TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
RE: Are there any industry standards for writing product dimensions (width, height, depth) ??
Subject:RE: Are there any industry standards for writing product dimensions (width, height, depth) ?? From:"David Artman" <david -at- davidartman -dot- com> To:"techwr-l" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Tue, 02 Dec 2014 07:35:41 -0700
I think your order of dimensions should reflect how a customer would
want to consider them.
* On the one hand, height and width matter more to a TV buyer than
depth, especially when you consider modern flat panels going into home
entertainment system cabinetry.
* On the other hand, height and depth might matter more to a
refrigerator buyer, who has to stay under overhead cabinetry and align
with existing cabinetry depth (let's assume the fridge is at the end of
a counter, so width is even less of an issue).
* On the gripping hand, width and depth matter more to a countertop
stove buyer than height (which is usually not a factor unless you've got
REALY low upper cabinetry).
My company sells products to customers that invariably have floor space
constraints, and so our dimensions are strongly 'footprint-oriented',
with width and depth prominent (while height is almost always moot,
except during installation).
Focus on the product's application and you'll quickly realize what
dimensions should have priority. If all else fails: WxHxD is the typical
order in which one draws a 3D Cartesian grid (x, y, z). ;)
HTH;
David
-------- Original Message --------
From: James Witkin <jameswitkin -at- gmail -dot- com>
Date: Wed, November 26, 2014 6:43 pm
In my current job, I write and maintain a lot of product specifications.
The previous tech writer followed no consistent method in how he ordered
these dimensions. Some are arranged as width x height x depth. Some as
height x depth x width. You get the idea.
...
Are there any industry standards for how to list dimensions? Is width or
height always listed first? If there are standards, what is the thinking
behind choosing one arrangement over another.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Read about how Georgia System Operation Corporation improved teamwork, communication, and efficiency using Doc-To-Help | http://bit.ly/1pJ4zPa
