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The heading says "(T) Route 57 Watertown Yard - Kenmore Station via Newton Corner & Brighton Center". The words "bus" and "map" are never used, although there is a map and bus icon. The words are unnecessary if the graphics are understandable to your audience.
Of course, the document itself has to be in the right context - if you found a printout of this map in a trash can in Nigeria, you'd have the start of a novel, not a technical document.
-------------- Original message ----------------------
From: "Sean Brierley" <sbrierley -at- Accu-Time -dot- com>
> I need to know it's a bus map first. Please introduce this line drawing
> you are presenting to me.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Sean
>
> ___________
> Sean Brierley
> Technical Writer
> www.accu-time.com
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: techwr-l-bounces+sbrierley=accu-time -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+sbrierley=accu-time -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On
> Behalf Of Rebecca Hopkins
> Sent: Tuesday, July 08, 2008 4:34 PM
> To: Tech Whirlers
> Subject: Re: Never lead with a graphic
>
>
> John,
>
> The graphic represents the functionality at a very basic level - the big
> picture. The explanation is the detail the graphic does not express. It
> is the most important thing, because it is the starting point. If they
> don't understand why they are being presented with the graphic, then the
> graphic needs improvement, not the text.
>
> This graphic is like a bus map. First you want to see the map that shows
> where the bus goes, then you want to see the text schedule that lists
> when the bus stops at your location. If I tell you that the 57 stops at
> here at 3:45, you'll say so what? If you see the map first, you'll know
> that you can take the 57 to Packard's Corner - if that's where you want
> to go, now you care when it stops here.
>
> Does that make sense?<snip>
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Microsoft Office, team authoring, plus more. http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList
True single source, conditional content, PDF export, modular help.
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