Writing Assignment: write Persuasive Message with Visual

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DESIGNING DOCUMENTS, SLIDES, AND SCREENS 4

LEARNING OUTCOMES

L01 Explain the importance L04 Describe special features of effective design of website design

L02 List eight guidelines for LOS Discuss presentation slide design effective page design

L06 Explain how to test design usability L03 Describe six steps to

create good visuals

AN INSIDE PERSPECTIVE

Good document design focuses on the reader. Imagine a particu lar reader trying to do something with your document . Document design is not about decoration, but rather about guid ing the reader through a t ask. For example, designers are " problem solvers, not decorators , so t he design serves t he structure and funct ionality of the website while providing a rich interactive experience for the user, • says Halifax-based Malcolm Fraser, former president of MODE (ISL) and now vice president of FCV Interact ive. His designers are extending their award-winn ing ways with mobile, mapping, and social media technologies.

To test a document, ask people to do something with it, such as complete a short survey . Then ask them how well it worked; they wil l tell you what they under- stand and what they don't. Take t ime to observe them as well; they will show you when the instructions are unclear or when they can 't f ind the right information.

Good document design for traditional and digital media is good business. The process begins and ends with people: f rom those in account management and consulting who ask the right q_uest ions and develop the strategies, to those who bring them to life, to those who monitor q_ua lity and the end-users themselves.

In addition to being vice president and man- aging director of FCV Interactive in Halifax, Malcolm Fraser is also board chair of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia and chair of the Research Committee for Destination canada. Previously he was founder of the digital con- sultancy firm MODE (formerly /SL). Named ()()e of Atlantic Canada's top 50 CEOs for five years and inducted into the Top 50 CEO Hall of Fame 2013, he is proud of his design team.

Good design saves money by preventing errors and reducing phone calls, emails, texts, or tweets f rom customers who don't understand what they are sup- posed to do. Employees are then freed up to provide even better customer ser- vice. Good design shows customers that you care about their t ime and want to make tasks easier for them. Isn' t that the best marketing a company can have?

Source: ISL Web Marketing & OevelopmenV Jive Photographic.

Good document design is as important for your college or university papers, reports, or p resentations as it is for your job application package (see a lso Chapters 11, 12, and 13). Document design is where you can show both your creative flair and your attention to detail.

Research shows that easy-to-read documents e nhance your credibility and build an image of you as a professional, compe- tent person. 1 Effective visual and verbal content depends o n your understanding, adapting, and implementing conventions and codes so that you are recognized as a member of the professional group to which you aspire to belong. "Conventions; according to Charles Kostelnick and Michael Hassett, "prompt rather than stifle invention" and are shaped and reshaped by social and c ul- tural nomts and technological innovations.2 Good d esign is as important for short docwnents a s it is fo r long ones: one-page letters and memos, resumes, reports and proposals, Web pages, social media, and newsletters all need to be clear and accessible.

L01

THE IMPORTANCE OF EFFECTIVE DESIGN Goo d d ocument design saves time and money, reduces lega l liabilities, and b uilds goodwill. A well-designed document loo ks inviting, friendly , and e asy to read. Effective des ign

a lso gro ups ideas v isually, making th e structure of the doc- ument more o bvious so the document is easier to read. A visual s ign of an o rga nization's identity, design creates brand p romise.

Picking up on the cruise ship theme of a fundraising event held by the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia, Malcolm Fraser's digital team, now part of FCV Interactive ( •• "An Inside Persp ective"), created a visually pleasing application d esigned to keep p articipants engaged through interactivity. The appli- cation displayed a race between cruise s hips, each tied to o ne of five performers. Each donation on behalf of performers propelled their cruise s hip furtl1 er in tl1e race. The design kept participants engaged witll the event a nd helped tlle founda tion do uble its o n-s ite ftmdra ising.3

Whe n document design is poor, organizations, individuals, and even society can suffer. Design can detennine whetller we read fin e print and know and act on our rights Ethics and Lega l: "A False Sense of Security"), or whether we know what is in our foo d o r h ealtll products and ma ke healthy deci- s ions. For example, poor d esign, planning, and ma na gement of tlle re build of the famed Bluenose IT-which has come to sy mbolize Canada (on the Cana dia n dime since 1937) as much as Nova Scotia shipbuilding reputation-has cost Nova Scotia $25 million. The Auditor General's scathing report identified flaws that threaten tlle schooner's life in "changed order pro- cess" and design specifications, ma king steering so hard it needed a hydraulic system.4

84 • PART 1 THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

The design of the "Fund-Racer• application added to fun and funds at a February 2014 fundraiser for the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia. Source: Jen Polegatto, Web Designer. ISL Web Marketing & Development.

DESIGN AS PART OF YOUR WRITING PROCESS(ES) Design isn' t something to "tack on" when y ou have finished writing. Indeed, the best docum ents, slides, and screens ar e created when you think about desi gn at each stage of your writing process( es ). For example:

• As you plan, think about your audience. Are they s killed readers? Are they busy? Will they read the document strai ght through or skip around in it? Will they access the docwn ent on a mobile device?

• As you write, incorporate lists and headings. Use v i sual s to convey numerical data clearly and forcefully (see •• "Designing Visuals" later in this chapter).

• Get feedback f rom people w ho will be using your docu- ment. What parts of the document do they find hard to understand? Do they need mor e information?

• As you r evise, check your draft against the guidelines in this chapter .

Online bank cust omers rely on a f alse sense of security promoted by marketing and the refund guarant ees of Canada's five major banks, according to study authors Paul Van Oorschot. Canada Research Chair in Network and Software Security, Carleton University, and PhD student Mohammad Mannan.

If they t ook the time to check the fine print, customers would find that " 100% online security guarantees· are • conditional on fulfilling complicat ed security req,uirements: A survey of 123 t echnically advanced users showed they fail to fulfill those req,uire- ments. To expect average people to do so is "extremely na'ive,"

L02

GUIDELINES FOR PAGE DESIGN Use the ei ght guidelines in Figure 4.1 to create visually attrac- tive, user-friendly documen ts.

Figure 4.1 Guidelines for Page Design

1. Use whit e space to separate and emphasize points. 2 . Use headings to group points and lead

the reader through the document. 3. Limit the use of words set in all capital letters. 4. Use no more than two fonts in a single document. 5. Use ragged right margins for business communications. 6. Put important elements in the top left and

lower right q_uadrants of the page. 7. Use a grid of imaginary columns to unify

visuals and other elements in a document . 8. Use highlight ing, decorat ive devices,

and colour in moderation.

1. Use Wh ite Space to Separate and Emphasize Points

White sp ace-the empty space on the page-mak es material easier to read by emphasizing the material that it separates fr om the r est of the text. To create white space, follow these guidelines:

• Use headings.

• Use a mix of paragraph lengths (most no l o nger than seven k eyed Jines). It's OK for a paragr aph to be just o ne sentence. First and l ast paragraphs, in particular, should be short.

• Use lists.

• Use tabs or indents-not spacing- to align items vertically.

the study argues. Claims that users could comply ·in minutes• are unrealistic. The average user could take hours if not days.

The study concludes that most will be ineligible for the 100% reimbursement guarant ees and that reassuring claims about completing online banking with • confidence" and ·peace of mind" are • no more than a marketing slogan which misleads users:

A Vancouver Sun editorial concludes that the banks need to redesign to make the processes less "compl icated and risky.• Or, they should "shoulder more of the risk-without hiding behind all the fine print :

•Based on Mohammad Mannan and Paul C. Van Oorschot. "'Security and Usability: The Gap in Real world Online Banking.H New Securjty Paradigms Workshop (NSPW) 2007. accessed March 7. 2011. http:/ jwww.csl.toronto.edu/ -mmannan/publications;online-banking nspw07 .pdf: "'The Onus for Safe Online Banking Falls More on Banks than on Clients," Vancouver Sun, April 15, 2008, accessed March 7, 2011. http:/ ;www.canada.com;vancowersun/ newsjedrtorialjstory.html?id=qbaqbb07·4ef6 475b b70b Sarah Schmidt, ·A False Sense of Security," Ottawa Citizen, AprillO, 2008.

CHAPTER 4 DESIGNING DOCUMENTS, SLI DES, AN D SCREENS 85

• According to Design Management Institute President Carole Bilson, · Design is the last differentiator.• Over 10 years, the Design Value Index reported 14 design companies, such as Apple, Disney, Nike, and IBM , ·outperformed the S&P 500 by 21 qj6," Having designers at the table from the start con- tributes to innovation and enhances "user experience."

• Rewriting its pol icy and procedures manuals saved FedEx $400,000 in increased productivity in the first year. More searches for information were successful, and more of them could be completed in less than three minutes.

• A Sabre computer reservation manual was cut from 100 pages to 20, saving $1 q,ooo just in producing the document.

Using Building Information Modelling's (BIM) dimensional digital representation rather than traditional drawings, General Motors saved 25 weeks in the collaborative design and build of its Aint Global V6 Engine Plant expansion. A 2008 study showed that diners will spend on average $5.55 more on a meal if restaurants drop the dollar symbol from their menus. Digital photos from photo-sharing website Aickr of the 65 parks of the East Bay Regional Park District, California, proved a way to update print and Web rials. By January 2010, 540 Aickr members had posted 5 ,816 photos, while visitors to the park district's website had doubled to a million visitors.

