+
ICS 139WCritical Writing on Information TechnologyLecture 5Emily Navarro
Duplication of course material for any commercial purpose without the explicit written permission of the professor is prohibitedSome slides in this lecture adapted from
http://www.writing.engr.psu.edu/handbook/visuals.html
+Today’s Lecture
Three Laws of Professional Communication Typography Illustration/Data visualization
+Three Laws of Professional Communication Doumont, J-L. (2002). The three laws of professional
communication. Professional Communication, IEEE Transactions on, 45(4), 291-296
+Three Laws of Robotics (Asimov)
+Three Laws of Thermodynamics
+Three Laws of Professional Communication1. Adapt to your audience
2. Maximize the signal/noise ratio
3. Use effective redundancy
*Three laws apply to both spoke and written communication
+Premise: Optimize Under Constraints
+Law 1: Adapt to Your Audience
+Law 2: Maximize the Signal-to-Noise Ratio
+“Noise” in Oral Communication
Room noise Audience Environment
Slides Distracting visual aids
Speaker Distracting behavior
+“Noise” in Written Communication Text
Mechanical errors
Page layout Structure issues Typography issues
Illustrations Confusing issues Inappropriate detail
+Law 3: Use Effective Redundancy
+Effective Redundancy for Oral Communication Preview and review on slides Same messages are spoken by speaker and illustrated
by slides
+Effective Redundancy for Written Communication Use of an abstract or executive summary Use of figures that illustrate textual messages Section headings Email subject headings
+Zeroth Law of Communication
+Zeroth Law of Communication
Have a message!
+Typography
+Why learn about typography?
Small differences in readability make large differences in effectiveness
Typographic research has yielded several well-established rules of typography
+Typography: Basic Principle
Good typography helps the reader distinguish among different letters words lines paragraphs sections
+Typefaces
Use typefaces with proportional spacing (rather than monospace) varying stroke widths serifs
Like this This font is monospace, has uniform stroke widths, and no serifs.
Thin stroke
Thick stroke
Serif
+Avoid large blocks of capital letters
WORDS SET IN ALL CAPS USE MORE SPACE THAN TEXT SET IN LOWERCASE.
Words set in all caps use more space than words set in lowercase.
TYPE IS TO READType is to read
+
Morton-Thiokol Presentation to NASAJanuary 27, 1986
PRIMARY CONCERNS -
FIELD JOINT - HIGHEST CONCERN
• EROSION PENETRATION OF PRIMARY SEAL REQUIRES RELIABLE SECONDARY SEAL FOR PRESSURE INTEGRITY• IGNITION TRANSIENT - (0-600 MS)
• (0-170 MS) HIGH PROBABILITY OF RELIABLE SECONDARY SEAL• (170-330 MS) REDUCED PROBABILITY OF RELIABLE SECONDARY
SEAL• (330-600 MS) HIGH PROBABILITY OF NO SECONDARY SEAL
CAPABILITY
• STEADY STATE - (600 MS - 2 MINUTES)• IF EROSION PENETRATES PRIMARY O-RING SEAL - HIGH PROBABILITY OF
NO SECONDARY SEAL CAPABILITY• BENCH TESTING SHOWED O-RING NOT CAPABLE OF MAINTAINING
CONTACTWITH METAL PARTS GAP OPERATING TO MEOP
• BENCH TESTING SHOWED CAPABILITY TO MAINTAIN O-RING CONTACT DURING
INITIAL PHASE (0 - 170 MS) OF TRANSIENT
+Choose a type size that is easy to read
48 point36 point
24 point18 point14 point12 point
10 point8 point
posters
presentation slides
titles
text
footnotes
+ Use white space for association, emphasis, and hierarchy
space for margins
space forillustrations
space forheadings
+ Follow the format that is expected or required for the situation
+Illustration/Data Visualization
+
Table 1. Reactor power levels in Chernobyl accident [Wolfson, 1991].
Date Time Power Level4/25 1:00 am 3200 MW4/25 2:00 pm 1600 MW4/25 11:10 pm 1600 MW4/26 1:00 am 30 MW4/26 1:19 am 200 MW4/26 1:23 am 2,000,000 MW Figure 1. Simplified diagram of
nuclear reactor [Wolfson, 1991].
CoolantLoss Reactor
Vessel
Core
Pressurizer
SteamGenerator
Two types of illustrations exist: tables and figures
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Table 2. Sequence of events in the Chernobyl accident [Wolfson, 1991].
April 25
April 25
April 25
April 26
April 26
April 26
Date Time Power Level Event
1:00 a.m.
2:00 p.m.
11:10 p.m.
1:00 a.m.
1:19 a.m.
1:23 a.m.
3200 MW
1600 MW
1600 MW
30 MW
200 MW
2,000,000 MW
Operators begin power descent
Power descent delayed for 9 hoursEmergency core-cooling system disconnected
Operators switch off automatic controlPower descent resumed
Power minimum reached
Operators pull rods beyond allowable limitsOperators start two additional coolant pumpsOperators violate coolant flow limits
Power surges by factor of 10,000 in 5 seconds
Tables can present words as well as numbers
+When presenting numerical data, youchoose between tables and graphs
Time(hour)
midnight2:004:006:008:00
10:00noon2:004:006:008:00
10:00
Normal(mg/dl*)
100.393.688.2
100.5138.6102.4
93.8132.3103.8
93.6127.8109.2
Diabetic(mg/dl)
175.8165.7159.4
72.1271.0224.6161.8242.7219.4152.6227.1221.3
Table 2. Blood glucose levels [Carlson, 1982].
