Showing papers in "IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication in 1991"
TL;DR: This article examined the evidence and testimony before the investigating bodies and found that NASA officials construed information about O-ring charring in socially contingent ways and ultimately pressed engineers to work under similar assumptions in declaring the shuttle flightworthy.
Abstract: It is pointed out that, both in methodology and in findings, the investigations of the Challenger disaster by a Presidential Commission and by a Congressional committee demonstrate that even in highly technical matters meaning is socially constructed. The author examines the evidence and testimony before the investigating bodies and finds that, before the launch, NASA officials construed information about O-ring charring in socially contingent ways and ultimately pressed engineers to work under similar assumptions in declaring the shuttle flightworthy. Although the two investigations examined much the same evidence, differing methodological assumptions led them to different conclusions and recommendations. It is found that both investigations emphasized procedural concerns while largely neglecting personal judgment and responsibility, even though the evidence suggests a key role for personal and social judgment. It is concluded that the field of professional communication needs to become more alert to the role of social factors in technical matters. >
46Â citations
TL;DR: This pdf gives a time frame for gauging the period that is necessary to separate research with lasting value from research yielding more ephemeral results and provides a temporal framework for describing the relevant information that authors extract from the literature.
Abstract: It is argued that, from a statistical analysis of the references cited in the engineering literature, the age of the references cited by the engineering research community can be modeled according to the simple lognormal probability density function (pdf). A more natural estimate of the age of a paper is not the number of years elapsed since its publication but the logarithm of this number. Hence, the temporal distance between two references is better estimated by the ratio of their ages rather than by their difference. This pdf gives a time frame for gauging the period that is necessary to separate research with lasting value from research yielding more ephemeral results. It provides a temporal framework for describing the relevant information that authors extract from the literature. A well-structured research archive (or a collection of books about a specialty in a library) should contain papers or books (the choice of which is, of course, subjective) whose age is distributed proportionately to the lognormal pdf. >
32Â citations
TL;DR: To investigate this topic, 28 subjects were asked to maneuver through one of four different implementations of an interactive software package in order to execute a target command using either an iconic or command-based menu with or without the use of sound.
Abstract: Important goals for interface designers are to determine when it is beneficial to use iconic or command-based menus and how these traditional menu systems can be enhanced by the use of sound. To investigate this topic, 28 subjects were asked to maneuver through one of four different implementations of an interactive software package in order to execute a target command using either an iconic or command-based menu with or without the use of sound. The sounds descended in pitch as the depth of the menu increased, and were used as an auditory cue to code the location of a particular menu item. The results indicate that icons were more easily remembered than commands, but that commands were easier to locate under the highest level branch of the menu. The results also indicate a trend toward faster performance times with the use of command-based menus in comparison to iconic-based menus designed with the same structure. However, there was no difference in performance within iconic or command-based menus when sound was included in the user interface. Implications for user interface design are discussed. >
32Â citations
TL;DR: In this article, the effects of color in printed documents and on-line text and on electronic publishers during the printing process and writers during the writing process are described, and suggestions for the effective use of colour in technical communications are presented.
Abstract: Several surveys that compared the effectiveness of color and black and white as they are used in a variety of communication situations are discussed. The effects of color in printed documents and on-line text and on electronic publishers during the printing process and writers during the writing process are described. Suggestions for the effective use of color in technical communications are presented. >
31Â citations
TL;DR: In this article, the use of color in technical communications is discussed and a discussion of problems, misperceptions, and solutions associated with use of colour in technical communication are discussed.
Abstract: Technical communicators can overcome their reluctance to use color in technical communications and use it effectively if they understand how color works, respect the limitations of color, and apply it in ways compatible with communications objectives and human perception. Terms dealing with colors are defined, and reasons for using color in displays are outlined. Problems, misperceptions, and solutions associated with the use of color in technical communications are discussed. >
23Â citations
TL;DR: The model serves as a resource to diagnose ineffective designs as well as a guide for the construction of effective displays, and can be modified as information design matures as a discipline.
