IT Communication Assignment: Benefits of Visuals in Technical Writing

Describe some of the benefits of utilizing graphic design or visual elements in a technical document. Identify at least three types of graphic or visual elements that can be added to technical communications. What must a technical writer consider in order to use these elements effectively?

There are many benefits to utilizing graphic design or visual elements in a technical document. If you have ever heard of the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words”, it is absolutely true. Personally, I am part of a team developing a web application; a lot of our time so far has been in developing effective interfaces and graphics and then coding around this framework. With so many different web applications that essentially do the same thing, the consumer will pick the one that is the most presentable and does everything they want it to do.

You can also think of an instruction manual. You can write 1000 words on a specific step of removing some item, modifying the hookups, and installing an OEM part. After reading those 1000 words, the reader might only know as much as they did before reading; however with a few images demonstrating the step, you can almost entirely remove your written instructions now that the reader can see exactly how this is done.

Finally, using images rather than words is sometimes just the most efficient, effective, and cost efficient way of information. Think of a consulting company that needs to be a produce a document explaining what computer hardware their client needs. No one likes to read through pages of documents describing hardware components and their network connections. Instead, you can make a single page visual diagram listing each machine, the hardware, and their network connections. This is an easy to look at and understand document, most likely it took less time to produce than writing something, and the customer better understands what they need.

To effectively utilize any of these methods or reasons for using graphic design or visual elements, I feel that the technical writer needs to have a good sense of empathy. The writer must become the potential reader for a moment and to read (not proofread what they just wrote) and look at the images that they have provided. If the images are effective, the point is made, then the writing is a success; if the images are lacking then they need to be revised.