{"id":5009,"date":"2016-05-06T14:43:08","date_gmt":"2016-05-06T19:43:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.encoretechresources.com\/insights\/?p=5009"},"modified":"2016-05-06T14:43:08","modified_gmt":"2016-05-06T19:43:08","slug":"present-guidance-via-graphics-too","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.encoretechresources.com\/insights\/2016\/05\/06\/present-guidance-via-graphics-too\/","title":{"rendered":"Present Guidance Via Graphics, Too"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nUp till now, Insights has been devoted essentially to technical writing<\/em>, but it’s time for discussion of graphic aspects of the trade too. That’s thanks to Bart D. Leahy who, on his Heroic Technical Writing blog<\/a>, discusses adding pictures<\/em> to technical output \u2013 well, charts and graphs at least. They’re pretty heroic in their own way.<\/p>\n

“Which graphic should you use?” is the post’s title, for you’ve got choices \u2013 between line, bar and pie charts and tables, to get things started. (You can also use photographs or drawings but we’re in the chart mode for now.)<\/p>\n

Line charts, Bart Leahy advises, are good for tracking a single value or two over time and are helpful in showing trends. Bar charts can compare a host of items in terms of quantities, rather than time. Pie charts display percentage slices of a whole. And tables, while not so graphic, can compare text- and number-based information. <\/p>\n

But watch out, unless you’re purposely trying to mislead, which, of course, you shouldn’t be doing. The way graphics are displayed, Leahy shows, can be misleading and you don’t want to be that<\/em> crafty.<\/p>\n

“Graphics are becoming increasingly important to how technical information is conveyed,” Leahy summarizes. “It is vital that technical communicators of all varieties understand the conventions, pros, and cons of of different visual representations… Take the time to present your data well and your readers will appreciate it.”<\/p>\n

Well, it’s true that a picture can be worth a thousand words. But we’re not giving up on words \u2013 that can’t be done in the technical sector any more than anywhere else. But being mindful that graphics can offer summary views of material can help to enliven your text, which is something you should always be seeking, legitimately, to do. \u2013 Doug Bedell<\/em> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Up till now, Insights has been devoted essentially to technical writing, but it’s time for discussion of graphic aspects of the trade too. That’s thanks to Bart D. Leahy who, on his Heroic Technical Writing blog, discusses adding pictures to technical output \u2013 well, charts and graphs at least. They’re pretty heroic in their own […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,3,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5009","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-communication","category-technology","category-the-writing-life"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t