1、Objectives and Outcomes Learn how design elements affect the accessibility,appropriateness and appeal of a document.Learn the three principles in designing documents.Importance of Document DesignEffective writing is more than writing;more than just words and sentences arranged in logical paragraphs.
2、To be effective,the format and organization 格式与组织结构 of your document are equally important.With the amount of available information massively increasing each day,readers have to read quickly and selectively.The traditional paragraph format produces a word-wall document 像字墙一样的文件 that is difficult to
3、read.To solve this problem,technical writers utilize document design to create a format that helps readers find information quickly and to read selectively.Document design is an emerging field dealing with the ways in which you can organize and present information to facilitate accessibility and com
4、prehensibility of documents.When you design your documents,you should consider Textual elements:letters,numbers,and symbols(e.g.+,-,*,%,$)Spatial elements:spaces between textual elements as well as the size and location of textual and graphic elements Graphic elements:tables,graphs,charts,diagrams,e
5、tc.Typographic elements:type face,type size,type style,listing,underlining,shading,boxing,and color.Three Principles in Designing Documents Chunking and labeling information by using headings and white space effectively;Arranging information by integrating visual and verbal chunks appropriately;Emph
6、asizing information by applying typographic elements effectively.I.Chunking and Labeling InformationChunking means to group topically related information into units or chunks;Labeling means to mark the chunks of information with appropriate signs or labels.Chunking and labeling make the information
7、in undifferentiated text more accessible to readers.Various images of environmental destruction,such as desertification,ozone depletion,global warming,deforestation,etc.,are going on throughout the world.However,people have neither paid enough attention to these problems,nor have they taken any effe
8、ctive action to solve these problems.According to the extent of their effects,these environmental problems can be classified into three groups:local problemsthose affecting a small,particular area;regional problemsthose affecting a larger area;and strategic problemsthose affecting the global ecologi
9、cal system.Strategic environmental problems,such as ozone depletion and global warming,are threatening the survival of all animal and plant life in the world.This indicates that the entire relationship between humanity and the earth has been transformed because our civilization is suddenly capable o
10、f affecting the entire global environment,not just a particular area.There are two main factors causing the change in the relationship:the population explosion and the scientific and technological revolution.The unrestrained use of technology in exploiting the earth by so many people may bring the s
11、ame disaster as a nuclear war would.We should realize that our power to harm the earth can indeed have global and permanent effects.We should realize that the only way to understand our new role as a co-architect of nature is to see ourselves as part of a complex system that does not operate accordi
12、ng to the same simple rules of cause and effect we are used to.As a result,any solution to environmental problems will require a careful assessment of the relationship between civilization and the earths ecosystems.Example A includes information about several subtopics related to global environmenta
13、l destruction.The information is arranged in one paragraph without any design elements to aid readers.The page layout creates a word-wall effect,which makes it difficult for readers to find key information quickly.Various images of environmental destruction,such as desertification,ozone depletion,gl
14、obal warming,deforestation,etc.,are going on throughout the world.However,people have neither paid enough attention to these problems,nor have they taken any effective action to solve these problems.According to the extent of their effects,these environmental problems can be classified into three gr
15、oups:local problemsthose affecting a small,particular area;regional problemsthose affecting a larger area;and strategic problemsthose affecting the global ecological system.Strategic environmental problems,such as ozone depletion and global warming,are threatening the survival of all animal and plan
16、t life in the world.This indicates that the entire relationship between humanity and the earth has been transformed because our civilization is suddenly capable of affecting the entire global environment,not just a particular area.There are two main factors causing the change in the relationship:the
17、 population explosion and the scientific and technological revolution.The unrestrained use of technology in exploiting the earth by so many people may bring the same disaster as a nuclear war would.We should realize that our power to harm the earth can indeed have global and permanent effects.We sho
