RE: Visuals in work instructions: how many is too much?

["Sarah Bouchier" <Sarah -dot- Bouchier -at- exony -dot- com>]

>I'm a big fan of visuals.
>In an international/language barrier world,
>They are a blessing.

Well... yes and no.  If your visuals have text in them (as most
screenshots of software will), redoing those visuals for each language
version might prove less of a blessing.

In general I think I tend to think of visuals the way I think of car
directions.

When driving somewhere, I don't need descriptions of every single
turning, set of traffic lights etc on the route; that would be
counterproductive, in that it makes a larger amount of material to wade
through.  On the other hand, occasional indicators ('you'll pass a big
park on the left' 'if you go under a railway you've gone too far') that
help me notice when I've got lost are much appreciated.

I try to apply the same philosophy to my manuals.

Sarah Bouchier
Technical Author

exony
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