* decaliters/milligramFigure 11. Blood glucose levels for normal individual and diabetic [Carlson, 1982].
Hour12:00 6:00 am 12:00 6:00 pm 12:00
BloodGlucoseLevel(mg/dl)
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
BreakfastLunch Dinner
Normal
Diabetic
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Temperature(K)
Distance From Burner (mm)
Figure 3. Computational and experimental temperatures for laminar diffusion flames [Sandia, 1987].
ExperimentSimulation
2000
1500
1000
500
0
0 2 4 6 8 10
Line graphs are common in engineering and science
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Figure 4. Response of T-cells in cosmonauts after short-term and long-term flights [Konstantinova, 1991].
Cells%
Flight Duration (Days)
10
20
30
7-10
112–175 211–366
Normal range
Bar graphs compare wholes
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Figure 5. Schedule for the construction, evaluation, and production phases of the Solar One Power Plant.
Task 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989
Construction
Test and Evaluation
Power Production
Gantt charts are a type of bar charts
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Industrial wastes(28%)
Medical and research wastes(16%)
Power reactor wastes(64%)
Power ReactorIndustrialMedicalGovernmentGovernment wastes
(2%)
Figure 5. Volume of low-level nuclear wastes from various sources [League, 1985].
Pie graphs compare parts of a whole
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Figure 6. Estimated annual dose of radiation in the United States [GPU Nuclear, 1985].
Average dose: 160 mrem
NaturalSources
MedicalSources
85 mrem
70 mrem
{Fallout: < 3mremOccupational: < 1mremNuclear power: < 1mrem
Graphs come in many forms
+When presenting images, you choose between photographs, drawings, and diagrams
+The main advantage of photographs is realism
Figure 2. Space Shuttle Challenger, from about 59 seconds to 60 seconds into launch (January 28, 1986). On the right rocket, flame first becomes visible and then impinges on tank.
59 seconds
59.5 seconds
60 seconds
+One advantage of drawings is control of detail
SecondaryFlow
PrimaryFlow
SecondaryFlow
Turbine VanesCombustor Simulator
Dilution Jet
Film-Cooling Holes
+The main advantage of a diagram is the ability to show flow of a variable through a system
Figure 8. Flow of Information Through the Parts of a von Neumann Machine
+
Figure 5. Schematic of thermalstorage system.
RECEIVER
FLASHTANK
HPHTR
DEAR-ATOR
HOTWELL
TSSG
TURBINE
TSU
DSPH
TSH
FT
The thermal storage system stores heat in a huge, steel-walled tank. Steam from the solar receiver passes through heat exchangersto heat the thermal oil, which is pumped into the tank. The tank then provides energy to run a steam generator to produce electricity. A schematic of this system is shown in Figure 5.
Scientists and engineers often use illustrationsthat are too complex for the text
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The thermal storage system, shown in Figure 6, stores heat in a huge, steel-walled tank. Steam from the solar receiver heats a thermal oil, which is pumped into the tank. The tank then provides energy to run a steam generator to produce electricity.
Figure 6. Schematic of thermal storage system for the solar power plant.
steamgenerator
650°F 580°F
425°F435°F
solarreceiver
575°F
425°F
530°F
250°F
ThermalTank
HeatExchanger
HeatExchanger
The precision of the illustrationsshould reflect the precision of the text
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Figure 7. Title of figure. Some formats allow you extra sentences to explain unusual details.
..., as shown in Figure 7….
For clarity, you should introduce andexplain illustrations in the text
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The testing hardware of the rocket shown in Figure 8 has five main components: camera, digitizer, computer, I/O interface, and mechanical interface. Commands are generated by the computer, then passed through the I/O interface to the mechanized interface where the keyboard of the ICU is operated. The display of the ICU is read with a television camera and then digitized. This information is then manipulated by the computer to direct the next command.
PRINTERCONTROLTERMINAL
COMPUTERDIGITIZER
CAMERA
ELECTRO-MECHANICALINTERFACE
ROCKET
Figure 8. Testing hardware.
Inconsistencies between text andimages disrupt fluidity
+ Our system for testing the launch controls of the rocket consists of four main parts: computer, electro-mechanical interface, camera, and digitizer. In this system (shown in Figure 9), the computer generates test commands to the rocket through the electro-mechanical interface. The test results are read with a television camera, and then digitized. The computer receives the information from the digitizer, and then directs the next test command.
Figure 9. System to test launch controls for rocket.
CameraDigitizer
ComputerElectro-MechanicalInterface
1 2
34
Rocket
Illustration is the meshing of words with images
+Summary – Three Laws
1. Adapt to your audience
2. Maximize the signal/noise ratio
3. Use effective redundancy
+Summary – Typography/Illustration Good typography helps readers distinguish between
elements on a page/slide/diagram Illustration is the meshing of words with images
Graphs Charts Tables Diagrams Photographs
+Next Time
Discussion (Wednesday) Testing of presentation slides
Lecture (Thursday) Oral proposals of change to decisionmakers