18、uld realize that the only way to understand our new role as a co-architect of nature is to see ourselves as part of a complex system that does not operate according to the same simple rules of cause and effect we are used to.As a result,any solution to environmental problems will require a careful a
19、ssessment of the relationship between civilization and the earths ecosystems.In Example B,the information about the is topically chunked and then visually separated into four paragraphsIntroduction.Various images of environmental destruction,such as desertification,ozone depletion,global warming,def
20、orestation,etc.,are going on throughout the world.However,people have neither paid enough attention to these problems,nor have they taken any effective action to solve these problems.Classification of Environmental Problems.According to the extent of their effects,these environmentalproblems can be
21、classified into three groups:Local problems:those affecting a small,particular area.Regional problems:those affecting a larger area.Strategic problems:those affecting the global ecological system.Strategic environmental problems,such as ozone depletion and global warming,are threatening the survival
22、 of all animal and plant life in the world.This indicates that the entire relationship between humanity and the earth has been transformed because our civilization is suddenly capable of affecting the entire global environment,not just a particular area.Causes of the Change in Relationship Between H
23、umanity and Earth.There are two main factors causing the change in the relationship:the population explosion and the scientific and technological revolution.The unrestrained use of technology in exploiting the earth may bring the same disaster as a nuclear war would.Solution to Environmental Problem
24、s.We should realize that our power to harm the earth can indeed have global and permanent effects.We should realize that the only way to understand our new role as a co-architect of nature is to see ourselves as part of a complex system that does not operate according to the same simple rules of cau
25、se and effect we are used to.As a result,any solution to environmental problems will require a careful assessment of the relationship between civilization and the earths ecosystems.In Example C,the subtopics in each paragraph are labeled with,boldfaced headings for readers to find the key informatio
26、n quickly.A bulleted list and a ragged right margin make reading easier.1.Using White Space to Chunk Information 用于分隔信息的用于分隔信息的空白间隔空白间隔White space is the part of any page that is blank.Although white space presents no information,it separates and defines the chunks of information neighboring it.The
27、appropriate use of white space also makes documents more appealing.Once you have determined the chunks of information,you can separate these chunks by using white space and then label them with headings.White space is commonly used for margins between lines within a paragraph(called leading 行间距)betw
28、een paragraphs and sections of a document around visuals.Improper use of white space may affect the attractiveness of your document and make it difficult to read.Figure 9-2 A is designed with crowded printing and skimpy margins,which make it hard to read;Figure 9-2 B is designed with more space betw
29、een lines and wider margins.Three factors of white space affect the chunking of information.They are（1）margins（2）justification（3）leadingMargins are blank spaces bordering the printed area on a page.The four margins of a page usually have different widths.According to formatting conventions,the top m
30、argin is the narrowest;the inner margin(gutter 左右两页中间的空白，订口)is wider to leave enough room for the binding 装订;the outer margin is wider still;the bottom margin is usually the widest.However,the outer margin is sometimes even wider than the bottom margin to provide space for note taking or for margina
31、l notes that emphasize particular points.Justification means arranging the spacing beside the lines in a document so that the lines end evenly at a straight margin.If all the lines of type on a page are exactly the same length,the lines have been justifiedadjusted to equal length by proportional spa
32、cing between words on each individual line.In printing,the left-hand margin is usually justified;the right-hand margin can be justified or unjustified.A justified right-hand margin gives a document a neat,clean appearance,as Figure 9-3(a)shows;an unjustified right-hand margin is ragged,as Figure 9-3
33、(b)illustrates.Figure 9-3 JustificationAlthough editors traditionally prefer that both left and right margins be justified because it looks neat and more words can fit on a page,fully justified text is harder to read than text with a ragged right margin.Because all the lines in a fully justified tex
