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Subject:Re: language and communication From:Pat Anderson <panders -at- aw -dot- sgi -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Fri, 24 Nov 2000 13:09:47 -0500
Damien Braniff raises some interesting issues...
While they may be more applicable for some of us than others, I find a kinship with his statement that:
>This led on to the fact that we need to be good communicators, not just
>good writers and that
>language should simply be one of the tools we use to get across our
>message. So after the
>various discussions re Word vs Frame etc, perhaps we need to look at how
>we can 'supplement'
>the written word - do we make enough use of graphics etc.
Where do we go from here?
Are we heading to a post-literate world? A world in which information must be delivered at the speed of light (here, now!) and people won't read three pages of information (ref: Dan Emory's plaint about essays and responses)?
How does graphic comprehension and literacy compare with word/language comprehension and literacy in our users?
What is available in the graphical lexicon?
Screen captures
Screen captures with annotations
Information graphics (vector or bitmap) illustrating concepts
movies showing an operation or task
movies with annotations
movies with sound
movies requiring interactions (like can be done in Flash or Director)
3D representations of complex data or relationship structures
How can we unambiguously represent information? Is this even a possibility?
What are you using? How are you doing it?
We find we're moving more toward annotated graphics and movies, interactive graphics, and the like.
We're getting farther away from paper, more hypertextual, and leaning toward non-textual media for conveying information...
Anyone else in this boat?
...pat.
Pat Anderson,
Documentation Manager, Design Products
Alias|Wavefront
tel: (416) 874-8375
email: panders -at- aw -dot- sgi -dot- com http://www.aliaswavefront.com
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