Tag Archives: cognitive psychology

Technical Writers and Visual Perception Principles: Skills, Ability and Training

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Megan CASEY, Marielle PESCHET, Anaïs TANZÉ

Paris Cité University, July 15, 2022

Abstract

As technology evolves, so does technical writing. New media is used to
convey information more efficiently and yet, technical documentation is not
always very clear. As technical writers, we have general knowledge on what
structures are expected to be the easiest to recognize and follow. We want
our documentation to be read and understood and with that in mind, we are
constantly searching for the best layout to contain our pieces of information.
These elements tie in to cognitive psychology and more specifically visual
perception. But do technical writers study cognitive psychology? And if they
do, do they apply its principles in their work?
This research article examines the relationship between technical writers
and visual perception principles of cognitive psychology.
With the use of a survey and a practical test on applied knowledge of
Gestalt principles, this study analyzes and assesses whether or not technical
writers have studied visual perception and if so, what differences there are in
identifying the principles of visual perception between technical writers who
have studied visual perception and those that have not.
The results gathered show that most technical writers have no knowledge
of visual perception principles. Nonetheless it does not prevent them from
being able to recognize when an element of a layout needs improvement for
clarity, legibility, understanding and overall ease of use. They are able to
justify their answers almost as well as trained technical writers.

Read the full article in PDF: Technical Writers and Visual Perception

Information Processing and Technical Writing: The Importance of Optimizing Users’ Working Memory

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Mélanie PIERRE, Amélie CARON, Coline MAGNIER, Margaux ZANINI

Paris Diderot University, July 15, 2021

Abstract

“The simpler the better”, you have probably heard this sentence many times. It is  particularly true in technical writing. It has been proven that having more than seven chunks  of information or using useless information in a technical document can affect users’ working memory as well as an unstructured document. However, there is little research on the nature of the link between working memory and technical writing.
Our article examines the correlation between cognitive psychology and technical writing and more especially the importance of optimizing the user’s working memory when writing technical documents. To understand the impact of an altered procedure on the realization of a task, we conducted an experiment which consisted of a comparison between two drawing procedures: one which aimed at optimizing working memory and the other which aimed at altering it. Participants shared their drawings and told us the difficulties they faced for eachof the procedures.
Our research and the analysis of the conducted experiment allowed us to draw the conclusion that technical writers should always consider their user’s working memory to ensure that the instructions are easy to follow for every age and capacity range. The structure and content of documentations can help users to group information together and thus help improve their working memory while reading instructions.

Read the full article in PDF: Information processing and technical writing

Technical communication: a two-sided coin?

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Koussai HOUSSINE, Laetitia NALY, Axel PETIT
Paris Diderot University, July 2017

Abstract

Technical communicators like to perceive themselves as go-betweens who use language to bring tech objects closer to the general public. Still, is technical communication (abbr. TC throughout the article) really a two-sided coin that bridges the gap between the humanities and science, the “two cultures” in Charles Percy Snow’s terms?
The aim of this paper is twofold: testing the assumption that makes technical communicators middlemen between the two cultures, and to do so, defining the features of the language of TC by general linguistic standards. A sharp analysis of the language of technical communication provides many interesting clues to define its identity.
First, a short history of technical communication since World War II helps us understand how the language of technical communication changed with economic, social and political contexts. Second, we sketch a definition of human language in order to set an accurate theoretical frame and to define the features of the language of technical communication. Third, the discussion of a series of tests completes the qualitative analyses of the first two parts. It provides evidence to support the conclusion of this paper.

Read the full article: Technical communication: a two-sided coin?

Compelling documentation: a way to improve the user experience?

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Laure Bach-Barast – Laetitia Bossu – Justine Gaucherand- Sarah Lasaracina
Paris Diderot University, 2017, July 31

Abstract

Most people do not read user guides on their own initiative. When they do, it is often because they have no choice, or when they encounter a problem and need a solution. According to the general public composed of a representative sample of 105 people surveyed for our research purpose, guides are deemed plain, unattractive and people usually feel compelled to read them. Indeed, reading user manuals require a certain effort that people are not always ready or willing to make. Hence, they already have a somewhat biased view of the guide even before opening it. Thus, it might be interesting to wonder if a compelling documentation can improve user experience. User Experience implies not only the use of the product, but also the quality of documentation, if it answers questions and solves potential problems in the best, quickest, and most fluent way. User Experience is a cause-and-effect relationship between documentation and the product: the better the information, the better the use will be. However, is it possible to make documentation more compelling in the first place? How can technical writers alleviate the global reluctance to user guides? This paper provides possible solutions in order to make user manuals more compelling to users.

Read the full article (PDF): Compelling documentation: a way to improve the user experience?