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.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
E. Winters: Principal Program Facilitating and Consulting
Berkeley, CA, USA 510-843-0909 ewinters -at- netcom -dot- com
Instructional Design * Interactivity * Cross - Cultural Communication
_________________________________________________________________________
On Thu, 22 Sep 1994, Richard Mateosian wrote:
[many lines deleted] . . .
> Paul Heckel, in The Elements of Friendly Software Design (Sybex, 1991), says
> the solution can be as simple as a title like CASABLANCA 1941 at the
> beginning of a movie. He gives other examples of how to use small elements
> that let the user answer questions like Where am I? What am I doing? What do
> I do next? Users can ask such questions at unexpected times.
Like many other examples - - & in the not much new under
the sun category - - these are ALSO called 'establishing' - -
in film -- 'shots' -- see Eisenstein, among others.
In Instructional Design they are called 'organizers' --
another interesting point is that they seem to be culturally
linked, i.e., some cultures want the general to the specific -
others want to begin with the 'small element' and work to
the general picture.