•Based on Graham F. Scott, Design Matters," canadian Business. April 2016, 3q- 4Q; Jay Mead, the Value Added for Technical Documentat ion: A Review of Research and Practice," Technical CommunicaHon 45, no. 3 {August lqqa): 353-37q; Andrea W.K. Lee, Information Modelling: Canadian Repon on Busjness, August 26. 2016; Sarah Schmidt, "Diners Will Pay More for Food Wrthout the$," Vancouver Sun, August 14. 2008. accessed August 15. 2008, http:/ ;www.canada.com;vancouversunjnewsjstory.html?id=331b1eeQ.447e4ffO.a81a 2c15cdc073ca; lsa Pott·Jones, ·Photo Finish.M Communication World, September- October 2010: 40-42.

• Use nwnbered lists when tl1e m unber or seq_uence of i tems is exact.

• Use b ullet s (large dots or squares) when the m unber and seq_uence don't matter.

When you use a Jist, ma ke sure all of tl1e i tems in it are par - allel (see •• Chapter 3) and f it into the structure of the sen tence introducing the list.

X FAULTY: The following suggestions can help employers avoid bias in job interviews:

1. Base q_uestions on the j ob description.

2. Questioning t echniq_ues.

3 . Selection and training of interviewers.

V"' PARALLEL: The following suggesti ons can help empl oyers avoid bias in job interviews:

1. Base q_uestions on the j ob description.

2. Ask the same questions of all appl icants.

3 . Select and tra in interviewers carefully.

V"' ALSO PARALLEL: Employers can avoi d bias in job interviews by

1. Basing q_uestions on the job description.

2. Asking the same questions of all applicants.

3 . Selecting and training interviewers carefully.

Figure 4.2 shows an original k eyed document. In Figure 4.3, the same document has been impr oved by using

shorter paragraphs, lists, and headings. These devices ta ke space. When saving space i s essential, it's better to cut the text and k eep white space and headings.

As George Miller has shown, our short-term memories can hol d o nly seven plus or minus two bits of infonnation. 5 Only after those bits are processed and put into long-term memory can we assinillate new infonnation. Large amounts of infonnation will be easier to process if they are grouped into three to seven chunks r ather than presented as indivi dual i tems.

2. Use Headings to Group Points and Lead the Reader t hrough t he Document

B eading s (see Chapter 11) ar e wor ds, s hort phrases, or short senten ces that group points and divi de your document into sections. Headings and subh eadings enable r eader s to see at a gl an ce h ow the docum ent i s organized, to turn q_uickly to secti ons of special interest, and to compare an d contr ast points mor e easily . Headings al so break up the page, making i t look less f ormi dable and more inter esting. Follow t h ese guidelines w h en creating headings for your document:

• Mak e headings specifi c.

• Ensure each heading covers all the material until the next heading.

• Keep headings at any one level all notu1S, all com- pl ete sentences, or all q_uestions.

Headings may be top i c or functional (or generic) or talking or informative. Functional headings (e.g., Background, Budget, Recommendations) describe general topi cs or func- tions; infonnative headings (e.g., Employee Survey Supports

86 PART 1 THE BUILDING B LOCKS OF EFFECTIVE COM MUNICATION

Figure 4.2 A Document wit h Poor Visual Impact

X Full capital letters make

the title hard to read

MONEY DEDUCTED FROM YOUR WAGES TO PAY CREDITORS

When you buy goods on credit. the store will sometimes ask you to sign a Wage Assignmen t form allowing it to deduct money f rom your wages if you do not pay your bill. When you buy on credit. you sign a contract agreeing to pay a certain amount each week or month until you have paid all you owe. The Wage Assignment Form is separate. It must contain the name of your present employer. your social insurance number, the amount of money loaned, the rate of interest. the date when payments are due. and your signature. The words · wage Assignment" must be printed at the top of the form and also near the line for your signature. Even if you have signed a Wage Assignment agreement. Roysner will not withhold part of your wages unless all of the following conditions are met: 1. You have to be more than forty days late in payment of What you owe; 2. Roysner has to receive a correct statement of the amount you are in default and a copy of the Wage Assignment form; and 3 . You and Roysner must receive a notice from the creditor at least twen ty days in advance stating that the creditor plans to make a demand on your wages. This twenty-day notice gives you a chance to correct the problems yourself. If these conditions are all met, Roysner must withhold 15% of each paycheo..ue until your bill is paid and give this money to your creditor.

X Long para- '- graph is visually

uninviting

X Important Information Is hard to find

If you think you are not late or that you do not owe the amount stated, you can argue against it by filing a legal document called a "defence.·· Once you file a defence, Ro\Jsner will not withhold any money from you. However. be sure you are right before you file a defence. If you are wrong. you have to pay not only what you owe but also all legal costs for both yourself and the creditor. If you are right. the creditor has to pay all these costs.

New Tw itter Policy) add information and interest. Functional headings mak e good sense in regular or routine reports (trip or progress, for instance) and in defusing emotions in response to documents on sensitive issues. Informative headings can help readers think about issues when tl1ey are clear and concrete. Vagu eness (e.g., .Mov ing Forward in a New Era) will do little to conjure linages and clarify emphases.

In a Jetter or memo, key main h eadings even witll tlle left- hand ma rgin m bold. Capitalize tlle first letters of tlle first word and of otl1er major words; use lowercase for a ll oilier letters. (See Figure 4.3 for an example.) Use subheadings only when you have at least two subdivisions under a given main heading. In a report, you may need more tl1an two levels of headings Figure 11.7).

3. Limit the Use of Words Set in All Capital Letters

We recognize words by tlleir shapes (see Figure 4.4).6 In capi- tals, all words are rectangular; letters Jose tlle descenders and ascenders tllat make reading go 19% more q,uickly.7 Use full capitals sparmgly.

4 . Use No More Than Two Fonts in a Single Document

F o n t s are unified styles of type. Each font comes in sev- eral sizes and usually in several styles (e.g., bold, italic, etc.). In fixed typefaces, every Jetter takes tlle same space;

for example, an i takes tlle same space as a w. Courier and Prestige Elite are fixed fonts. Computers usually offer propor- tional type faces as well, where wider letters take more space tllan narrower letters. Times Roman, Palatino, Helvetica, and Aria! are proportional fonts.

Se rif fonts have little extensions, called serifs, from tlle main strokes. (In Figure 4.5, look at tlle feet on tlle r in New Courier and tlle flick on tlle top of tlle d in Lucida.) New Courier, Elite, Times Roman, Palatino, and Lucida Calligraphy are serif fonts. Serif fonts are easier to read because tlle ser- ifs help tl1e eyes move from Jetter to Jetter. Helvetica, Aria!, Geneva, and Technical a re sans s erif fonts since tlley Jack serifs (sans is French for 1vithout). Sans serif fonts are good for titles and tables.

Most business docwn ents use just one font-usually Times Roman, Palatino, Helvetica, or Aria!. Helvetica's popularity was promoted by American typographer Mike Parker, con- firmed by its use in early Apple desktops, and acllieved "rock star" status m tlle mdependent movie H el vetica about typogra - phy and visual culture.8

You can create emphasis and levels of headings by using bold, italics, and different sizes. Bold is easier to read tllan ital- ics, so use bolding if you need only one metllod to emphasize text. In a complex docwn ent, use bigger type for main head- ings and slightly smaller type for subheadmgs and text. If you combme two fonts in one document, choose one serif and one sans serif typeface.

Eleven-point Times Roman is ideal for letters, memos, and reports. Twelve-point type is acceptable, especially for mature

CHAPTER 4 DESIGNING DOCUMENTS, SLI DES, AN D SCREENS 87

Figure 4.3 A Document Revised to Improve Visual Impact

"" First letter of each main word l----------- Money Deducted from Your Wages

capitalized- _ to Pay Creditors Title split onto

two lines When you buy goods on c redit. the store will sometimes ask you to sign a Wage Assignment form allowing it to deduct money from your wages if you do not pay your bill.

Have You Signed a Wage Assig nment Form? "" Headings divide docu-

1 When you buy on c redit, you sign a contract agreeing to pay a certain amount each week or month until you have paid all you owe. The Wage Assignment Form is separate. It must contain the following:

"" list with • The name of your present employer bullets where - ---- •• Your social insurance number

order of items The amount of money loaned doesn't matter • The rate of interest

-------- : "" Single-space The date When payments are due Your signature

list when items ..... The words ·wage Assignment• must be printed at the top of the form and also near the line for your signature.

are short

ment into chunks

When Would M oney Be Deducted from Your Wages to Pay a Creditor? "" Headings

-------IU•- m ust be parai - T lei; here a ll are .,- Numbered Even if you have signed a Wage Assignment agreement, Roysner will not withhold part of q uestions

list where _ your wages unless all of the following conditions are met:

--- 1. You have to be more than 40 days late in payment of what you owe. --------Ll_L .,- Double

2. Roysner has to receive a correct statement of the amount you are in default and a copy of the Wage Assignment form.

space between ----- i tems i n list ..... 3 . You and Roysner must receive a notice from the c reditor at least 20 days in when most advance stating that the creditor plans to make a demand on your wages. This

items are two 2 0-day notice gives you a chance to correct the problem yourself. lines or longer

If these conditions are all met. Roysner must withhold fifteen percent (15%) of each pay- cheq_ue until your bill is paid and give this money to your c reditor.