34、t are the same length,it is easy for readers to lose their place.Leading refers to the spacing between lines of type,usually measured in points.It is another way of chunking information that improves legibility 易读性 and thus increases the ease and speed of reading.Generally speaking,a text is easiest
35、 to read when it has line spacing that is one and a half times the letter height.Lines that are too short make readers change lines so frequently as to slow down their reading speed,while lines that are too long are difficult to follow.However,the length of a line is mainly related to font size 字体大小
36、 rather than to absolute line length.In general,font size larger than 12 points would remind people of their elementary school reading,while font size smaller than 7 points is too tiny to read easily.Figure 9-4 A and B illustrate how leading and line length can affect the ease of reading.Although bo
37、th the font size and font type are the same in the two passages,the longer lines and narrower leading in Figure 9-4 A make letters appear smaller and harder to read.On the other hand,the shorter lines and wider leading in Figure 9-4 B make letters appear larger and easier to read.2.Using Headings to
38、 Label Chunked InformationHeadings and subheadings show how a document is organized,point readers to what they need,and divide the document into accessible chunks.An informative heading can help a person decide whether a section is worth reading.Besides decreasing reading and retrieval time,headings
39、 help readers remember information.Figure 9-5 Heading Placement You may indicate the relative importance of each heading by using capitalization,type size,and typeface.Figure 9-6 shows the sequence of the title and some of the headings and subheadings from this chapter.Figure 9-6 Distinguishing Head
40、ings and SubheadingsChapter titleDocument DesignLevel-1 heading 1.Chunking and Labeling InformationLevel-2 heading 11.Using White Space to Chunk InformationLevel-3 heading 1MarginsLevel-3 heading 2JustificationLevel-3 heading 3Leading and Line LengthLevel-2 heading 22.Using Headings to Label Chunked
41、 InformationLevel-1 heading 2.Organizing Information II.Organizing InformationAfter chunking and labeling information,you should integrate the related chunks of both verbal and visual information in an easily manageable way 以便于进行文件处理的方式把文本和图像信息整合起来.You should design your page and the entire document
42、 for readers to find the right information quickly and read easily.You should also avoid some common problems in arranging information.1.Grids 分栏The efficient way to design a document is to see the page as a grid with columns and rows that help you arrange the verbal and visual blocks.one-column gri
43、ds two-column grids three-column gridsFigure 9-7 Columns for Grids 2.Visuals 图表Visuals such as graphs,charts and diagrams should be placed as near as possible to the related text.Readers do not like to constantly turn back and forth between the pages.They usually prefer visuals integrated into the t
44、ext rather than placed in an appendix 附件,unless several consecutive pages of visuals interrupt the flow of the text and become distracting.ACBFrom Figure 9-8,we can see that visuals can be pulled out of the text entirely and placed in the margin,as indicated by arrow A;they can be incorporated into
45、the text and fit into one column on the grid,as signaled by arrow B;they can also take up a whole or part of a grids column,as indicated by arrow C.Figure 9-8 Placement of Visuals3.Avoiding Problems in Information Organization When you organize information for document design,you should be aware of
46、some common problems.They are heading placement,tombstoning,widows,and orphans.(1)Heading Placement 标题位置标题位置.When arranging the text in your document,if you leave too few lines after a heading or subheading at the top or bottom of a column or page,readers may feel the heading and the text are not qu
47、ite coherent.Figure 9-9(a)demonstrates the problem of not leaving at least three lines before or after a new heading.Figure 9-9(b)shows that the problem is rectified by including a few more lines.(2)Avoiding Tombstoning 避免标题的墓碑式排列避免标题的墓碑式排列.The problem of tombstoning involves aligning headings in tw
48、o or three columns so that readers may mistakenly chunk the text when they look at the page 标题的墓碑式排列问题是位于两栏或三栏中的标题排列在同一行上，这有可能造成读者错误地分割文本信息.In Figure 9-10(a),two headings fall into one line,resembling tombstones in a graveyard.Readers could easily believe that the top half of the page was one sectio
49、n and the bottom half was another.Figure 9-10(b)shows that you can rearrange the headings to avoid this potential confusion.(3)Avoiding Widows and Orphans.The problem of widows and orphans concerns text arrangement.Widows are leftover wordsone or two words hanging on as the last line of a paragraph.
50、You can revise the sentences in the paragraph by adding or deleting a few words so that one or two are not left alone on the last line.Orphans are leftover lines.An orphan happens when a column break(or page break)occurs in a paragraph before the last line or after the first line(see Figure 9-11).Yo