Abstract: A model for the design of information products is presented. The model serves as a resource to diagnose ineffective designs as well as a guide for the construction of effective displays. It accommodates many factors affecting the reader's processing of visual displays, including cognitive and perceptual processing, ergonomic factors, and the influence of cultural differences. Because the disciplines employed in this paper are incomplete and often depend upon speculation, the model should not be viewed as complete or comprehensive. However, the model can be modified as information design matures as a discipline. >
22Â citations
TL;DR: The role of history in the teaching and research of technical communication has been discussed in this paper, where three examples of engineering reports published in the early 19th century are discussed, and their historical implications are explored.
Abstract: Publications on the broader history of technical communication that have appeared over the past decade are reviewed. It is suggested that historical studies can easily be pursued in North America owing to the availability of source material. Recent microfilm or microprint publications of both primary sources and reference guides to them are identified. Three examples of engineering reports published in the early 19th century are discussed, and their historical implications are explored. The author holds that there is a role for history in the teaching and research of technical communication. >
15Â citations
TL;DR: In this paper, it is argued that engineers must be educated to take a more than purely technical perspective on public issues, and examples of courses and projects which tend to promote a broader perspective are given.
Abstract: It is noted that communication scholars and teachers agree that the first step in joining a community is to learn the conventions of discourse of the target discipline. But argument in public policy arenas often involves multiple disciplines and must address ethical as well as technical issues. The authors term such discourse forums 'noncongruent sites' and explore the problem of how to determine when the field-specific discourse convections of specialists appropriately give way to ethical argument. It is argued that engineers must be educated to take a more than purely technical perspective on public issues. The curriculum at one institution is examined, and examples of courses and projects which tend to promote a broader perspective are given. >
14Â citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a case study of a small manufacturing firm in the Southeast, where members of a selected cross-functional project team consented to have a researcher present during the life cycle of a single project.
Abstract: Despite forecasts of the increasing use of cross-functional project teams in industry, too little is known about how such teams function and how they might come to function more effectively. One organization, a small manufacturing firm in the Southeast, and members of a selected cross-functional project team consented to have a researcher present during the life cycle of a single project. Reflections based on the resulting case study highlight three overarching areas of concern in cross-functional designs: first, equity as an evolving blueprint for project-team work; secondly, trust as the foundation upon which solid progress depends; and thirdly, authority as the visible framework of the process and products of the team's work. >
12Â citations
TL;DR: Analysis of fundamental aspects of research coherence and unity by assessing the extent to which researchers jointly pursue a logical sequence of questions and how trends in sample selection, size, and composition limit the strength of research conclusions.
Abstract: The author examines 22 experimental usability studies that appeared between 1980 and 1989. The discussion takes two directions: analysis of fundamental aspects of research coherence and unity by assessing the extent to which researchers jointly pursue a logical sequence of questions and the extent to which they integrate findings from prior studies into their own designs; and assessment of how trends in sample selection, size, and composition limit the strength of research conclusions. Ten years' worth of choices about samples show that a cumulative laxity in these choices has greatly constrained what one confidently can say experimental studies have proven about effective hard copy documentation. The author concludes by offering 13 recommended design strategies for future usability research. >
12Â citations
TL;DR: The results of a survey of 1001 professionals in Taiwan's high-technology industries are presented in this article, where the survey describes how these professionals use English communication skills in their work, and offers a specific example form which one can draw general appraisals of the extent to which English has become an international language in the high technology industries.
Abstract: The results of a survey of 1001 professionals in Taiwan's high-technology industries are presented. The survey describes how these professionals use English communication skills in their work. The data should help Taiwanese universities and industries design or modify English communication skills courses. The survey also offers a specific example form which one can draw general appraisals of the extent to which English has become an international language in the high-technology industries. The study confirms the seriousness of the need for nonnative English-speaking professionals to improve their English language skills. Even with at least ten years of English training, a majority of the professionals surveyed feel that they do not communicate effectively in English, and they want continued instruction in some aspect of English communication. >
TL;DR: The perceptual and cognitive processes that allow a person to see and interpret color are described in this article, and functions for the use of color in documents that rely on the perceptual and Cognitive processes are presented.
