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Subject:Re: no subject (images and thought processes) From:Jeanette Sainten <jeanettes -at- MDLI -dot- COM> Date:Tue, 4 Nov 1997 12:21:37 -0800
Hello Ulrike,
Here in the US the latest way for technical writers
to determine how an audience processes
information is to conduct usability studies.
With time constraints, however, many people use images that
popular products contain. I document software, so when in doubt,
we use images or words similar to those used by
Microsoft or Netscape, for example.
Regarding your comment about racial categorizations,
don't forget, Africa is a very big continent! Are you
referring to Africans studied from a particular country?
North African? Saharan? Sub-saharan? South African???
Those educated in Western schools, Africans colonized by the French,
Africans who emigrated to universities in Europe or America?
More to the point, the tremendous diversity of races and
nationalities in our world, as long as tests remain subjective,
saying that a race, "generally thinks a certain way," limits
your perception about other people. It also has a way of
offending those people who are aware of the dangers of
racial categorization.
If there is an objective measurement and adequate sampling
in a test conducted by race, then those statistics are useful.
If someone publishes that 4 in 100 births of Caucasians are
multiples.(I just made that up as an example)
(Note that I am especially sensitive to statements that
categorize people by race as I am multiracial and my ancestors
include Africans.
And, anecdotally, I have always tested in the 99th percentile
of tests that are conducted to evaluate my ability to perceive
and process spatial information.)
Best of luck,
Jeanette
jeanettes -at- my-best -dot- com
----------
From: Ulrike Mueller[SMTP:umue0115 -at- rzm31 -dot- RZ -dot- UNI-HILDESHEIM -dot- DE]
Sent: Tuesday, November 04, 1997 11:13 AM
To: TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
I am a student of Technical Translation and Technical Documentation.
At the moment I am working on a research paper (Diplomarbeit) on the
subject visuals and illustrations in international technical documents. My
job is to investigate how different peoples all over the world (Africa,
Asia, South America) perceive visual information. Africans, for example,
are said to have problems to perceive perspective in illustations... .
- Does anyone know books or research papers I should read?
- Are there any specifications for visuals/illustrations in technical
documents in the United States.
- I am also interested in conventions for visuals/illustrations in
electrical and mechanical engineering (for example conventions for
technical drawings concerning front, side view and view from above or
conventions for exploded diagrams)
- If anyone knows some general examples to this problem, tell me!!!! ( but
I also need proofs to support my arguments).
