Subject: Technical Writing I would like for you to conduct an analysis of the fo
ID: 2246593 • Letter: S
Question
Subject: Technical Writing
I would like for you to conduct an analysis of the following webpages:
1) http://www.wikihow.com/Change-a-Tire
2) http://www.dmv.org/how-to-guides/changing-tire.php When conducting your analysis,
I would like for you to place yourself in the position of someone unfamiliar with the process of changing a tire. Given your role as the audience (someone unfamiliar with the process) and use (to become knowledgeable of the process), conduct an analysis that identifies the document's ability to meet the stated purpose for the specific audience. To help focus your analysis, I would like for you to use only the following 4 characteristics of technical writing mentioned in Chapter 1:
1) Addresses particular readers
2) Helps readers solve problems
3) Uses design to increase readability
4) Consists of words or images or both
The goal of your analysis in this assignment is to convey how the content in the webpages effectively uses the 4 characteristics noted above and mentioned in Chapter 1. As you construct your analysis ask yourself the following in relation to the 4 characteristics you will use: How effective are these pages at providing the appropriate content for these readers and for meeting the needs of these readers? Is the appropriate content delivered in an appropriate fashion? Is enough content provided? How effective are these pages designed to enable these readers to acquire the information they need? Can you, in your role as the audience, quickly and easily access information most pertinent to you? How effective are the words and images used on the pages in giving the readers the content they need? When writing and designing this assignment, apply these same characteristics as well as the measures of excellence mentioned in Chapter 1. Your analysis should be designed to aid readability and access to information. Is your analysis comprehensive? How is the reader (me) going to use your analysis and for what purposes? Will your content and design allow the reader (me) to get the information he needs and expects from you? In this assignment, I am looking for your ability to effectively and comprehensively analyze samples of technical writing so that you demonstrate an awareness of the major conventions that you will need to use as we move forward in the course. But don't let your analysis be the only instance that illustrates your awareness of these conventions. Write and design your analysis so that your document also exhibits the conventions and characteristics of technical writing and so that I can see your understanding of these concepts being put into practice. A helpful hint: Do not construct your analysis in the form of a simple, college essay in which you give me a series of unidentified paragraphs. Start to think about organization in different ways, including the use of subheadings and lists.
Explanation / Answer
In the following sections we will be analyzing the following two webpages:
A) http://www.wikihow.com/Change-a-Tire
B) http://www.dmv.org/how-to-guides/changing-tire.php
We will be structuring our analysis along the following four parameters,namely,
1) Addresses particular readers
2) Helps readers solve problems
3) Uses design to increase readability
4) Consists of words or images or both
1) Addresses particular readers
The target audience for the pages are users who are unfamiliar with tire replacement.
2) Helps readers solve problems
3) Uses design to increase readability
4) Consists of words or images or both
Summary
A comparison of the two webpages along the above mentioned parameters reveals that the effective use of visual information increases the effectiveness of communication significantly in a webpage. "A picture is worth a thousand words" comes out pertinently in this comparison.