Abstract: The perceptual and cognitive processes that allow a person to see and interpret color are described. Color is a distraction only when these processes and the documents upon which they operate are construed very narrowly. Functions for the use of color in documents that rely on the perceptual and cognitive processes are presented. >
TL;DR: A study of communication in graduate management programs sponsored by IEEE/PCS and Fairleigh Dickinson University is described in this article, which indicates a clear need for more emphasis on oral and written communication and suggest that one solution to the problem is a course requirement in written and oral communication in conjunction with one or two full-time faculty dedicated to the subject.
Abstract: A study of communication in graduate management programs sponsored by IEEE/PCS and Fairleigh Dickinson University is described. The findings indicate a clear need for more emphasis on oral and written communication and suggest that one solution to the problem is a course requirement in written and oral communication in conjunction with one or two full-time faculty dedicated to the subject. The findings also indicate that full-time faculty who teach communication courses at the graduate level have extensive business and academic experience, and their compensation is well within national guidelines. The study indicates clearly that exit requirements, when they exist, lack both an oral and written communication component, although a written term project for course work is almost universally employed. Other surveys and publications provide background information;. >
TL;DR: In this article, it is argued that, after Gutenberg's introduction of movable type an the printing press in the fifteenth century, and due to the influence of the Renaissance, Western culture entered a period of visual efflorescence.
Abstract: It is pointed out that, after Gutenberg's introduction of movable type an the printing press in the fifteenth century, and due to the influence of the Renaissance, Western culture entered a period of visual efflorescence. Then, due mainly to the influence of the Scientific Revolution, there occurred a derogation of visual experience in favour of word and abstract number. It is argued that, in the late twentieth century, technology, supported by developments in scientific theory, has given new efficacy to visual thinking and experience. Increasingly, illustrations of various types are employed to give meaning to otherwise incomprehensible data. Today's technical communicator must learn to deal effectively with the new demands of a visual culture, becoming not only a master of the new technology but also a possessor of a deep understanding of the theories and structures of visual knowledge. >
TL;DR: In the four-semester engineering practices introductory course sequence (EPICS) program, students learn professional communication skills by working in groups on'real world' projects for which industry and government professionals serve as clients as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Many engineering students are unprepared to address public policy issues because their education is fragmented: they tend to focus narrowly on technical solutions to closed-end problems in engineering and science courses, and they do not see how technical communication relates to either engineering or public policy. A multidisciplinary approach to professional communication which addresses this fragmentation is discussed. In the four-semester engineering practices introductory course sequence (EPICS) program, students learn professional communication skills by working in groups on 'real world' projects for which industry and government professionals serve as clients. These open-ended problems involve numerous nontechnical constraints, including a variety of public policy issues. Communication skills and the important connections among competent technical analysis, effective communication, and effective policy formation are reinforced and extended in the policy analysis course and senior design sequence, where students are required to consider and articulate the public policy implications of complex technological projects. >
TL;DR: It is recommended that project managers assign user interface professionals to work on large projects throughout their life cycle to save significant development time and enhance the quality of the product.
Abstract: It is noted that user interface professionals contribute to a project by making sure that the design of both the input and output of any system takes users' needs into consideration. These professionals perform varied tasks. They analyze the job tasks of users, design and administer questionnaires, conduct user studies, make user interface design recommendations, design prototypes, perform statistical analysis, and interpret the results. In some projects, they are assisted in these tasks by software tools that generate interface code which can be reused by programmers, thus saving significant development time and enhancing the quality of the product. It is recommended that project managers assign user interface professionals to work on large projects throughout their life cycle. >
TL;DR: Ambiguities in the original text are identified as the main pitfalls, and application of the generally accepted guidelines for good, clear English is presented as a solution.
Abstract: Responsibility for the failure of an information transfer through the filter of translation should be shared by the writer of the text, who may have given the translator insoluble conundrums. Ambiguities in the original text are identified as the main pitfalls, and application of the generally accepted guidelines for good, clear English is presented as a solution. Examples of guidelines specifically intended to help technical people write text intelligible to readers who are not native English speakers are described. Several questions to keep in mind when writing and editing technical papers to be translated and their solutions are discussed. >
TL;DR: The documentation effort undertaken by the Danish CIM/GEMS project to drive, direct, and support its CIM-technology development and transfer activities is described.
