Re: Measuring readability (fwd)

["Palmer, Phyllis" <PPalmer -at- SPHERECOM -dot- COM>]

Correction:  80% are readers but love bullet points and pictures; 10-15%
are avid readers; 5-10% are non-readers.  Sorry.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Palmer, Phyllis
> Sent: Thursday, April 02, 1998 4:36 PM
> To:   'DURL'; TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
> Subject:      RE: Measuring readability (fwd)
>
> So, I must ask, is there a standard rule of thumb for different
> written projects?  I have always gone by the fact that 80% don't want
> to read (aren't in depth readers); 10-15% are skimmers (love bullet
> points and pictures), and 5-10% are non-readers.  Of those 80%, what
> grade level do you target for installation instructions?  for help
> files?  for user manuals?  for technical training?
>
> Do they vary?
> Is this a can of worms?
> Thanks for the dialog,
> Phyllis
>
>       -----Original Message-----
>       From:   DURL [SMTP:durl -at- BUFFNET -dot- NET]
>       Sent:   Thursday, April 02, 1998 4:10 PM
>       To:     TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
>       Subject:        Re: Measuring readability (fwd)
>
>       Hi Mike,
>               10th grade is too high; I usually think  8th grade level
> if the
>       issue comes up.
>               The problem with the Flesch and Gunning Fog index is
> that they're
>       based on numbers of syllables per sentence, or per paragraph.
> You can use
>       them on any word processor since MultiMate...when you run the
> grammar
>       check, it'll give you a grade level.
>               However, that's pretty meaningless. I did some research
> into this
>       a while back, and couldn't find teachers who knew *how* their
> testing
>       systems that measure grade level do it. I *did* find someone who
> was
>       working on developing a grade level using syntax issues (ex:
>       voice, simple sentences, compound subject or predicate) but at
> the time,
>       no one had developed software for it...too complex for the
> software to do.
>               The problem is that specialists know a vocabulary that
> includes
>       some pretty highly technical words that skew the syllable count.
> If this
>       were my task, I'd advocate developing a syntax approach.
>               Editorial Eye might be a good resource. I referred to
> their
>       article, "Writing for Adult Non-Readers." This took into acount
> that you
>       were dealing w/ adults who had a grown-up vocabulary, but who
> don't read
>       for recreation--just information as necessary. Here's where the
> syntax
>       issue comes up, and the "adult non-reader" target might be
> another
>       way to define your audience.
>               Mary
>
>       Mary Durlak  Erie Documentation Inc.
>       East Aurora, New York (near Buffalo)
>       durl -at- buffnet -dot- net
>
>       On Thu, 2 Apr 1998, Collier,Michael wrote:
>
>       > I've been asked to ensure that our user docs are written on a
> 10th grade
>       > level so that they are understandable to a wide audience. If
> you've had to
>       > do this, how do you measure this?
>       >
>       > I searched the archives and the web and found references to
> the Gunning Fog
>       > Index and the Flesch Readability Index, but I couldn't
> determine if these
>       > enforce a grade level standard (plus, if they're dated, and
> with the decline
>       > of literacy...)
>       >
>       > Has anyone used an index or standard for this? No mil specs,
> please. Is
>       > there any software that does this?
>       >
>       > Thanks,
>       >
>       > Michael Collier
>       > mailto:mcollier -at- cnalife -dot- com
>       >
>       >
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