Visual Aids: An Introduction
Because we tend to think of communication in terms of words and writing rather than of visuals, one of the first changes you will need to make in terms of your understanding of technical writing is to realize its potential as a visual medium.
Visual design has a great deal to do with how successful your document will be. Audiences expect certain documents – brochures, web pages, annual reports, even some proposals, and more – to include visual aids. And as a writer you should realize that illustrations indeed serve as evidence as compellingly as can facts, numbers, and quotations from experts in the field. They might be just the proof you need to support a point that you have argued eloquently but perhaps not so persuasively. Visuals can show the proof.
So as you learn more about technical writing in general, you will need to begin looking for places in your documents that can be enhanced by visual aids. Illustrations do not take the place of the all-important words, of course, but they can make them more emphatic and persuasive.
As you write, think about how you can assist your reader by showing them:
- How something looks or is constructed,
- How they can perform a certain process,
- How something is organized,
- How something has changed or grown, and
- Other things that even the most wonderful of words might not describe fully or perfectly.
Look for places where the addition of a visual aid will enhance the persuasive element of the prose and impress the reader. Remember, though, that you have to coordinate the text and the visual aids: they work together, so they must be viewed in conjunction with each other. If you intend to use a visual aid, however, you must first decide which type will best suit the needs of your document and of your readers.