The place of TW theory in real life?

["Hart, Geoff" <Geoff-H -at- MTL -dot- FERIC -dot- CA>]

Carolee Burgess is <<... currently working toward a MA in Tech Writing... We
are required to take theory classes and one that I'm taking this quarter is
Information Architecture. I am not enjoying it presently... I wanted to ask
those of you "in the trenches"... if theory is actually of value out in the
"real world".>>

Don't forget that there are two competing meanings of the word "theory": The
first goes something along the lines of "that's an interesting theory you've
got there, Geoff, but you realize that it has no relevance to the world any
of the rest of us are living in, right?" The second goes along the lines of
"Aha! So that's how that works. Now I can make the same thing happen in a
different situation because I understand how and why it works in this
situation, and where it's likely to stop working." Obviously, the first kind
of theory is lots of fun, but it has little relevance in the real world. In
contrast, the second type has obvious relevance because it gives us
practical tools that we can apply in daily life. If you want to quibble a
bit with my cavalier comments, I'd also hasten to add that the second kind
of theory also falls into two subcategories: the kind of theories that
produce demonstrable, concrete improvements in the effectiveness of your
communication, and the type that produce statistically significant
improvements that have little or no practical significance. Consider, for
example, that the _legibility_ of serif typefaces can be demonstrated to be
_statistically_ significantly greater than that of sans serif typefaces, yet
so many other factors affect _readability_ that there is no _practically_
significant difference between comparable* serif and sans serif faces.

* That is, ones that are both designed for reading rather than (say)
comparing one designed for reading with one designed solely for
ornamentation.

<<I understand the basic concept behind arranging information in a way that
is valuable and workable for the user-how much further do I have to go with
this?>>

How far? As far as you need to go to produce a usable product for your
audience. Theory, after all, is just a tool, and like any other tool user,
the more tools you have in your toolbox, the more situations you'll be able
to handle. The fact that you have six different types of screwdriver doesn't
mean you have to use them all, but when you come up against one of those
funky triangular screws, you'll be glad to have the right screwdriver in
your kit. Sometimes the basic concept is all that you need; other times, the
basic theory doesn't apply to the current situation, and that's when the
additional theory lets you come up with a workable solution.

<<What is the purpose of theory classes in this field?>>

Mixing my metaphors somewhat, let me remind you of the old maxim that if you
give someone a fish, they'll eat for one meal, but if you teach them _how_
to fish, they can provide their own meals forever after. If a teacher simply
says "do it this way because that's the current theory", they've handed you
a fish; if the teacher says "here's why fish rise to the bait", then they've
handed you a lifetime of free meals. See the difference?

Anyway, that's _my_ theory, and I'm a'sticking to it!

--Geoff Hart, FERIC, Pointe-Claire, Quebec
geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca
"User's advocate" online monthly at
www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/usersadvocate.html

Tarzan's rule of data processing: Never let go of one vine until you have a
solid hold of the next.--Anon.
 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Collect Royalties, Not Rejection Letters! Tell us your rejection story when you 
submit your manuscript to iUniverse Nov. 6 -Dec. 15 and get five free copies of 
your book. What are you waiting for? http://www.iuniverse.com/media/techwr

  Your monthly sponsorship message here reaches more than
  5000 technical writers, providing 2,500,000+ monthly impressions.
  Contact Eric (ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com) for details and availability.

---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as: archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot-  Visit 
http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.