TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
So, I must ask, is there a standard rule of thumb for different written
projects? I have always gone by the fact that 80% don't want to read
(aren't in depth readers); 10-15% are skimmers (love bullet points and
pictures), and 5-10% are non-readers. Of those 80%, what grade level do
you target for installation instructions? for help files? for user
manuals? for technical training?
Do they vary?
Is this a can of worms?
Thanks for the dialog,
Phyllis
> -----Original Message-----
> From: DURL [SMTP:durl -at- BUFFNET -dot- NET]
> Sent: Thursday, April 02, 1998 4:10 PM
> To: TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
> Subject: Re: Measuring readability (fwd)
>
> Hi Mike,
> 10th grade is too high; I usually think 8th grade level if
> the
> issue comes up.
> The problem with the Flesch and Gunning Fog index is that
> they're
> based on numbers of syllables per sentence, or per paragraph. You can
> use
> them on any word processor since MultiMate...when you run the grammar
> check, it'll give you a grade level.
> However, that's pretty meaningless. I did some research into
> this
> a while back, and couldn't find teachers who knew *how* their testing
> systems that measure grade level do it. I *did* find someone who was
> working on developing a grade level using syntax issues (ex:
> voice, simple sentences, compound subject or predicate) but at the
> time,
> no one had developed software for it...too complex for the software to
> do.
> The problem is that specialists know a vocabulary that
> includes
> some pretty highly technical words that skew the syllable count. If
> this
> were my task, I'd advocate developing a syntax approach.
> Editorial Eye might be a good resource. I referred to their
> article, "Writing for Adult Non-Readers." This took into acount that
> you
> were dealing w/ adults who had a grown-up vocabulary, but who don't
> read
> for recreation--just information as necessary. Here's where the syntax
> issue comes up, and the "adult non-reader" target might be another
> way to define your audience.
> Mary
>
> Mary Durlak Erie Documentation Inc.
> East Aurora, New York (near Buffalo)
> durl -at- buffnet -dot- net
>
> On Thu, 2 Apr 1998, Collier,Michael wrote:
>
> > I've been asked to ensure that our user docs are written on a 10th
> grade
> > level so that they are understandable to a wide audience. If you've
> had to
> > do this, how do you measure this?
> >
> > I searched the archives and the web and found references to the
> Gunning Fog
> > Index and the Flesch Readability Index, but I couldn't determine if
> these
> > enforce a grade level standard (plus, if they're dated, and with the
> decline
> > of literacy...)
> >
> > Has anyone used an index or standard for this? No mil specs, please.
> Is
> > there any software that does this?
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Michael Collier
> > mailto:mcollier -at- cnalife -dot- com
> >
> >
> &^~~~
> > Send commands to listserv -at- listserv -dot- okstate -dot- edu (e.g., SIGNOFF
> TECHWR-L)
> >
> >
> >
>
> &^~~~
> Send commands to listserv -at- listserv -dot- okstate -dot- edu (e.g., SIGNOFF
> TECHWR-L)
>