Abstract: The documentation effort undertaken by the Danish CIM/GEMS (computer-integrated manufacturing: general methods for specific solutions) project to drive, direct, and support its CIM-technology development and transfer activities is described. The project recognized that in the phases of CIM development-from planning through maintenance-the primary deliverable is not the CIM system itself, but the documentation used to describe, specify, justify, and support its development and use. As a result, the project organized itself so that it would transfer to its industry participants the information needed to build CIM systems, and not CIM technology alone. Because this information best resides in well-written and complete documentation, the CIM/GEMS project adopted a management-by-document approach, treating documentation activities as part of system development and assigning professional personnel to the task. As an archive of CIM-system development, the documents captured the project's in-progress work and the knowledge of developers who performed that work. As a deliverable, the documents were the principal means for carrying CIM knowledge and experience off-site. >
TL;DR: In this article, the relationship of shape and color in a composition is discussed, and their relation to the comprehension of written language is discussed as a gestalt that has shape and colour within a geometric construct.
Abstract: The relationship of shape and color, which are two of the parts of a composition, and their relation to the comprehension of written language are discussed. A composition is described as a gestalt that has shape and color within a geometric construct, affecting comprehension and meaning. Therefore, what is seen can be modified by changes in shape and color within a geometric construct modifying comprehension and meaning. Geometric constructs, shape concepts, and color percepts and their implementation in a composition are considered. >
TL;DR: Professional communicators and managers can soften the tone of bad news messages by avoiding transitional axes, which are words and phrases that sever one section of the message from the next section.
Abstract: Professional communicators and managers can soften the tone of bad news messages by avoiding transitional axes, which are words and phrases that sever one section of the message from the next section. These words destroy any potential for goodwill between the sender and receiver of the message. The sender can avoid transitional axes in at least three ways: by using verbally keyed transitions such as repeated words, synonyms, specific naming, abbreviations, or generic nouns; by using cognitively keyed transitions that employ word and thought association to create implied connections; and by using traditional connectors such as conjunctions and conjunctive adverbs. Each of these techniques avoids use of the transitional ax and facilitates the exchange of bad news. >
Journal Article•
TL;DR: The technical, business, government, and legal audiences addressed by policy makers and the effects of these audiences on written documents are examined.
Abstract: Thia article defines the technical, business, government, and legal audiences addressed by policy makers and examines the effects of these audiences on written documents.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: In 1989, a group of US congressmen attempted to use high-definition television (HDTV) as a vehicle to redirect government policy toward the consumer electronics industry as mentioned in this paper, but this effort ultimately failed.
Abstract: In 1989 a bipartisan group of US congressmen attempted to use high-definition television (HDTV) as a vehicle to redirect government policy toward the consumer electronics industry. The authors explore why that effort ultimately failed. It is noted that important technical issues were rarely reflected accurately in the public policy debate. In spite of efforts by the IEEE, engineers were largely absent from the debate and failed to influence it. Technical arguments were carried on primarily by those who did not understand the technical issues involved or who distorted them to fit an established political philosophy. How technical information about HDTV was used by the participants, and how political factors set the terms by which technical information could or could not be presented are examined. How engineers might have made a more effective technical case for HDTV is considered. >
TL;DR: The design and implementation of a microcomputer-based decision support system (DSS) to assist an editor's manuscript selection procedure for journal publication are discussed.
Abstract: The design and implementation of a microcomputer-based decision support system (DSS) to assist an editor's manuscript selection procedure for journal publication are discussed. The DSS organizes and maintains the information necessary for cataloging and tracking the referees' evaluations of manuscripts submitted for potential publication. Referee selection is supported by matching the functional and methodological attributes of the manuscripts with the declared expertise of the referees. Historical records of past review performances are used to enhance the editor's ability to effectively and efficiently assign referees to incoming manuscripts. The DSS was developed to release the editor from operational activities, decrease manuscript turnaround times, and facilitate prompt and accurate responses to author queries regarding the status of their manuscripts. >
TL;DR: The development of research consortia as a means of advancing technology is discussed in this paper, where it is noted that the development of consorties requires cooperation between industry, government, and academia, each of which has different goals.
