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Subject:Re: tech writing vs. information design From:Barbara Karst-Sabin <barbara -at- QUOTE -dot- COM> Date:Thu, 27 Aug 1998 13:21:46 -0700
IMNSHO, the style guides most companies use are intended to take the
information design aspects out of documentation by giving the tech
writers "blanks" to fill in. Some style guides are so detailed that
there is little to do but follow the formula, right down to the
paragraph or even sentence level.
I took Information Mapping when I was being certified as a Course
Developer, and it's been my experience that the style guide approach can
be useful, especially for new writers or when deadline constraints
eliminate any possibility of tailoring the presentation. However, it's
rather disturbing that the sacred style guide has all but eliminated the
opportunity for those of us trained in info mapping to diverge from the
"standard" in an effort to present material in a more rational and
useable fashion.
End rant.
BJ
Katherin King wrote:
>
> Is there a distinction between "tech writing" and "information design,"
> or is information design a subset of tech writing? I know that Bentley
> College has certificate programs for each, indicating a distinction, but
> I also read an article by a "senior technical writer who specializes in
> information design," so I'm curiously confused.
>
