Re: Numbers or Letters when labeling a graphic?

[Lin Sims <ljsims -dot- ml -at- gmail -dot- com>]

Resolution: he's fine with numbers if we can figure out a way to ensure
that people don't get confused if there is both a graphic with a number key
AND a procedure. I can get behind that--ambiguity is bad.

Now to figure out a way to remove the ambiguity. If anyone has pointers on
that, let me know. I'll consult the book for a bit and see if it has ideas.

Thanks for all the feedback.

On Tue, Apr 24, 2018 at 8:50 AM, Rosalma Arcelay <rosie -at- cpanel -dot- net> wrote:

> No one is spelling out numbers. I use Arabic digits when I label a
> diagram. My coworker uses letters.
>
>
> Oh, that makes more sense now! :)
>
> Maybe a coin toss?
>
> Rosie Arcelay
> Technical Writer II
> cPanel, Inc.
> rosie -at- cpanel -dot- net
>
>
>
> On Apr 24, 2018, at 7:30 AM, Lin Sims <ljsims -dot- ml -at- gmail -dot- com> wrote:
>
> No one is spelling out numbers. I use Arabic digits when I label a
> diagram. My coworker uses letters. We want to be consistent between the two
> of us, and we're disagreeing on which is better to use when labeling areas
> in a piece of hardware, locations in a floorplan, or in a software UI.
>
> I did do some research on the book I showed him, the one he rejected as
> "the writer doesn't know what he's talking about". Turns out the writer is
> a trained graphic designer, has a 350-cite bibliography, and this book is
> referenced in a lot of other books about illustrating technical information.
>
> We'll see how it goes after I point this out to him. We've not been
> working together too long, but so far we've managed to compromise on pretty
> much everything where our personal styles differ. I'd say we're about 50/50
> on that, which is good.
>
> On Tue, Apr 24, 2018 at 8:18 AM, Rosalma Arcelay <rosie -at- cpanel -dot- net> wrote:
>
>> I donât think I have ever seen a graphic with numbers spelled out.
>> That being said, the first question I would ask isâ Who is your user and
>> how will they be using this graphic?
>> If itâs a graphic thatâs meant to be scannable (aka, read quickly), I
>> would go with the numbers. Same if itâs being translated.
>> If itâs not, and itâs something thatâs going into a magazine, for
>> example, where people are taking their time to read it, then spelling out
>> numbers might work (even though it would be weird, imo).
>>
>> Rosie Arcelay
>> Technical Writer II
>> cPanel, Inc.
>> rosie -at- cpanel -dot- net
>>
>>
>>
>> On Apr 24, 2018, at 1:54 AM, Erika Yanovich <ERIKA_y -at- rad -dot- com> wrote:
>>
>> If not too much text is involved, I'd used call-outs/bubbles with the
>> actual explanation inside.
>> HTH,
>> Erika
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>
> --
> Lin Sims
>
>
>


-- 
Lin Sims
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