What Should You Do If You Think the Wage Assignment Is Incorrect?

If you think you are not late or that you do not owe the amount stated, you can argue against it by filing a legal document called a "defence.· Once you file a defence, Roysner will not withhold any money from you. However. be sure you are right before you file a defence. If you are wrong. you have to pay not only what you owe but also all legal costs for both yourself and the creditor. If you are right. the c reditor has to pay all these costs.

Figure 4.4 Full Capitals Hide the Shape of a Word

rn tn'i'AAI !!@ @!] lwor<fl rantiJ !Slow! lread!fl.ill I FULL II CAPITALS II HIDE II THE II SHAPE II OF 101 WORD II AN D II SLOW II READING ll l q%1.

readers. Use 9- or type to get the effect of a printed book or b rochure.

5. Use Ragged Right Margins for Business Communications

emphasizes them

If your material will not fit in tl1e available pages, cut one more time. Putting some sections in tiny type will save space but it may also create a negative response-tl1at may extend to the organization tha t produced the docwnen t

When you choose f ull j ustification, the type on botl1 s ides of the page is evenly lined up. Books (including this one), news- papers, and magazines typically justify margins. Altllough

88 PART 1 THE BUILDING B LOCKS OF EFFECTIVE COM MUNICATION

Figure 4.5 Exa mples of Diffe rent Fonts This sentence is set in 12-point Times Roman.

Thi s sentence is set in 12-point Arial.

Thi s s enten c e is set i n 12 -point Ne w Courier .

'Iliis sentence is set in 12:Point Lucicfa Ca.[{itJrayfz.y.

This sentem::e Is set In l!l--Pdnt 13r oodwaY.

This sentence is set in 12 -point Technical.

justification can look f orntal and professional, i t can be chal- lenging to adjust space between words without r educing readability.

Margins justified only on the left are sometimes call ed rag ged right margins. Lines end in different places because words are of different lengths. Ragged right- with i ts l ess for- mal and mor e personalized appear ance--is now standard in business conummications.

In i ts 2007 redesign, The Globe and Mail adopted "a univer - sal r agged-right format" to enable t he use of "large-text type in narrow columns, which reduces the need to hyphenate wor ds. This makes for sm oother r eading." To trace how newspaper design and readability has changed since the first issue on March 5, 1844, with a readership of 300, to today's issue

Confusion and miscommunication can result if cultural differ- ences in presenting and processing t echnical informat ion are not t aken into account. For instance, context and a holistic st yle mat- t er more in China than in "task-oriented" and analytical North American instruction manuals. Inductive reasoning matters more in Japan, while deductive resonates in North America.

Cultural differences in document design are based on reading pract ices and experiences wit h other documents . For example, one laundry det ergent company printed ads in the Middle East showing soiled clothes on the left, its box of soap in the middle, and clean clothes on the right. But, because people in that part of the world read from right to left, many people thought the ads meant t hat the soap actually soiled the clothes.

a national week l y r eadership of 6.3 million across print an d digital platfornlS, c heck out The Globe and Mail video First Drafts of History: 17te Globe and Mail Celebrates 170 years. Recognizing that design m atters even mor e in the competition for print and online r eaders, t11e Globe l aunched another r ede- sign in that has proven to be an award winner (see Figure 4.6).9

6. Put Important Elements in the Top Left and Lower Right Quadrants of the Page

Reader s of English start in the upper left-han d corner of the page and r ead to the right and down. The eye moves in

People in Canada focus first on the left side of a website . However, Middle Eastern people f ocus first on the right side . Websites in Arabic and Hebrew orient text, links, and graphics from right to left.

If a company's success depends on its communicat ion's con- sistency with cultural values, Hans Hoeken and Hubert Korzilius caution against treating nationality as a cult ural difference. Their find ings show how difficult it is to compare cultural responses to documents when , for instance, a translated document does not carry the same meaning for different cult ures, and some cultures avoid the extremes of rating scales or have less experience with advertisements . In one st udy they cite, North American partici- pants believed a male figure to be upper class, while Chinese participants read his jeans as evidence of a manual labourer.

•Based on Yiq,!n Wang and Dan Wang. ·cultural Contexts in Document Design," in Kirk StAmant and Madelyn Aammia (eds.). Teaching and Traj()jng for Global Engineering: Perspecrives on Culture and Professjonal Communication PracOces (New York: Wiley & Sons. 2016). 1q....t5; Hans Hoeken and Hubert Korzilius, "Conducting Experiments on Cultural Aspects of Document Design: Why and HowT Communications 28, no. 3 (2003): 285-304; David A. Ricks. Blunders in lnternaUonaJ Business (Cambridge, MA: Blackwell. 1 qqJ), 53: and Albert N. Badre, ·rhe Effects of Cross Cultural Interface Design Orientation on World Wide Web User Performance: GVU Technical Report GfT.GVU 01-03. August 31, 2000, 8, accessed September 1. 2001. http:/ fwww. cc.gate<:h.edujgvu;reports/2001.

CHAPTER 4 DESIGNING DOCUMENTS, SLI DES, AN D SCREENS sq

Figure 4.6 The Globe and Mail Page Redesign T HI: CLO II t: AN I) MAl l. • ln:os£SDA\', ff.BRUAn 2l,1C)ll

JUT t•Jf&WSPAPIR DISIGX GLOBE WINNE-RS» A SEUCTION

PAOVDLY PRINT

New-look Globe wins top redesign award Vancom•er CO\'e.rage, Report on Business and folio also singled out for honours

Source: Pennission: The Globe and Mail lnc.

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a Z pattern (see Figure 4.7). 10 Therefore, as Philip M. Rubens notes, the four q,uadrants of the page carry different visual weights. The top left q,uadrant, where the eye starts, is the most important; the bottom right q,uadrant, where the eye ends, is next most important. 11 Titles should always start in the top left; reply coupons or other important elements s hould be in the bottom right.

7. Use a Grid of Imaginary Columns to Unify Visuals and Other Element s in a Document

For years, graphic designers have used a grid s yst e m to design pages. In its s implest fonn, a grid imposes two or three imaginary colw1ms on the page. In more complex grids, these colunms can be further subdivided. Then a ll the graphic

qo PART 1 THE BUILDING B LOCKS OF EFFECTIVE COM MUNICATION

Figure 4.7 Put Important Element s in the Top Left and Bottom Right Quadrants

Eye movement o n t h e page

Start

Orange <t.U adrants are most Important

Source: Based on Russel N. Baird. Arthur T. Tumbull, and Duncan McDonald. The Graphics of Communication: Typography, Layour. Design, Production. 5th ed. (New York: Holt. Rinehart, and Winston, 1 qa7). 37.

elements-text indentations, headings, visuals, and so on- are lined up within the columns. The resulting symmetry cre- ates a more pleasing page12 and tmifies long documents.

Figure 4.8 uses grids to organize a page with visuals, a newsletter page, and a resume.

8. Use Highlighting, Decorative Devices, and Colour in Moderati on

Many word processing programs have arrows, pointing fin- gers, and a host of other dingbats that you can insert. Clip art packages and presentation software allow you to insert more and la rger images into your text Used in moderation, high- lighting and decorative devices mak e pages more interesting.

Figure 4.8 Exa mples of Grids t o Design Pa ges

However, a page or screen that uses every possible highlight- ing device just looks busy and hard to read.

Colour works well to highlight points. Use colour for over- views and main headings, not for small points. Blue, green, or violet type is most legible for yotmger readers, but perception of blue diminishes for readers over age 50. 13 Since tlte connota- tions of colours vary a mong cultures, check » Chapter 5 before you use colour with international or multicultural audiences.

When you use colour, follow these guidelines:

• Use glossy paper to ma k e colours more vivid. • Be aware that colours on a computer screen a lways look

brighter than tlte same colours on paper because the screen sends out light.

A page with visuals A newsletter page A resume page

Three-column grid . Six-column grid . Twelve-column grid .

CHAPTER 4 DESIGNING DOCUMENTS, SLI DES, AN D SCREENS q 1

DECIDING WHEN TO USE VISUALS If the Information Age has proliferated sources of infonn a - tion, it has a lso produced added incentives-and aids- for readers eager to see what information means for them. We will focus h ere on how visuals can make numbers meaning- ful and messages memorable by replacing the proverbia l 1,000 words. (See •• Chapter 12 for infomtation on using visuals in oral presentations.)

The 2005 Make Poverty History campaign, for instance, used powerful visual effects to get across its message. From the white wristbands and shoelaces to the white bands wrapped a round world landmarks on J uly 1, 2005, or the Live 8 concert attracting 1 million spectators and 2 billion v iewers around the world, the campaign used visual displays to rein- force messages about the 30,000 children who die every day as a result of extreme poverty.

