Deck 5: Designing Documents

Question 1

Which of the following guidelines will NOT make your emails easier to read and understand?

A) Use long paragraphs.
B) Use the subject line to specify your message.
C) Keep your messages brief.
D) Use headings to identify the sections of your message.

Answer 1

A
Explanation: Many individuals access information, today, from a mobile device. The medium of communication, this being a mobile device, or a mobile context, must be considered when designing messages that are going to be easy to read and understood quickly. If you design your emails for quick and easy reading, your recipients will be able to decipher your intended meaning efficiently and respond readily and appropriately to your instructions, questions, and requests regardless of their location. There are six simple guidelines to follow:
Keep your messages brief.
Use short paragraphs.
Use the subject line to specify your message.
Use headings to identify the sections of your message.
Use hyperlinks selectively and strategically.
Ask simple yes/no questions.

Question 2

Professional documents…

A) require a table of contents.
B) should only be as complex as the situation requires.
C) should only focus on content, not design.
D) include glossaries, appendices, and headings to identify the sections of your message.

Answer 2

B
Explanation: Effective communication requires you to include accurate information, write effective paragraphs with effective sentence structure, as well as design the document so it is easy to read and understand for the intended audience. Technical communication must be accessible to all readers regardless of their physical abilities. This includes incorporating design elements, such as headings and boldface type to call attention to salient information, including multimedia, such as images and illustrations, audio, and video, as well as laying out the information on a page with effective use of white space. You might also incorporate links for more information and encourage interactivity, such as your readers to comment or share the information with others via email or through their online social networks. In addition, you do not want to overwhelm your audience with too much information, so designing a document that is tailored for your audience and their informaiton needs must also be considered.

Question 3

If you think the template you are supposed to use is not appropriate for your audience and your message, what should you do?

A) if you have the authority, change the format.
B) If you are required to use a company template, make a case with your supervisor for changes to the format.
C) use sophisticated software applications to apply basic principles of document design.
D) Both and b.

Answer 3

D
Explanation: Because many organizations have standard formats or templates for reports, letters, proposals, email messages, blogs, wikis, social media postings, and websites. Before you develop your document, determine the pertinent design requirements. Do not change the format arbitrarily just to be different. If you think the template you are assigned to use isn't appropriate for your audience and your message, find out who makes decisions about design issues and make a case for the changes that you consider necessary.

Question 4

Which of the following guidelines is/are useful to remember in developing instructions?

A) Long paragraphs are best.
B) Design is not important, because your readers are obligated to read the instructions.
C) Numbered steps will help your readers.
D) Illustrations may distract your reader from important information.

Question 5

What is useful about screen readers?

A) They support accessibility for individuals who are visually impaired.
B) They simplify instructions that are written in paragraphs.
C) They enlarge visuals.
D) They define complex terms for readers.

Question 6

Which of the following statements is true of blank space in a document?

A) It is space that is not being used well.
B) It makes information difficult to read.
C) It makes information easier to find and read.
D) Only needed to space out long documents.

Question 7

Which of the following suggestions will NOT help you design distinctive headings?

A) Keep each heading above the section it covers.
B) Use parallel sentence structure.
C) Create a pattern for the headings and stick to it.
D) Vary the sentence structure.

Question 8

Which of the following suggestions should generally be used to help you develop visually effective pages and screens?

A) Use blank space to frame and group information.
B) Set the spacing so that you can get the most words in the least amount of space.
C) Use long lines.
D) Use a fully justified margin and headings to identify the sections of your message.

Question 9

What is meant by the term, "active space?"

A) The blank space in the margins of a document.
B) The white text boxes that are placed around images.
C) The boarders of images that frame them.
D) The space inside the text that is deliberately placed in order to emphasize a particular area.

Question 10

If you are writing a document that is to be reviewed by your boss, what type of line spacing would be best to use?

A) Single-spacing with three extra spaces in between sections.
B) Double-spacing.
C) A mixture of singe- and double-spacing.
D) It depends on your boss's readability level.

Question 11

If you are writing a document that is to be reviewed by your boss, what type of line spacing would be best to use?

A) Single-spacing with three extra spaces in between sections.
B) Double-spacing.
C) A mixture of singe- and double-spacing.
D) It depends on your boss's readability level.

Question 12

What does accessibility refer to in technical communication?

A) The ability of users to read your document.
B) Accessibility refers to the ability of your document or technical communication to be accessed and used by any and all types of users, regardless of cognitive and physical capabilities and emotional states.
C) The readability of your document.
D) The aesthetic nature of your webpage.

Question 13

How do you express a paragraph change when using double-spacing?

A) Use three extra lines of blank space.
B) Use an extra line of blank space.
C) Indent the first line of each paragraph.
D) Both b and c.

Question 14

The use of frequent headings in a document helps readers…

A) test their knowledge by answering questions.
B) locate information easily.
C) know where they are at all times.
D) Both b and c.

Question 15

You are writing a memo to the employees of your company explaining a new policy. What type of headings would work best for this type of technical communication?

A) Short sentences, such as, "New cell phone usage policy."
B) Verb phrases, such as, "Usage of cellular phones."
C) Questions, such as, "How do you use your cell phone at work?"
D) Long sentences, such as, "Read this about the new policy about using your cell phone at work."

Question 16

What is one typographical feature you can use to distinguish headings from the text and headings of different levels?

