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.
For usability, what is the level of the potential user/reader?
Experienced in general or a novice in the field. For novices, I'd
definitely limit the number of callouts per screenshot and I'd use
labels.
If the content will be translated, people generally number the items
they reference, then put the legend in the text. That way only the
text needs to be edited.
Figures with numbered callouts tend to look less cluttered (depending
on the number you've inserted), but even then there's a limit. It's
much easier on the reader all around to use frequent shots with just a
few items to explain. Advantages include keeping the reference near
the content, keeping the content interesting, and less cognitive drain
(making it easier to understand).
Regards,
Kathleen
On Mon, Sep 15, 2008 at 10:07 AM, Rob Hudson <caveatrob -at- gmail -dot- com> wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I'm struggling with "usable" screen captures. I tend to circle and
> annotate screen elements with word bubbles, but those tend to get busy
> fast. I thought about circling and annotating with circled letters, then
> referring to those letters below. Is that more or less useful? How do
> you annotate your screen shots?
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
> ComponentOne Doc-To-Help gives you everything you need to author and
> publish quality Help, Web, and print content. Perfect for technical
> authors, developers, and policy writers. Download a FREE trial.
>http://www.componentone.com/DocToHelp/
>
> True single source, conditional content, PDF export, modular help.
> Help & Manual is the most powerful authoring tool for technical
> documentation. Boost your productivity! http://www.helpandmanual.com
>
> ---
> You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as kathleen -at- writefortheuser -dot- com -dot-
>
> To unsubscribe send a blank email to
> techwr-l-unsubscribe -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> or visit http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/kathleen%40writefortheuser.com
>
>
> To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
>
> Send administrative questions to admin -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- Visit
>http://www.techwr-l.com/ for more resources and info.
>
>
>
ComponentOne Doc-To-Help gives you everything you need to author and
publish quality Help, Web, and print content. Perfect for technical
authors, developers, and policy writers. Download a FREE trial. http://www.componentone.com/DocToHelp/
True single source, conditional content, PDF export, modular help.
Help & Manual is the most powerful authoring tool for technical
documentation. Boost your productivity! http://www.helpandmanual.com
---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-
