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Most times, the screen doesn't appear untill after I've done
something...usualy after 2 to 3 or more steps. I'm not going to do
something just so I can get the screen in the book. I'm doing the steps
and the screen is my visual comnformation that I did ther steps
correctly.
Also, think of it linearly...I do some steps, and after I do those
steps, I see a screen. I may now end there or do some additional steps
on the screen. It makes sense to me to have the screen show up in the
text about the same time it would show up on the screen.
John
Barb Ostapina wrote:
>
> I read an article the other day for a class I'm taking. Sorry to say, I
> don't have it with me right now and can't give you the specifics, but
> something in it has been gnawing at me and I'd like to get some other
> opinions. The article was about visual design and stated that screen
> captures should appear after the instruction/text that references them,
> never before. I certainly agree that they shouldn't appear *long* before
> the instruction, but what's wrong with having the picture just before it?
> I'm thinking it is helpful to the reader to see the screen before the
> instruction so he'll know he's in the right place when he takes the action
> specified in the instruction. Anybody have an opinion they'd care to share?
>
> --B
> barb -dot- ostapina -at- experian -dot- com
> ...speaking only for myself
--
John Posada, Technical Writer
Bellcore, where Customer Satisfaction is our number one priority mailto:john -at- tdandw -dot- com mailto:jposada -at- notes -dot- cc -dot- bellcore -dot- com
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and he will sit in a boat and smoke cigars all day."
