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RAGGED RIGHT TEXT A Help file is a single computer file containing help information,

while a Help system is a set of files organized and linked together to provide the user with modules of information. The Help system is ultimately linked lo other online documentation that gives you detailed information beyond what Help provides.

Lists, Boxes, and icons Again, the world of software provides you with almost

endless choices in adding variety to our documents. And again, consistency and moderation are the key elements in technical writing.

Numbered and bulleted lists. Numbered lists are used to indicate a definite se- quence, a series of steps, or a fixed quantity of information: "There are eight parts to this manual." When you use a numbered list, readers assume there is a sequence or hierarchy at work. Bulleted lists are a common way to or emphasize a series or group of items of equal importance. Electronic formatting now allows you to substitute arrows, boxes, open boxes, and a variety of other icons instead of bul- lets. Two cautions apply: Be consistent with the kinds of markers you use (don't switch from bullets to arrows and back again); and don't overuse these elements. If you insert bullets at every opportunity, their special effect is nullified and they be- come repetitious and even annoying. Text that is filled with numbers, bullets, aster- isks, and other textual markers can create so many conflicting signals that the reader is confused. Be judicious.

Sometimes writers put material inside a box to feature it or separate it from the body of the text. These emphasis boxes can be useful for material such as notes, cau- tions or warnings, alternative procedures, and examples. Again, however, using them can become addictive, and too many boxes will give your text an incoherent feeling.

Finally, you may be tempted to include icons or symbols found in clip art soft- ware in your documents. These can include cartoon figures, holiday symbols, smi- ley faces, pointing fingers, and a wide variety of other graphics. It can feel creative to insert these icons into your even to add an occasional touch of humor. You should understand, however, that icons are useful only when they guide the reader to a better understanding of the information you are presenting, and not when they call attention to themselves.

By paying attention to all these techniques for manipulating prose as a graphic element of your document, you add professionalism to the document and increase your readers' confidence in the credibility of the information you present.

Deciding When to Use Graphic Illustrations

The other aspect of visual design is the use of graphic illustrations: tables, charts, graphs, drawings, and so on. Writers are often quick to insert such illustrations without realizing their full potential. Graphics convey many messages: they can reach the audience's intellect as well as emotions. With a single illustration, you can relate what might otherwise take several pages of text to say. Because graphics

86 Chapter 4 / Designing the Document: Format and Graphics

communicate in so many color, design, and are powerful tools that should be used wisely. You should begin your consideration of graphic il- lustrations by first identifying what issues or points in your text might be enhanced by visual support, then thinking about how the illustrations will work with the text to create a cohesive presentation of your material.

Purposes of Graphic Illustrations

The primary purposes of graphic illustrations in texts are to clarify, sim- plify, emphasize, summarize, reinforce, attract, show relationships, and save space. For example, many user manuals begin with a flowchart that serves as an overview and a map for the document. Readers can see at a glance how the document's parts

GUIDELINES Balancing Graphics and Text

Make sure graphics are consistent with the text in lone. Using a cartoon character or a smi- ley face icon in an otherwise technical document is Doing so is like wearing red hi-top sneakers with a tuxedo to a formal wedding or dinner. Every document has a tone deter- mined by its content and its intended audience. Make sure the graphics you choose match the spirit the text.

Make sure graphics and text complement, and do not depend on, each other. Keep in mind that busy readers often go straight to the graphics for information and don't bother to read the sur- rounding text. If your illustration depends on the text for readers to understand it, it isn't as useful as it should be. Instead, by including sufficient information in the graphics and using effective cap- tions, can make your illustrations comprehensible by themselves. Doing so gives readers a quick way to understand the information; if they need to know more, they will read the surround- ing text.

Use graphics in make sure they support the text. When both prose and graphics are present in a text, they comment on each the writer realizes it or not. For example, in a document where the balance is tipped significantly toward graphics, the prose seems almost an afterthought and not useful. Such an imbalance may suggest to readers that the material is not important enough to warrant prose explanations. On the other hand, a document that has one or two small illustrations makes the prose seem more serious.

Use an abundance of only it makes sense.

° In information mapping (a technique for presenting procedures primarily via tables) tables naturally and properly outweigh the main text.

hardware documentation or similar writing, concepts can often be explained solely in pic- tures and diagrams; no words are necessary.

documents intended for international audiences, frequent illustrations allow readers to grasp the material without having to read extensively in a foreign language.