Abstract: The development of research consortia as a means of advancing technology is discussed. It is noted that the development of consortia requires cooperation between industry, government, and academia, each of which has different goals. Houston University is interested primarily in enhancing basic research and secondarily in obtaining patents, funds, and support. Industry is interested in the direct use of basic ideas in industrial applications, while the government is interested in the rapid growth of technology and the encouragement of arrangements to stimulate it. Formation of consortia requires sound sciences, clear administration, and plentiful financing. Each entity in the group must obtain benefits or the effort will fail. Organization of a consortium must take into account the legal requirements of patenting, disclosure of information, trade secret handling, and relations between organizations which may wish to use the same information in different ways. >
IBM1
TL;DR: It is concluded that, although on first appearance it might seem that a design document simply adds one more thing to do on a project, the added effort is more than compensated for by the amount of time and money saved in not having to modify information at a much later point.
Abstract: It is pointed out that the design document is an effective way of managing documentation development, particularly in large-scale projects. It provides a rough picture or sketch of the information before the writing begins, thereby permitting changes in design before the course of the documentation is set. Once finished, it becomes a road map for writers, managers, and developers. It can later be used to verify that the design was implemented in the final text for publication. It is concluded that, although on first appearance it might seem that a design document simply adds one more thing to do on a project, the added effort is more than compensated for by the amount of time and money saved in not having to modify information at a much later point. >
TL;DR: The authors discusses the different approaches that industry and academia take to such topics as grammar, rhetoric, audience, editing, artwork, decision-making, and collaborative writing, drawing on 25 years of experience as a visiting professor in a university writing program.
Abstract: It is pointed out that veteran technical writers and editors sometimes suspect that the professors who teach technical writing and editing are too deeply immersed in their academic culture to translate effectively into the classroom the world of work culture in which technical writing and editing are practised. It is argued, however, that the two cultures are remarkably alike, sharing the same goal-to improve communication. Differences arise primarily in the approaches taken to achieve that common goal. Drawing on 25 years of experience as a visiting professor in a university writing program, the author discusses the different approaches that industry and academia take to such topics as grammar, rhetoric, audience, editing, artwork, decision-making, and collaborative writing. >
Journal Article•
TL;DR: The authors explore the technical and policy-related issued that arose during the implementation of the ATC-20 methodology in the post-impact emergency period, and later, during reconstruction, and the implication of these developments for professional communication.
Abstract: The authors explore the technical and policy-related issued that arose during the implementation of the ATC-20 methodology in the post-impact emergency period, and later, during reconstruction. They discuss the resulting re-evaluation of the technical guidelines, the development of emergency management policies necessary to post-earthquake recovery, and the implication of these developments for professional communication.
TL;DR: In this article, several strategies that comprise an overall blueprint for a winning proposal strategy are described, including the will-to-win strategy, the customer development strategy, assessing the competition, pricing strategy, tactics and themes, the proposal presentation strategy, and the review strategy.
Abstract: Several strategies that comprise an overall blueprint for a winning proposal strategy are described. They are the will-to-win strategy, the customer development strategy, assessing the competition, the pricing strategy, tactics and themes, the proposal presentation strategy, and the review strategy. It is shown that the methods presented offer a deliberate and thoughtful scheme for planning a proposal development effort so that customer-critical issues are identified and addressed using an overall strategy translated into detailed sub-strategies. >
Journal Article•
TL;DR: The authors discusses the discipline-specific communications program in forestry offered at North Carolina State University, which works to broaden students' understanding of the contexts in which they will work and sharpen the tool they will need in the public arena.
Abstract: This article discusses the discipline-specific communications program in forestry offered at north Carolina State university, which works to broaden students' understanding of the contexts in which they will work and sharpen the tool they will need in the public arena