A series of s h ort videos also made powerful statements: Bono snapping his fmgers in Make History 2005, or celebrities in Click snapping tlteir fingers to register someone dying from extreme poverty every three seconds. All urged viewers to make poverty history one by one. In 2008, the campaign con- tinued member organizations arotmd the world and was adopted in Canada by First Nations intent on making poverty history for their peoples. 14

The ease of creating visuals by computer may encourage people to use them uncritically. Even though research tells us that 65% of us are visual learners, use a visual only to achieve a specific purpose. Never put in numbers or visuals just because you have them; instead, use tltem to convey information the audience needs or wants, minimizing "meaningless elements, both in text and pictures."15

In your rough draft, use visuals in the s ituations:

• T o d e t e rmine if ideas are presen ted comple t e ly . A table, for example, can show you whether you have included a ll the items in a comparison.

• T o find r e lations hips . For exantple, charting sales on a map may show that the sales representatives who made q_uota a ll have territories on the East or tlt e West Coast. Is the product one that appeals to coastal lifestyles? Is adver- tising reaching the coasts but not the Prairies, Ontario, or Quebec? Even if you don't use the visual in your fmal docu- ment, creating the map may lead you to ask q_uestions that you wouldn't have otlterwise.

In the final presentation or document, use v isuals for the following purposes: • T o ma k e points viv id. Readers skim memos, reports, and

Web pages; a visual catches the eye. The brain processes visuals inunediately. Understanding words-written or oral- takes more time.

• T o e mphasize material that might b e s kippe d if it were buried in a paragraph. Th e beginning and end a re

places of emphasis. Visuals allow you to emphasize intpor- tant material, wherever it logically fa lls.

• To p resen t mat e rial mor e comp actly and with Jess r e p e tit ion than words a lone would r eq,uire. Words can call attention to tlte main points of the visual, without repeating all of the visual's information.

The number of visuals you will need depends on your pur- poses, the kind of information, and the audience. You will tend to use more visuals when you want to show relationships and to persuade, when the infonn ation is complex or con- tains extensive nwnerical data, and when the audience values visuals.

L03

DESIGNING VISUALS Use the following six steps to create good visuals.

1. Check the Source of the Data Your chart is only as good as the tmderlying data. Check to be sure that your data come from a reliable source.

2. Determine the Story You Want to Tell Every visual should tell a story. Stories can be expressed in complete sentences that describe sometlting that happens or changes. The sentence also serves as the title of the visual.

x NOT A STORY Canadian Sales, 20 12- 20 17

.,;' POSS IBLE STORIES Forty Percent of Our Sales Were to New Customers

Growth Was Highest in Quebec Sales Increased from 2012 to 2017

Sales Were Highest in the Areas with More Sales Representatives

Stories tltat tell us what we already know are rarely inter- esting. Instead, good stories may do tlte following:

• Support a hunch you have • Surprise you or challenge so-called common knowledge • Sh ow trends or changes you didn't know existed • Have conunercial or social significance • Provide information needed for action • Contain persona l relevance for you and the audience

To fmd stories, use the following guidelines:

1. F ocus on a topic (purchases of cars, who likes j azz, etc.). 2. Simplify the data on that topic and conver t the numbers

to s imple, easy-to-understand units.

q2 • PART 1 THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

Figure 4 .9 Alberta GPI Environmental Sustainability Index Compared with GOP Growth, 1%1-1qqq

1%1 1%6 1q71 1q76 1q81 1q86 1qq1 1q% 1qqq Source: The Alberta GPI Accounts 1q61 1qqq; rptd. from Mark Anielski & Mark Winfield. ·A Conceptual Framework for Mon1toring Municipal and Community SustairLability in Canada.M Report prepared by the Pemb•na lnstrtute for Environment Canada, June 17. 2002.

3. Lo ok fo r relationsh ips a n d chan g es. For example, com· pare two or more groups: do men and women have the same attitudes? Look for changes over time. Look for items that can be seen as part of the same group. For instance, to find stories about entertainers' incomes, you might com· pare the number of writers, actors, and musicians in three rankings.

4. Process the data to find more stories. Calculate the per- centage cltange [rom one year to the ne.xt.

When you think you have a story, testit against all the data to be sure it's accurate.

Some stories are simple straight lines: "Sales Increased." But other stories are more complex, with exceptions or out- lying cases. Such stories will need more nuanced titles to do justice to the story. Figure 4.9 tells a predictable story about growth in Alberta together with a powerful message about its unsustainabllity- a prediction leading to some tough deci- sions in Alberta's 2014 and 20 16 budgets16

Almost every data set allows you to tell several stories. You must choose the story you want to tell. Dumps of uninter- preted data confuse and frustrat e your audience; they under- cut the credibility and goodwill you want to create.

3. Choose the Right Visual for the Story Visuals are not inte rchangeable. Good writers choose the visual that best matches the purpose of presenting the data. For example: • Use a table when the reader needs to be able to identify

exact values (see Figure 4.10a).

• Use a c hart or graph when you want the reader to focus on relationships. 17

Use a pie c hart to compare a part I{) the whole (see Figure 4. 10b).

• Use a map or a b ar chart to compare one item to another item (see Figure 4.10c).

• Use a bar cltart or a line g r aph to compare items over time (see Figure 4.10d).

• Use a line graph or bar chart to show freq_uency or distribu- tion (see Figure 4.10e).

• t;se a bar chart, a line graph, or a d ot chart to show cor- relations (see Figure 4 .I Of).

• t;se infographics to show complex data in visual fomt (see Figure 4.11).

• {;se photographs or live-51reaming videos to create a sense of authenticity or show the item in use. If the item is espe- cially big or small, include something in the photograph or video that can serve as a reference point: a dime or a per- son, for example.

• Use drawings to show dimensions or emphasize detail. • Use maps to emphasize location .

4 . Follow the Conventions for Designing Typical Visuals

Every visual should contain six components:

I. A title that teUs the story that the visual shows 2. A clear indication of what the data are (e.g., what people

say they did is not necessarily what they really did; an esti- mate of what a number will be in the future differs from numbers that have already been measured)

3. Clearly labeUed units 4. Labels or legends identifying axes, c olours, and symbols

CHAPTER 4 DESIGNING DOCUMENTS, SLIDES. AND SCREENS • q3

Figure 4.10 Choose the Visual to Fit the Story

Canadian sales reach $44.5 million. Forty percent of our 2016 sales were to new customers. CANADA EXPORTS

Millions of dollars

2005 2010 2015 Atlantic 10.2 10.8 11.3 Southern Ontario 7.6 8 .5 10.4

Quebec 8.3 6 .8 q.3

Prairies 11.3 12.1 13.5 Totals 37.4 38.2 44.5

Old customers

60%

New customers

40%

a. Tables show exact values. b. Pie charts compare a component to the whole .

c. Bar charts compare items or show d istribution or correlat ion.

Trade In culture goods with the United States

Most sales representati ves have 2- 5 years' experience.

Sales were highest In the a reas with the most sales representatives.

3.5

Years' experience (or more)

I I 1' 1 11 25 50 75 100125150175200 Number of sales reps. in region

d. Li ne charts compa re items over t ime or show distribution or correlation .

e . Bar charts can show f requency. f . Dot charts show correlation .

Sources: Figure 4.10c: Canada Exports 1 q71- 2017. accessed http:/ fwww.tradingeconomics.com and Statistics canada, accessed http:/ fwww.tradingeconomics. oom/canada/eJq>Orts. Reprinted by pennission of Trading Economics. Figure 4.10d: Adapted from Statistics Canada. in Culture Goods with the Unrted States." Catalogue no. 87.007·XlE. accessed Apri115. 2014. http/ jwww41.statcan.caj2007/3q55jceb3q55_002-eng.htm. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.

5. The source of the data, if you created the visual from data someone else gathered and compiled

6. The source of the visual, if you reproduce a visual someone else created

Formal visuals are divided into tables and figures (see •• "List of Illustrations" in Chapter 11 ).

Tables Use tables only when you want the audience to focus on specific nwn bers. Graphs convey Jess specific infonnation but are always more memorable. Follow t11ese guidelines when using tables:

• Round off to simplify the data (e.g., 35% rather than 35.27%; 44.5 million rather than 44,503,276).

• Provide colw1m and row totals or averages when they are relevant.

• Put the items you want readers to compare in colunms rather than in rows to facilitate mental s u btraction and division.

Suppose you want to give investors information about various stocks' performance. Organizing the daily numbers into tables would be much more useful than paragraph after paragraph of statements. Tables of stock prices have been the

nonn until recently. Now, SmartMoney.com offers subscribers Market Map 1000, a graphics tool that he lps them see the top performers. Each company is shown as a rectangle, and com- panies are clustered into industry groups. Users can click on industry groups for a more de tailed view. 18

Pie Charts Pie charts help the audience to measure area. Research shows that people can judge position or length (which a bar chart uses) much more accurately than they judge area The data in any pie chart can be put in a bar chart. 19 Therefore, use a pie chart only when you are comparing one segment to the whole. When you are comparing one segment to anot11er segment, use a bar chart, a line graph, or a map---even though the data may be expressed in percentages. Follow these guidelines when using pie charts:

• Make the chart a perfect circle. Perspective circles distort the data.

