Creating Visuals Post

     In a progress memo or data review, posting length paragraphs detailing the results collected does not make for an easily readable article for a professional environment. Integrating and creating visuals allows for technical writers to convey large amounts of important and pertinent statistical data or data relevant to a report or study within the corporate environment. Oliu et al express as much, relaying the same rules as it pertains to the other important concepts within technical and professional writing: know your purpose and know your reader. When applied to creating relevant visuals, the options drastically expand to include non-numeric visual representations of data (i.e., photographs, drawings, maps/geographical charts, symbols, flow charts) as well as strictly graphical and statistical representations as well. One must make sure to clarify why the visual is being used, that it is uncluttered and focused, that the information is accurate, and that it has an identifier/figure number in the footnotes/index of the project. When there is still too much data to represent in a simple chart or graph, tables offer an alternative route for data representation, allowing for a compare/contrast of the related data organized within the table. Graphs offer an opportunity to visualize topical trends or movements found in a study. The correct formatting of both will allow for greater readability and information retention on the part of the reader. For topic-related objects that do not require photography, a drawing or diagram is the best option to convey its importance and relevance to the project. Photographs can be used to present the status of the topic of inquiry at first inspection and/or final inspection, or to highlight important details relevant to the content of the paper. Flowcharts can chart out the finding of this content along with the rest of the research process to communicate how a study was supposed to go and/or how the study transpired.

The nuances of each visual representation method always escaped me in research classes, and now it is exceedingly clear upon reading this article.

How often are photographs used in professional memos/research efforts as shown in these readings?

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