doc design vs. lawyers and accountants
Subject:Tilting at windmills: Doc design vs. lawyers and accountants From:"Dick Margulis" <margulis -at- mail -dot- fiam -dot- net> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Fri, 20 Jul 2001 08:28:13 -0400
Okay, I'm gonna be a good soldier and just do what I'm asked, which is to edit a few company-specific sections of a document that is otherwise legal and financial boilerplate and keep my mouth shut about the rest of the document. And, yes, I know that sometimes making a document readable is the _last_ thing lawyers and accountants want to do.
But here's my question: Has anyone here had any success at all in persuading anyone in the legal or accounting profession that THEIR LIVES COULD BE BETTER if they formatted their documents a little differently? I mean these guys read miles of text every year that is edge-to-edge 10/12 Times Roman on 8.5-inch-wide paper. Watch them on an airplane sometimes. Often you'll see them holding their place by running their thumbs down both sides of the sheet, just to keep track of what line they're reading; their heads swing side to side because they can't scan that wide a line with their eyes. I figure they could increase their reading speed 15 to 20 percent just by using a shorter line length, let alone using a more appropriate font. Think of it! Less time reading, more time for, oh, I dunno, their families, maybe? (Yeah, right.)
But whenever I've suggested such a radical thought to any of these guys, they tell me, no, the format is "standard" and it isn't in our "power" to change it.
Is this true? Have courts ruled on this? Professional associations? Can't the courts or professional associations be reached by logical argument? Can't our academic brethren and sisthren [nonce word; don't look it up] have a heart-to-heart with their counterparts in the professional faculties about introducing some modern document design practices?
*** Deva(tm) Tools for Dreamweaver and Deva(tm) Search ***
Build Contents, Indexes, and Search for Web Sites and Help Systems
Available now at http://www.devahelp.com or info -at- devahelp -dot- com
TECH*COMM 2001 Conference, July 15-18 in Washington, DC
The Help Technology Conference, August 21-24 in Boston, MA
Details and online registration at http://www.SolutionsEvents.com
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as: archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