• Limit t11e number of segments to no more than seven. If your data have more divisions, com bine t11e smallest or the least important into a s ingle "miscellaneous" or "other" category.

• Label t11e segments outside the circle. Internal labels are ha rd to read.

q4 PART 1 THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

Figure 4.11 Canadian Demograph ic Estimates, 2015

INCREASEOFM EDIAN AGE SINCE 2005

POPULATION AGING IS FASTER OUTSIDE CMAS

ALBERTA CMAS EXPERIENCED THE STRONGEST POPULATION GROWTH BETWEEN 200S AND 201S

CMA

I!.S \I.,__....,,onJ"';l :l 2015

·--------------------------------------· : CMAs experienced stronger popul ation growth than nOO.CMAs.Their i 1 natural Increase was 2.5 times higher and th eir net Internat ional : 1 migrat ion was 5 .8 times highe r. :

THE PROPORTION OF PERSONS AGED GS YEARS AND OLDER IS TWICE AS HIGH IN TROIS-RIVIERES AS IT IS IN CALGARY

.ea (OMA): Area ooraisdng of one or more !lituted around a COfe. A cens-us mettopOitan are. mll$t haYe a tot• popullltkln of at lust 100.000 of whkh 50,000 or more lYe In the core. Ca'lada Us 33 CMAs: teglons ttwlt - Mt CMAs are c:.tegolbed as

Souroe: AnllUIIII Demogniphic: Estimates: Subp!Wraal N9s, 2015

C i ... 1•1 s"'""'o Swls!lqco www statcan gc ca 'l l l 'l( 'l CarMCil C .... tl<JC'-1 • • • C: C: C: Source: Statistics Canada. Demographic £srimares. Census Metropolitan Areas - Canada, 2015. February 10. 2016. accessed March 31, 2017. http:/ fwww.statcan. gc.cajpub/11-627·m/11-627·m2016002-eng.htm. Reproduced and d istributed on an '"as isM basis with the pennission of Statistics Canada.

Bar Charts Bar charts (see Figure 4.12) are easy to interpret because they ask people to compare distance a long a common scale, which most people judge accurately. Bar charts are useful in a vari- ety of s ituations: to compare one item to another, to compare items over time, and to show correlations. Use horizontal bars

when your labels are long; when the labels a re short, either horizontal or vertical bars will work

Follow these guidelines when using bar charts:

• Order the bars in a logical or chronological order. • Put the bars close e nough together to make comparison

easy.

CHAPTER 4 DESIGNING DOCUMENTS, SLIDES, AND SCREENS qs

Figure 4 .12 Varieties of Bar Charts

• Nor th 0 Television 30-V-• South . Cable 20 -- 10 0 East . Videos 0 !:] West j DVDs - 10 2005 2010 2015 Hours - 20

a . Grouped bar charts compare several aspects of each item, or several items over t ime.

b. Segmented, subdivided, or stacked bars sum the components of an item.

c. Deviation bar charts identify positive and negat ive values.

Baseball Footba ll Attendance Attendance

I I d. Paired bar charts show the correlation

between two items.

• Label both h orizontal and vertical a.xes.

Toronto

Edmonton

Montreal

• Put a ll labels inside the bars or outside them. When some labels are inside and some are outside, the labels carry the visual weight of longer bars, distorting the data.

• Make all tl1e bars the same width. • Use different colours for different bars o nly when their

meanings are different (e.g., estimates as opposed to known numbers, negative as opposed to positive numbers).

• Avoid using perspective. Perspective makes the values harder to read a nd can make comparison difficult.

• Grouped bar ch arts allow readers to compare either sev- eral aspects of each item or several items over time. Group together the items you want to compare.

• Segme n ted , s u bdivid e d, or s tack e d bars sum the compo- nents of an item. It's hard to identify the values in specific segments; grouped bar charts are almost always easier to use.

• Deviatio n bar charts identify positive and negative val- ues, or winners and losers.

• Paire d bar ch arts show tl1e correlation between two items. • Histograms or pictograrns use inlages to create the bars.

Line Graphs Line graphs are also easy to interpret. Use line graphs to corn- pare items over time, show frequency or distribution, and show correlations. Follow these guidelines when using line graphs:

• Label both h orizontal and vertical a.xes. • When time is a variable, put it on the horizontal axis.

New jobs

10,000 Nort h South

new jobs

East

11\est

e. Histograms or plctograms use images to create the bars.

• Avoid using more than three different lines on one graph. Even tlrree lines may be too many if they cross each other.

• Avoid using perspective. Perspective makes the values ha rder to read and can ma k e comparison difficult.

Dot Charts Dot charts sh ow correlations or other la rge data sets. Follow these guidelines when using dot charts:

• Label both horizontal and vertical axes. • Keep the dots fairly small. If they get too big, they no lon-

ger mark data "points"; some of the detail is lost.

Photographs and Videos Photographs and videos convey a sense of a u thenticity. For exan1ple, a photo of a prototype can help convince investors that a produ ct can be manufactured, while a photo or video depicting a devastated area can s uggest the need for govern- ment grants or private donations.

You may need to cr op, or trinl, a p hoto for best results. A growing problem with photos and videos is tl1at they may

be edited or staged, purporting to show something as reality even though it never occurred. Still, it is inlportant to remem- ber that ph otos have never been as objective as many took tl1ern to be; all photos involve h uman decisions about what to include and exclude.20

Drawings With a drawing, whether anin1ated or not, tl1e artist can pro- vide as m uch or as little deta il as is needed to ma k e the point; different parts of the drawing can show different layers or

% • PART 1 THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

levels of detail. Drawings are also useful fo r s h owing struc- tures underground, undersea, or in the atm osphe re-or even how good ideas or innovation emerges. Check out Steven Jolmson's Where Good Ideas Come From video on YouTube.

Maps Use ma ps to emphasize location or to compare items in differ- ent locations. Several computer software packages now allow users to generate numicipal, provincial, national, or global maps, adding colour or shading, and labels. Google Earth has a lso added to the navigational toolkit. Follow these guidelines when using maps:

• Label cities, provinces, or countries if it's important that peo- ple be able to identify levels in areas o ther than their own.

• Avoid using perspective. Pe rsp ective makes the values harder to read a nd can mak e comparison difficult.

5 . Use Colour and Decoration with Restraint

Colour ma k es visuals more dramatic, but it creates at least two p ro blems. First, when readers try to interpret colour, their interpretation ma y not be appropriate. (Perhaps the best use of colour occurs in the weather maps printed daily in many newspapers. Blue seems to fit cold; red seems to fit hot tem- peratures.) Second, meanings assigned to colours diffe r depending on the a udience's national background and profes- s ion Chapter 5).

These general cultural associations ma y be s uperseded by corporate, national, or p rofessional associations. Some people

associate blue with IBM or Hewlett-Packard and red with Coca-Cola, communism, or Japan, for instance. People in spe- cific professions learn other meanings for colours. Blue sug- gests reliability to financial managers, water or coldness to engineers, an d death to health care professionals. Red means losing money to financial managers, danger to engineers, but healthy to health care professionals. Green us ua lly means safe to engineers, but injected to healt11 care professionals.2 1

Resist the temptation to ma k e your visual "artistic" or "rel- evant" b y turning it into a picture or adding clip art. Clip art consis ts of predrawn linages that you can iJnport into your newsletter, sign, or graph. A s ma ll drawing of a car in t11e cor- ner of a line graph showing the number of kilometres driven is acceptable in an oral presentation, but o ut of place in a written report. Edward Tufte uses the term chartjunk fo r decorations that a t best are irrelevant to t11e vis ual and a t worst mislead the reader.22 lf you use clip art, be s ure that the inlages of peo- ple show a good mix of both sexes, various races and ages, and various physical conditions.

6. Be Sure the Visual Is Accurate and Ethical

Always d ouble-check your visuals to be s ure t11e information is accurate; many visuals have accurate labels but misleading vis ual shapes. Also keep in mind that visuals conmmnicate q_uickly, and audiences remember the shape, not the labels. Resource-sharing s ites such as Creative Conunons Canada and Flickr a re in1p ortant op en sources that allow ethical uses of inlages based on a community-centred framework and com- mitmen t to collaboration as innovation. lf the reader has to

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------. . . . . . . . .· ' '> I 1 I

• 1, ·,.I , L

Research indicates that colour can be a powerful ally when you are t rying to engage, inform, or persuade your audience. Saying it with colour has these results:

• Increases brand recognition by up to 80%

• Improves readership by 40% • Speeds up learning from 55-78% • Enhances comprehension by 73% • Increases engagement by 42% (colour rather than black and

white ads)

Consultant G. M ichael Campbell finds colour is a usef ul tool f or coding information and affecting reader reaction. Here are some of his ideas for usi ng colour:

• Identify ideas according to common associations with colour-red for stop or danger, green for go or money .

