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Subject:RE: Labels on forms: Abbreviate or use symbols? From:"Leonard C. Porrello" <Leonard -dot- Porrello -at- SoleraTec -dot- com> To:"Cheryl Magadieu" <cmagadieu -at- gmail -dot- com>, <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Thu, 18 Feb 2010 08:09:11 -0800
On one hand, I don't like it as what you (and most Americans) are calling a "pound sign" is known as a "hash sign" ("hash symbol," etc.) to the rest of the world. It is unlike symbols such as the ampersand (which is synonymous with "and"). It also isn't pleasing to the eye. On the other hand, # is widely recognized to mean "number."
Leonard
BTW, here is an actual "pound sign": £.
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+leonard -dot- porrello=soleratec -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+leonard -dot- porrello=soleratec -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On Behalf Of Cheryl Magadieu
Sent: Thursday, February 18, 2010 7:58 AM
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: Labels on forms: Abbreviate or use symbols?
My company's usability standards team has a question about the style for
abbreviations and symbols in form labels. Our company's product is online,
and the user interface often uses two-column tables to display forms. The
forms include sections where users enter data such as patient names,
addresses, and phone numbers. Sometimes the form labels are so long that we
can't fit them into the allotted space without abbreviating them or using
symbols. For example, one label is "Patient Account Number." We're debating
whether to abbreviate it as "Patient Account No." or to use the pound
symbol: "Patient Account #". Which usage do you think would be more familiar
to users, both in the U.S. as well as internationally? I checked a few style
guides to see if they provide any guidance, but the only guidance I could
find was to avoid abbreviations whenever possible.
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Use Doc-To-Help's XML-based editor, Microsoft Word, or HTML and
produce desktop, Web, or print deliverables. Just write (or import)
and Doc-To-Help does the rest. Free trial: http://www.doctohelp.com
Explore CAREER options and paths related to Technical Writing,
learn to create SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS documents, and
get tips on FUNCTIONAL SPECIFICATION best practices. Free at: http://www.ModernAnalyst.com
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