Re: Hot Topics

[Robert Plamondon <robert -at- PLAMONDON -dot- COM>]

Mike Markley writes:

>I think "visual literacy" is a hot topic. Graphical techniques
>for information delivery are becoming more accessible and less
>expensive (like streamed video on the web or desktop video
>production), and readers'/users' attention spans seem to be
>getting shorter. As a result, a shift toward _less text_ and
>_more graphics_ is underway in many areas of documentation.
>We need to monitor this communication front, and prepare
>ourselves for this shift.

I don't know about video, but certainly illustration is under-used
in most manuals.  Every writer should take a technical illustration
course, even if you have illustrators at your beck and call, so you
understand the field well enough to integrate illustrations into
your document design.

I usually take a "pictures first, then words" approach to documents.

        -- Robert
--
Robert Plamondon, High-Tech Technical Writing, Inc.
36475 Norton Creek Road * Blodgett * Oregon * 97326
robert -at- plamondon -dot- com * (541) 453-5841 * Fax: (541) 453-4139
http://www.pioneer.net/~robertp

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