Match colours to the moods they tend to evoke. Red demands attention (but is easy to overuse); yellow is cheery. Blue and green tend to have a calming effect.

Avoid colour combinations that would confuse people who are colourblind. About 10% of men and 0.5% of women cannot distinguish between red and green. Toronto's Strategic Objectives created buzz with a redesigned

fashion show sponsored by Cashmere bath tissue in support of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation (CBCF). When it became clear that Cashmere's support of CBCF was not registering, a lim- ited edition of Pink Cashmere (25 cents per sale going to CBCF) became the focus of the "A Touch of Pink" fashion show with pi nk tissue accessories. Professional photos and social media tactics added to the success: q7 .3 million impressions in Eastern Canada, 61 media reports, 22,400 visits to the Cashmere weir site, and $35,000 to CBCF.

*Based on ·color Printing Center Tips for Color Hewlett·Packard Public Sector Web, accessed March q, 2011, http:/ jwww.hp.com;sbso; productivity/colorjusejtips.html; G. Michael Campbell. Bulletproof Presentations {Franklin Lakes. NJ: Career Press, 2002}. 1 qo..1 q3; Unda Mastaglio. Robert Brown, and Steve Freeman. ·Above the Fold," Communkation January February 2010. 18 ·1q.

CHAPTER 4 DESIGNING DOCUMENTS, SLI DES, AN D SCREENS q 7

study the labels to get the right picture, the visua l is unethical even if the labels are accurate.

For ethical use of ph otographs, award-winning photogra- pher Suzanne Salvo reconunends checking the following:

• Source of the photo • Context of the photo • Whether and h ow it has been manipulated • Copyright constraints on a lterations • Possible audience interpretation of altered images23

Tw<Hiimension al figures distort data by multiplying the apparent value by the width as well as by the height- four times for every doubling in value. Perspective graphs are espe- cially hard for readers to interpret and should be avoided. 24

Even simple bar and line graphs may be misleading if part of the scale is missing or truncated. Trunca ted graphs a re most acceptable when the audience knows the basic data set well. For example, graphs of the stock market a lmost never start at zero; they are routine ly truncated. This omission is acceptable for audiences who follow the market closely.

To make your visuals more accurate, follow these guidelines:

• Differentiate between actual and estimated or projected values.

• When you must truncate a scale, do so clearly with a break in the bars or in t11e background.

• Avoid perspective and three-dimensional graphs. • Avoid combining graphs with different scales. • Use in1ages of people carefully in histographs to avoid sex-

ist, racist, or other exclusionary visua l statements.

INTEGRATING VISUALS Refer to every visual in your text. Normally the writer gives the table or figure n umber in the text bu t not the title. Put the v isual as soon after your reference as space and page design permit. If the visual will not be immediately obvious to the reader, provide a page reference:

As Figure 3 shows (page 10), . (See Table 2 on page 14.)

Sttn1marize the main point of a visua l before you present the visual itself. TI1en when readers get to it, they will see it as confirn1ation of your point.

x Weak: Listed below are the results

,- Better: As Figure 4 shows. sales doubled in the last decade

Visuals for presentations need to be s impler than visuals the audience reads on paper. You may want to cut out one of the colwnns, round off the data even more, or present the material in a chart rather than a table. In addition, these visu- als should have titles but don't need figure numbers. Be aware of the location of each visual so you can return to one if some- one asks about it during the q,uestion period.

Rather tllan reading the visual to t11e audience, s wmnarize the story and then elaborate on what it means for the audi- ence. If you have copies of a ll the visuals for your audience, ha nd them out at the beginning of the talk.

L04

DESIGNING WEBSITES The Nielsen No= advice on home page design for websites-the source of first and lasting impressions-is to "treat it like the front page of a major newspaper." The con- tent depends on user needs and tasks as well as business or organizational goals. At a glance, it needs to conununicate the following memorably and distinctly:

• Where users a re (company name and logo; link to About Us and Contact Us)

• What the company does (tag line) • What users can do on the s ite ( 1-4 tasks)25

Donald Norman insists that design is "a social activity," not just a technical one, so the social impact should be front and centre.26 FCV Interactive Web designers (see Inside Perspective) s imilarly focus on people, conversations, creativ- ity, a n d "sound business strategy." They build websites for cli- ents' customers, because "in a crowded web environment if their experience is bad, they won't return." User-centric web- sites have these benefits:

• Drive more q,ualified traffic to your website and increase awareness

• Increase purcllases, leads, referrals, and word of mout11 • Redu ce s upport costi!7

The story you want to tell ren1ains as important on the Web as in any other medium. If the Web has made us "con- tent s nackers," there is a n other important fact of the Web: it is a "link econom y." Every story r eq,uires "a beginning, a middle and a hyper link." Comm unications consultant Angelo Fernan do argues that we need to be Jess "content machines" than "link machines." Hyperlinks connect your story to those of others, to broader networks and to fuller contexts. Newspapers such as The New York Times and The Washington Post and magazines such as Esquire a re experi- menting with Web delivery of news, organizing dynamic pages with the latest developments on stories and incor- poratin g voice and cuts from albums in music reviews, for example.28

Standards continue to evolve for online docwnents. Open Source Web Design (http://www.oswd.org/) offers Web design templates tl13t you can build on and share. To see what not to do, check out some of the worst websites a round at http:// www. webpagesthatsu ck.com/.

qg PART 1 THE BUILDING B LOCKS OF EFFECTIVE COM MUNICATION

Technology Tips Making Your Web Page Accessible

Users with hearing impaonnents need captions for audio material on the Web.

Blind users need words. not omages. Words can be 110iced by a screen reader or translated onto Braille text. Canadian screen reader programs go from lett to nght. then down line by line. Keystrokes can let users skop to a specofic letter in a list To make your Web page accessoble for people wrth vision impair- ments, follOw these guidelines:

• Put a lonk to a text-only versoon of the sole on the hand comer.

LOS

DESIGNING PRESENTATION SLIDES As you design s lides fo r PowerPoint and other presentation programs s uc h as Prezi, keep the following guidelines in mind (see also •• Chapte r 12):

• Use a big font size: 44 or 50 point for titles, 32 point for subheads, and 28 point for examples. (For large rooms, you may need to increase these font sizes recommendations.)

• Use bullet-point phrases rather than complete sentences (see Figure 4. 13).

• Use clear, concise language.

• Make only three to five points on each slide. If you ha\·e more, consider using two slides.

• Customize your slides "ith the company logo, charts, downloaded Web pages, podcasts, videos, and scanned-in photos and drawings.

• Use animation to make words and images appear and mo,·e during your presentation-but only in ways that help you control infom1ation flow and build interest. Avoid using animation just to be c lever; it \\ill distract your audience.

Figure 4 .13 Presentation Slide Putting Principles into Practice

• Looks inviting and easy to read • Saves t ime and money • Reduces legal liabilities • Builds goodwill

• Put navigation links, a site map. and search box at the top of the screen, preferably in the corner.

• Arrange navigation links alphabetically so that bhnd users can jump to the links they want.

• Provide alternative text (an "Alttag") for allomages. applets. and submit buttons.

• Provide a static alternative to flaSh or anomatoon.

Use clip art in your presentation only if the art is really appropriate to your points and only if you use non-sexist and non-racist in1ages. Marilyn Dynad has fow1d the major clip art packages to be biased. Today, however, Internet sources have made such a wide variety of drawings and photos avail- able that designers really have no excuse for failing to pick an inclusive and visually appea ling image. Even organizations on tight budgets can find free publlc domain (i.e., not copy- righted) and low-<:ost resources. 29

Choose a consistent templat e, or backgroWld design, for the entire presentation. Make sure the template is appropri- ate for your subject matter. For example, use a globe only if your topic is international business and palm trees only if you are talking about tropical vacations. One problem with PowerPoint is that the basic templates may seem repetitive to people who see lots of presentations made with the program. For a very important presentation, you may want to consider customizing the basic template.

Choose a light background if the lights will be off during the presentation and a dark backgrOWld if the lights will be on. Slides will be easier to read if you use high contrast between the words and backgrounds. See Figure 4.14 for examples of effective and ineffective colour combinations.

DESIGNING BROCHURES Walk into any bank, municipal office, hospital, or political campaign office and you find brochures. Brochures-both pape r and digital-remain e ffici ent and cost-effective chan- ne ls for many in tJ1e business, non-profit, and government sec- tors. They remain as useful for those in tourism and hospitality as for banking, health, and education- aU of which need to acconunodate the needs of d iverse audiences.

When designing brochures and newsletters, first think about purpose and audience. An "image• brochure designed to promote awareness of your company will have a different look than an •infomlation• brochure telling people how to do something and persuading them to do it.

CHAPTER 4 DESIGNING DOCUMENTS. SLIDES. AND SCREENS • qq

Figure 4 .14 Effective and Ineffective Colours for Presentation Slides

Effect ive

Use hi gh cont rast between words and

background.

