RE: Notes, tips, and warnings... oh my!

[SIANNON -at- VISUS -dot- JNJ -dot- com]

I think Eric Dunn hit it right on the nose: ease of use has brought forth 
the _improper_ use of emphasized text in many docs today.

My personal style of reading is apparently the opposite of some posters.  
In meaty texts I intend to read straight through, I scan headings and 
sidebars, diagrams and the like *first*, to get an overview before diving 
into the deeper bits (this multi-pass method has been recommended in 
several books and articles on studying/retention, as well as seminars on 
organizational effectiveness and time management). In magazines and shorter 
works I tend to hit them afterward, but I definitely hit them.

Large blocks of text intimidate many readers. I've been an avid bookworm my 
entire life, and even I start to glaze over after two pages of unbroken 
text, when it's not reading for entertainment (emphasis on this last 
caveat--most users are *not* reading our materials for entertainment, so 
their attention is focused differently).  Studies suggest that people 
retain best from the beginning and ending of a stretch of focused 
attention, forgetting stuff from the middle, when they forget something (I 
forget specific citations offhand, but I recall the old "Where There's a 
Will There's an 'A'" video series cited studies).
     For those writing for non-white-collar readers (e.g., user guides for 
certain manufacturing equipment), or those who simply don't like reading, 
long paragraphs ensure the reader will get impatient and stop reading in 
the middle. Again, Know Thy Audience.

Using emphasized text just to break things up is counterproductive; 
emphasis should always have a reason, and consistency in the presentation 
of content types makes it easier for readers to find what they want.  
Sometimes the reader may be scanning a procedure for prerequisites before 
running it, or trying to troubleshoot a common error that pops up in the 
middle of a procedure. In these cases, properly applied emphasized text can 
make such searches easier.
     Avoiding emphasized text completely, and embedding cautions and 
warnings in the body text can be just as counterproductive as overuse, and 
can actually cause readers to ignore important points.  I agree that notes 
might not require emphasis, depending on the content, but cautions and 
warnings are a content type that bears emphasis.

Admittedly, this is simply my opinion; I have not viewed the original doc 
that prompted the question, so I cannot say whether the emphasized text was 
used constructively or not.  However, I will strongly disagree with a 
black-and-white, either/or assessment of such design elements.  Use of 
these elements is context-driven, based on the needs of the audience.


Shauna Iannone
(empathizing with those who have to make a single doc work for user types 
ranging from technophobics with an eighth grade reading level to 
semi-hacker brainiacs)

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