Re: Note styles

Subject: Re: Note styles
From: Gene Kim-Eng <techwr -at- genek -dot- com>
To: sion -dot- lane -at- unit4 -dot- com
Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2018 08:00:37 -0700

If you're not using "Note" and "Tip" as identifiers AND not explaining
the formatting changes how does the reader know what they are?

There are various US and international requirements on labeling
Danger, Warning, Caution and Notice, and they all require the words.
Using "Note" and "Tip" (whatever the difference is to you) will make
the document more consistent, if not clearer. In settings where there
is the potential for user injury or equipment damage, odds are your
Safety reviewers would insist on the word labels as well as the
formatting. Because in such settings there is no such thing as
overkill and nothing is ever obvious.

Gene Kim-Eng

On Tue, Oct 16, 2018 at 6:30 AM Sion Lane <sion -dot- lane -at- unit4 -dot- com> wrote:
>
> I agree with you, my argument is that should be one thing or the other â not both.
>
> I disagree on the colour, it performs the job you describe of indicating where the note ends.
>
> From: mbaker -at- analecta -dot- com [mailto:mbaker -at- analecta -dot- com]
> Sent: 16 October 2018 14:22
> To: Sion Lane <sion -dot- lane -at- unit4 -dot- com>; techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> Subject: Re: Note styles
>
> Drop the Icon. Drop the color. Add the word "Note".
>
> The principles involved here are very simple:
>
> * Be clear
> * Avoid redundancy
>
> The word "Note" is the clearest way to point out that something is a note. People might not know that the icon means. They might not know what the color means. They will certainly know what "Note" means.
>
> Since the word "Note" is sufficient to indicate that a note is a note, the icon and the color are redundant and should be removed. You do need some kind of formatting to indicate where a note ends, such as a box or indentation of the note, but this should be the minimum necessary to do the job.
>
> Mark
>
> On 2018-10-16 8:53:03 AM, Sion Lane <sion -dot- lane -at- unit4 -dot- com<mailto:sion -dot- lane -at- unit4 -dot- com>> wrote:
> We currently use appropriate icons, indentation and a different background to indicate notes, tips and warnings in our help topics and pdf content. A proposal has been made that we also use autonumbering to add the word 'Note' 'Tip' etc.
>
> I feel this is overkill, the icon in conjunction with the background colour act as a visual representation of that word so to add the word as well makes it almost tautological. The nature of the message should also be obvious from the text itself. I should add that we do not currently have an 'About this Help' topic that explains the icons and there is no desire to add one.
>
> What are other people's opinions?
>
> Am I crazy to be so bothered about this?
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References:
Note styles: From: Sion Lane
Re: Note styles: From: mbaker -at- analecta -dot- com
RE: Note styles: From: Sion Lane

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