Repeat colou rs in words and

desi gn el ements.,

Ineffective

Lnmt t he Of l>I Hj hl t;Oill l ll'"'

Dalk colours clsappear against a

dark backgnlund.

Use this process to create effective brochures:

1. Determine your objective(s).

2. Identify your target audience(s).

3. Identify a central selling point: one overarching reader benefit the audience will get Chapter 9).

4. Choose the image you want to proj ect. (Clean and clear? Trendy? Something else?)

5. Identify objections and brainstorm ways to deal with them (* Chapter 9).

6. When text is important, draft text to see how m uch room you need. Tighten your writing ( .. Chapter 3), but wh en you really need more room, use a bigger brochure layout or a series of brochures.

7. Experiment with different sizes of paper and layout Consider how readers will get the brochure-must it fit in a standard rack? Use thumbnail s ketches to test layouts.

8. Make every choice-colour, font, layout, paper- a con- scious one. The three-fold brochure shown in Figure 4. 15 is the most conm10n, but many otl1er a r rangements a re possible.

9. Polish the prose and graphics. Use you-attitude and posi- tive emphasis.

Follow these design principles:

• Use the cover effectively. • Put your central selling point on the cover. • Use a ph oto that tells a story- and works for the a u di-

ence. A ph oto of a cam pus lan dmark may not mean much to an a u dience thin kin g abou t attendin g a sum- mer program on campus. Know that what people wan t to see in ph otos are people (dogs a re a close second).30

• Use a grid to align the elements within the panels. Make sure that the Z pattern emphasizes in1portant points for each spread the reader sees. In a three-fold brochure, the Z pattern needs to work for tl1e cover a lone, for inside pages 1 and 2, and for inside pages 1, 3, and 4 (when tl1e brochure is fully opened).

• Effective brochures not only repeat graphic e lements (headings, small photos) across panels to create a unified look but also contain contrast (between text and in1ages, and between a larger font for headings and a s ma ller one for text).

• Use colour effectively.

• Restraint usually works best for info nnative brochures. To get the effect of colour the least expense, use black print on coloured paper.

• If you use four-colour printing, use glossy paper.

• Readers over age 50 may have trouble reading text in some s hades of blue.

• Ma ke tl1e text visu ally appealing.

• Use no more than two fonts- just one may be better.

• Use propor tional fonts.

• Avoid italic type and underlining, which mak e text hard to read. To emphasize text, use bold (sparingly).

• Most brochures use 8-, 9-, or 10-point type. Use 10-point rather tl1an 8-point for readers over age 40.

• Use small tab indents.

• Make sure that you have enough white space in your copy. Use lists and headings. Use shor t paragraphs with extra space between paragraphs.

• Ragged right n1argins generally work better with short line lengths.

100 • PART 1 THE BUILDING B LOCKS OF EFFECTIVE COM MUNICATION

Figure 4 .15 Three-Fold Brochure on 8 1h·by·11-i nch (22 X 28 em) Paper

Inside p. 2

·-· ... - ._._ ... .- ·--·---

Side 1

Back cover

'::.""'..._

A ,_...., · -·-

Cover

Source: Used with the permission of CHEP Good Food Inc.

Inside p. 1

• If you use a reply coupon, make sure its reverse s ide doesn't have crucial information the reader needs to keep.

To make the brochure wortl1 keeping, provide useful infor- mation. Make the text candid, believable, and htunan.

L06

TESTING THE DESIGN FOR USABILITY A design that looks pre tty may or may not work for the audi- ence. To know whether your design is ftmctional, test it with your audience.

Testing a draft with five users will reveal 85% of the prob- lems with the doctunent.3 1 If tin1e and money permit additional testing, revise the doctun ent and test the new version another five users. Test the document with the people who are most likely to have trouble it: very old or young readers, people with little education, and people who read English as a second language.

Three tests yield useful information:

• Watch as readers use tl1e docume nt to do a task. Where do they pause, re read, or seem confused? How long does it

Side 2

Inside p. 3

.-_, .. _ .. ___ _ -...--. .... ___ _ _ , __ .._,.._ ---·-.. -... _ ....... -.. .. _ .... .._. ____ ,_ ..... _ _c. _ _.

Inside p. 4

The Good Food Box

, __ ... _ •.. -.. ..,_....,. __ .... ..,-.• _ ....... _ __ ... ,._ .......... . -··-............... _ ......... __ _ .. ___ _, --

Folded

Coller

__ ....... _ ....... _ ·--------·· __ ... __ ,.," _, ... _ ...... --- .. --·---__ ... _ ........ c-.. --·----

---·----......... .. ,.._ ... ..,_ .. __ --------

Inside p. 3

Inside p. 2

take? Does the doctunent enable readers to complete the task acc urately?

• Ask readers to "think aloud" while completing the task. Interrupt readers at key points to ask what they are think - ing, or ask them to describe the tl10ught process after completing the task. Learning the readers' thought pro- cesses is important, since they may get the right answer for the wrong reasons. In such a case, the design still needs work.

• Ask readers to put a plus sign ( + ) in the margins by any part of the doctunent they like or agree with, and a minus sign (- ) by any part of the doctunent that seems confusing or wrong. Then use or focus groups to find out the reasons for the p lus and minus judgments.

Faced with heightened customer expectations, Maritime Inns and Resorts commissioned a new website to enhance usability and to communicate the comfort that is th e hall- mark of the Maritime resort exp erience. The design team (see An Inside Perspective) optintized the searc h e ngine for "find-ability, "linked tl1e online reservation system, devel- oped an Internet marketing strategy, and integrated design and photography in building atmosphere.32

CHAPTER 4 DESIGNING DOCUMENTS, SLIDES, AN D SCREENS 101

Technology Tips Well-Designed Web sites Keep Customers*

Imagine going to a supermarket where 75% of the customers abandon their carts half full in the aisles because they are so f rustrated they decide to shop somewhere else. It would be a lot like shopping online.

In a recent poll, almost half of online retailers said they don't know what percentage of their customers abandon shopping carts. Among the rest, 87% reported abandonment rates above 20%. Because the Internet makes it easy for shoppers to go to other sites, Jakob Nielsen says, "People don't have to use bad sites."

What keeps online shoppers happy? Polled customers cate they want pages that load q,uickly and make it easy to find what they want. They also like basics such as search tools and clear labels.

When one lost consumer costs an average $243 and it costs fives times as much to attract as to retain online consumers, these retention strategies make sense:

Reliable delivery, fast delivery options, and progress updates

Easy, one-click payments Easy password and account retrieval Social media and email customer service

Staff authorized to handle customer calls Free, easy return policy Email followups, loyalty rewards, and exclusive deals

•Based on Robyn Greenspan. "'E-commerce Mainstream. Measurements Lacking." ClickZ lnremet Markeang Statistics, April q, 2004, accessed http:/ 1 www.clickz.oom; ClickZ Stats staff and Sharon Gaudin, MPersonalization not the Secret to E-commerce.H ClickZ Internet Marketing Statisacs. November 14 , 2003, accessed http:j jwww.clickz.com; David Neal. "Interview: Good Design Pays Off." IT May 1 q, 2003, accessed http:/ jwww.itweek.co.uk/ a rticlesfprinV208658q; Reid Goldsborough, MSubstance. not Style, Draws Hits.H Philadelphia Inquirer. May 20. 2004. accessed ht tp:/ jwww.philly.com: Graham Chartton, M21 Ways Online Retailers Can Improve Customer Retention Rates," Econsultancy blog. July 3. 2015, accessed December 21. 2016, https:; ;econsultancy.com/blog/11051-21-ways-online-retailers-c:arHmprove-customer-retention-rates/.

102 PART 1 THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS

• An attractive document looks inviting, ftiendly, and easy to read. The visual grouping of ideas also makes the structure of the document more obvious so it is easier to read.

• Good document design can save time and money, prevent legal liabilities, and build goodwill.

• Eight guidelines help writers create visually attractive documents: l. Use white space. 2. Use headings. 3. Limit the use of words set in all capital letters. 4. Use no more than two fonts in a single document. 5. Use ragged right margins for business communications. 6. Put important elements in the top left and lower tight q_uadrants. 7. Use a grid to unify visuals and other graphic elements. 8. Use highlighting, decorative devices, and colour in moderation.

• Follow these six steps to create good visuals: l. Check the source of the data. 2. Determine the story you want to tell. 3. Choose the right visual for the story. 4. Follow the conventions for designing typical visuals. 5. Use colour and decoration with restraint. 6. Be sure the visual is accurate and ethical.

• Good website design is user-centred. • Content depends on user needs and tasks as well as business goals. • The story you want to tell is as important on the Web as in any other media. • Hyperlinks connect your story to others and give fuller contexts.

• As you design slides for Power Point and other presentation programs: • Use a big font. • Use bullet-point phrases. • Make only three to five points on each slide. • Customize your slides.

• To test a document, observe readers, ask them to "think aloud" while completing the task, interrupt them at key points to ask what they are thinking, or ask them to desctibe the thought process after completing the document and the task.

