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Subject:Re: Interesting visuals on control panel From:Marguerite Krupp <mkrupp128 -at- yahoo -dot- com> To:techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com, Jan Axelson <jan -at- lvr -dot- com>, Keith Hood <klhra -at- yahoo -dot- com> Date:Wed, 17 Nov 2010 08:36:23 -0800 (PST)
Those same animal icons exist on my 2010 Ariens snow blower, so I think the meaning is assumed to be pretty clear...or maybe I should say, "easy to see the drift" of them!
We've been discussing using more visuals in our docs, some of which are actual labels on equipment. I'd like to hear more from people who've done this type of docs, particularly for software documentation.
Yes, I am familiar with the ANSI z535 family and also with "The Deadly Follies of Stick Figure Warning-Man and Family" at www.capnwacky.com/warning/
I've seen a lot of good wordless hardware docs, but not so many software docs. Comments, examples, anyone?
Marguerite
--- On Wed, 11/17/10, Keith Hood <klhra -at- yahoo -dot- com> wrote:
From: Keith Hood <klhra -at- yahoo -dot- com>
Subject: Re: Interesting visuals on control panel
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com, "Jan Axelson" <jan -at- lvr -dot- com>
Date: Wednesday, November 17, 2010, 10:50 AM
I doubt the designer was thinking of the fable and any of its connotations. The sight of those animals causes *immediate* assumptions about speeds. I think it's much more likely the designer was aiming for that immediacy, rather than any thoughts about a fable that the operator may not have read.
I've worked in construction and plumbing and other rough trades, and from that experience I believe a thought like 'get going but take it slow' is too subtle for most employees in fields where cherry pickers are used. They're more likely to fit what Mark Twain wrote about sailors - they can't understand orders that are not illuminated by blasphemy. :-)
--- On Wed, 11/17/10, Jan Axelson <jan -at- lvr -dot- com> wrote:
From: Jan Axelson <jan -at- lvr -dot- com>
Subject: Interesting visuals on control panel
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Date: Wednesday, November 17, 2010, 10:04 AM
Yesterday I happened to see the control panel on a cherry
picker/aerial lift. The speed control had no text. Instead there were
two images - a hare at the top and a tortoise at the bottom. In
between was a bar that tapered from top to bottom.
Since the tortoise in the fable wins the race, maybe the images send
a subtle message to get going but take it slow?
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