A) Images
B) Icons
C) Bold style
D) Page borders

Question 17

Why is it important to test your design with real end-users?

A) To make sure you have used the correct template your company requires.
B) To get paid more for your work.
C) To make sure you have designed the document appropriately for and to be used effectively by your target audience.
D) To make sure you have designed it for mobile devices.

Question 18

What is one use of active space in a document?

Question 19

Why is it important to keep your design consistent?

Question 20

What is one question you should ask about your reader when planning a document and how might you use the answer to that question in your document design?

Question 21

Below is the home page of a website that provides pet owners holistic ways and treatments options to care for their pet's health.
Knowing what you know about effective document design, first describe what makes the website unusable, than describe how you would use design elements to effectively design the webpage, make it visually effective, and improve the usability.

Question 22

Explain the considerations you should take into account when designing a document that readers might access on a variety of digital devices.

Question 23

Besides the information and words you choose to include in a technical communication, what other important aspect of a technical communication must you consider in order for it to be easily read and interpreted by your target audience.

A) Not including too much information.
B) Citing sources.
C) The design of the document.
D) How much time you have to create it.

Question 24

Which of the following is NOT a valuable guideline for composing and designing emails and other electronic media that is easy to read?

A) Use headings to identify the sections of your message.
B) Keep paragraphs short.
C) Use hyperlinks selectively and strategically.
D) Don't include complex information, even if your readers need the information.

Question 25

Why are subject lines important for readers?

A) They preview the subject or topic of the message.
B) They allow readers to sort information.
C) They allow readers to wait to read an email at a later time.
D) All of the above.

Question 26

What are some design elements you can incorporate in a document to increase the accessibility?

A) Hyperlinks to external sources.
B) Alternative text, captions, or titles to describe images in graphs, charts, diagrams, and other information visuals.
C) Access to the internet.
D) A document designed for mobility.

Question 27

What are headings?

A) Titles that help readers know where they are in a document.
B) Short titles that you use to label each section and subsection of a document.
C) Paragraphs that introduce the topic of a technical communication.
D) Both and b.

Question 28

What is one design method you can use to help your readers locate information in a technical communication?

A) Use frequent headings.
B) Underline all text.
C) Restate all important information frequently in a document to make sure readers read it.
D) Use white text in contrast to a black background.

Question 29

What method can you use to ensure you have appropriately and effectively designed a technical communication?

A) Comments from readers after publication
B) Comments from your boss
C) User testing
D) Proofread it thoroughly

Question 30

What does the visual perceptual concept of contrast mean?

A) Related items must align with each other, and every item must align with some other item (or risk looking misaligned).
B) Related items are repeated to build unity.
C) The perception that things are different because they appear visually different.
D) Dark font on a dark background is easy to read.

Question 31

What does the visual perceptual concept of repetition mean?

A) Repeated items that are similar creates unity and builds familiarity.
B) Related items must align with each other, and every item must align with some other item (or risk looking misaligned).
C) Related items must be positioned close together.
D) Greater size implies greater importance.

Question 32

What type of font would be more accessible for people with limited vision and who rely on screen readers?

A) Sans serif
B) Serif
C) Decorative text
D) Text with extra flourishes on the tips of the letters

Question 33

Changing the design of a document for arbitrary reasons can…

A) make it more engaging.
B) make it more attractive.
C) confuse readers.
D) create active engagement.

Question 34

Which of the following statements is true of blank space in a document?

A) It is space that is not being used well.
B) It is a critical element of design.
C) It is distracting to readers.
D) Only needed to space out long documents.

Question 35

Headings should be…

A) descriptive
B) long
C) short
D) in long documents only

Question 36

Multi-tasking is part of workplace writing; that means all but one of the following is true:

A) Some readers may read your document while traveling.
B) Other readers may jump to a specific topic that impacts their job.
C) Your reader is paid to read your document.
D) Everyone has more to read than they have time to.

Question 37

Document design for the screen is challenging because digital documents…

A) can be read by anyone.
B) may be read on a variety of devices with different screen sizes and resolutions.
C) can be easily plagiarized using highlight and paste.
D) have a lower resolution.

Question 38

Chapter 5 of your text lists several questions in a Document Design Checklist you can use to ensure you have effectively and appropriately designed your document. List at least three two of these questions and explain why they are important aspects of document design.

Question 39

Describe three ways to maintain consistency in your document.

Question 40

Describe three guidelines you can use to compose descriptive headings that enable your readers to locate information easily.

Question 41

Below is a screen shot of an article on the Everyday Health website. Everyday Health is a website intended to provide health information to the general public.
Retrieved from https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition/7-foods-fight-back-immune-system-boosters/
Knowing what you know about effective document design, write an essay reporting on the design elements that make this webpage effective and easy to read for the target audience, as well as what could be implemented to improve the design of the webpage.

Question 42

Chapter 5 discusses user testing or usability testing to be a useful, valuable method to ensuring you have designed your technical communication, document, or webpage for usability by a target audience.
Imagine you composed and designed the below webpage from Everyday Health.
Retrieved from https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition/7-foods-fight-back-immune-system-boosters/
Describe a scenario whereby you perform usability testing with a target group of individuals. You must describe who you will select as representative users and why. What types of questions will you ask them during the user testing, and what types of interactions will you observe? Also, be sure to note if you perform any follow-up interviews.