CHAPTER 4 DESIGNING DOCUMENTS, SLIDES, AND SCREENS • 103

EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS

GETTING STARTED

4.1 EVALUATING PAGE DES IGNS

In pa irs or groups, use the chapter guide lines to eva lua te ea ch of the fo llowing page designs. Conside r the following: • Do th ey use white space, headings, and fonts

appropriately?

• How well do th e y use the q,uadrants and grid of c olunms?

A Special Report: · - ---... Living Healthy ::::::.:::::::.::::::

....... ..._......,. --........... _ ... ___ lo. ...... odil .,... _ ,._.., __ til _ __ ,... .............. __ __ .......,._ ... .... . -.. -.... . ....-----"--......... --.... -.-.... ._ . ........ _.. ... . ....... _0.._ ... _

-<MIIOtiO'""'*""Io"""· _ ......... __ ._,.;_ ..... _ -·----______ ....., ...... _. __ ....... u. ...... _ _ _

A Special Bulletin: Uving Healthy .......................................................

As Your Professor Directs:

a . Prese nt your fmdings to the class.

Managing Your Sleep

• How we ll are visuals integrated?

• What are their strong points? What could be improved?

A Special Report: Living Healthy

... ----.... _____ .. _ .. _

A Special Bulletin: Living Healthy

Counting Calories and Watching Choleaterol '-lfN'/0--111-. - - -rH'* ==-..i··:-4-----b..;,; _ ................. .. _..toeolli•-·" ..._....,. .. _""" ... ... - o.... . ........ _

.. ilof>oof ....... l ......... *-.. -._ ... .,__..,..,. ..... lll ............ ""'._ .. - .. ..._IOO(jjoi.IO-oiol ........ _, .. " ...... Sio ...... ...,_, • .,.

....... ..s ........ _ """'" .. _.. _ _.,.,

..... , ..... OOIIOt lll -1. ·--·--..... -----" .. ""'*""---"' 11011 ..... _ • ...,. .. ................. 1.1'1_ Exercising and Eating Heahhy in a Busy Lifestyle

'-... ·---..... ....... __ _ .. ...... .._ ........ ... ===-:. .. · '--............ iol .. .. ____ _ ""-·d·--· .._ ___ _ ---.. --......... -

Managing Your Sleep w.. ......... -. __ ....., .... , ...... ____ ,...... .._...,.. __ _ ................ ... _ ......... ,_ ------....a-· ......,_ ... lo!o)M ... ............. --...... c.---......... -... _____ ...,.... '---... ---..... ... ----- ............ -·--· ........... ____ .. _,..,..._. ____ ._""" ::.:&:: ::.:::::.- ..... ----..,..... .... _ _...._ ""·---..... .....----__ ....,.. __ .-.. --.. ... - ........ lAc ..... ____ ...,. _.,..._ .. ___..__ =::=.-.......... _ . ....,__, _____

b. Write an email to your professor on your findings.

c. Design a prototype implementing your findings.

104 PART 1 THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF EFFECTIVE COM MUNICATION

4 .2 EVALUATING POWERPOINT SLIDES

Evaluate the fo llowing drafts of PowerPoint slides. Consider the fo llowing: • Are the slides' backgrounds appropriate for the topic? • Is the font big enough to read from a distance? • Do the s lides use words or phrases rather than complete

sentences? • Is the art relevant and appropriate? • Is each slide free from errors?

a(1)

a(2)

a(4)

b(1)

b(2)

Differences from Younger Buvers • llder bUYirS wa• more details and

nld .. CI. • 11/ltt 111/yftS 1118Y MfdiiiiDtnonts SIIICf

rtf$/llflllll81 lit lltfllilllt. Nst, m. nml$ tf, mottiiiii/1/Hlfllllll/1/lllt IJ/111, WII/Cfl can lit 11an1 te lf8ll.

• una t•

b(3)

Older Buyers and Technology

• Boomers

b(4)

Using PowerPoint

Tips for Creating Slides

c (1)

Simplify.

• Use bullets points.

- Keep teJtt short. - Keep points paraneL

• Use 3-7 1ines of body type per slide.

• Use white space. • Use as few 5ewls of indentation as possible.

c ( 2 )

Add Builds and Transitions.

• Direct audience's attention.

• Provide \lisua l interest .

• Develop consistent

- Use same transition throughout . - Use build for a reason-not necessarily for

every line.

c (3 )

Use Strong Visuals.

• Choose art that is

- Rekl'vant. -Bias free . -Fresh to the audience. - Adapted to the company

and the audience.

c (4 )

CHAPTER 4 DESIGNING DOCUMENTS, SLI DES, AND SCREENS 105

4 .3 USING HEADI NGS

Reorganize the items in each of the fo llowing lists, using appropriate headings. Use bulle ted or munbered lists as appropriate. As your professor directs, peer grade answers.

a. Rules and Procedures for a Tuition Reintbursement Plan

1. You are eligible to be reintbursed if you have been a fuU-time employee for at least three months.

2. You must apply before the first class meeting.

3. You must earn a "C" or better in the course.

4. You must s ubmit a copy of the approved application, an official grade report, and a receip t for tuition paid to be reinlbursed.

5. You can be reintbursed for courses related to y our current position or another position in the company, or for courses that are part of a degree related to a current or possible j ob.

6. Your supervisor must sign the application form.

7. Courses may be a t any appropriate level (high sch ool, college, or graduate sch ool).

b. Activities in Starting a New Business

• Getting a loan or venture capital

• Getting a ny necessary city or provincial licences

• De te nnining what you \viU ma ke, do, or sell

• Identifying the marke t for your products or services

• Pricing your products or services

• Choosing a location

• Checking zoning laws that may affect the location

• Identifying goverrunen t a nd university programs for small business d evelopment

• Figuring cash flow

• Ordering equipment a nd supplies

• Selling

• Adver tising and marketing

COMMUNICATING AT WORK

4 .4 ANALYZING DOCUMENTS AT WORK

1. Collect several documen ts: letters a nd memos, n ewsletters, ads and flyers, and reports. Use the chapter guidelines to evaluate each.

2. Compare documents or pages produ ced by your competitors to those produced by your own organization in a specific category (e.g., brochures, blogs, instructions, Web pages, Facebook). Which d ocumen ts are more effective? Why?

As Your Professor Dire cts:

a. Discuss the documents with a small group of classmates.

b. Write a memo Chapter 7 for format) to your professor evaluating two or more of the documents. Include o riginals or photocopies of the documents you discuss as an appendi.x to your memo.

c. Write an email to your supervisor recommending ways the organization can intprove its documents.

d. In an oral presentation to the class, explain what ma k es one document good and another on e weak. If possible, use high- q_uality inlages (use your snipping tool, for example) so that classmates can see the doctune nts as you evaluate them.

106 • PART 1 THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF EFFECTIVE COM MUNICATION

DOCUMENT ASSIGNMENTS

4.5 EVALUATING WEB PAGES

Compare three Web pages in the same category (e.g., official provincial or territorial tourism sites, helping the homeless organizations, trade associations, car companies, tmiversity/college departments, sports infonnation). \Vhich page(s) are most effective? \Vhy? What weaknesses do the pages have? What changes would you reconunend?

As Your Professor Directs:

a. Discuss the pages a small group of classmates.

b. Write a memo Chapter 7 for format) to your professor evaluating the pages. Include URLs of the pages in your memo.

c. In an oral presentation to the class, explain what makes one page good and another one weak. If possible, put the pages on screen so that classmates can see the pages as you evaluate them.

d. Post your evaluation to the class blog. Include the URLs so classmates can click to the pages you discuss.

4.6 CREATING A BROCHURE OR NEWSLETTER

In groups or pairs, create a brochure or newsletter for a campus, non-profit, govenun ent, or business organization. Write an email to your professor explaining your choices for content and design.

4.7 CREATING A WEB OR FACEBOOK PAGE

Create a Web or Facebook page for an organization that does not yet have one. Write an email to your professor explaining your c hoices for content and design.

4.8 TESTING A DOCUMENT

Ask someone to follow a set of instructions or to fill out a fonn . (Consider conswner instructions, fonns for financial aid, and so forth.) • Time the person. How long does it take? Is the person able to complete the task?

• Observe the person. Where do they pause, reread, seem confused?

• the person. What parts of the docwnent were confusing?

As Your Professor Directs:

a. Discuss the changes needed a small group of classmates.

b. Write a memo Chapter 7 for format) to your professor evaluating the document and explaining the changes that are needed. Include the docwnent as an appendi..x to your memo.

c. Write to the organization that produced the document recommending necessary in1proveme nts.

d. In an oral presentation to the class, evaluate the docwnent and explain what changes are needed. If possible, put the docwnent on screen so that classmates can see it.

CHAPTER 4 DESIGNING DOCUMENTS, SLIDES, AND SCREENS • 107

COMMUNICATING ACROSS CULTURES 5

Source. SetsukoN,IGetty lmaqes

LEARNING OUTCOMES

L01 Explain the importance of L04 Explain monochrome and cultural competence polychrome cultures

L02 Define cultur e and explain how LOS Discuss conversational style culture affects communications

L06 Explain how to adapt writing L03 Discuss the classification of high- fo r international audiences

context and low-context cultures