Minutes 04/11/12

Prepared by: Robert Yu

Present: Carmen, Jordan, Leah, Casey, Jacqueline, Brooke, Remington, Robert

Topic: We started class by making paper cranes, looking at very poorly written instructions. Then we looked at a video that illustrated a profit and loss sheet with an explanation about depreciation and amortization, before moving on to the topic of the day, which is technical writing.

Definition: Technical writing – communicating instructions using simple words and visuals; focus on accuracy and simplicity

Characteristics of good technical writing

• Accurate
• Explain difficult concepts in an elegant manner
• Address problems that the users actually experience
• Uses clear language
• Avoids jargon
• Considers what users already know and picks up where the knowledge leads off
• Organized in a way that quickly allow users to find specific information
• Balances task based information with reference information
• Allows users to find it quickly
• Uses images instead of text, when user can find images more efficiently
• Provide clear warning and puts user safety first
• Consistent formatting and text
• Anticipates users’ questions and answers those questions
• Follows standard format to avoid reader confusion

Examples of technical writing

• FAQ – essentially a piece of technical writing; public health technical writing about how to avoid transmitting diseases are available everywhere
• Discharge orders or post-op care; how to claim a refund
• Suzanne gave an example of how they wrote technical information for dispensing Kaldi’s coffee; she also gave an example of how in a restaurant there are technical instructions to follow when you cut yourself, such as using a fluorescent bandage.
• Historical example of technical writing – Wilder about how to live on the prairie without anything but your resourceful paw and an ax

Case Study: Open source ecology – utopian source of information; he open sourced how to make five or six basic pieces of farm equipment with ready to use materials; the spread of information revolutionized people and how they can change their lives, even without a source of money.He uses drawing, writing, and diagrams to explain how to create these machines.

Activity: To practice technical writing, we broke into two groups and practiced the French braid, with which many individuals were not familiar. After learning the braid, each group had to write a set of instructions for a potentially new hair braider to follow.