English 421K, Technical Writing

Hi -

I attached my instruction manual for review. Some of the usability questions I would like answered are below:

1. How do the pictures help in your understanding of the instructions? Should they be altered in some way, if so, how?

2. Are the sizes of the pictures appropriate? Should any be smaller/bigger?

3. Are there pictures you feel that were missing/ could be included to make understanding easier? If so, what were they?

Contrast – Color pictures of swing set with bright colors sets it off, red and blue. Text is black, minimal white space. The reader is pretty easily directed to the correct sections.

Repetition - The pictures go together, like they were taken as a swing set was being built. There are no off-the-wall pictures with some inside, some outside, different color swing sets, etc. The hardware parts are always shown in life-size as well, so the builders knows exactly which pieces of the swing he or she may need and the type of screws needed to put it together.

I have attached my draft of the webmail technical writing assignment. Thanks!

1. Information that is beyond what readers need to know include much of the second paragraph on what compounds can cause chemical reactions. Readers (Lab Supervisors are already aware of the reactions between the chemicals used in the labs. If they werent, they should not be in a supervisory position. Also, I feel that in the first paragraph, it was stated that the importance of chemical safety didnt need to be gone over, but it was then gone into detail about the troubles they have had in the past, which intimated the importance.

Quark is generally accepted as referring to either one of two things.

The first of which is a German type of cheese similar to cottage cheese. It is soft, unripened, has a low fat content and smooth texture. It has previous origins in Czech (tvaroh), Polish (twarog), Slavonic (twarog), Sorbian (twaroh), and Russian (tvorog), with various changes in spelling across time. There was a change in German origin from twarc to quark sometime around 1943. (OED) See link for picture Quark Cheese

Here is my Union rough draft. I still know of some changes I want to make. I would like it to be 4 pages, maybe move some stuff around to make the first page only the intro things, etc. I dont have anything specific for this one, just any comments or suggestions will be great! Thanks! Sara

Here is my rough draft of SSINFO user guide. I would like feedback about my use of images and any tips you could offer about how to tie it up in a conclusion section. It seems odd to me to just write "conclusion" as a header like I have other headers, but I'm not sure what to title it so that it would tie in. I would appreciate any suggestions. I would also like any other general comments on organization, grammar, etc. Thanks! Sara

I think the style of the article is pretty simple and the words are easy to understand, but the organization and design are confusing and boring. I think at least one picture should be added to get across a serious point that frostbite and spending extended periods of time in cold temperatures can have a serious negative affect on the body. Also, since this article is supposed to be designed for 10 to 15 year olds, I think even a little comic strip could be beneficial to add some interest to the article. Of course the comic strip should be related to frostbite or hypothermia.

Attached is my Cover Letter Job Application. Sara Ludington

Attached is my rough draft of my resume.