Purpose
Technical communication is an important element in the modern business world. Even with the emergence of high-tech tools like videoconferencing, technical communication documents like websites, emails, and reports remain relevant to ensure passage of information to specific audiences. However, for a document to be considered effective, it must adhere to all the six characteristics of a technical document. Such documents must have a clear and concise target audience, help the readers solve their problems, and be collaboratively designed. Other features necessary for an effective technical document are; a reflection of an organization's goals and culture, design through images, words, or both, and the presence of good design that promotes readability. In this paper, the website "Fabric of Digital Life" is evaluated to determine its effectiveness and adherence to a technical document's six characteristics.
Address to particular readers
Technical documents must have a target audience whereby they must address a specific group. In this technical language aspect, the website has performed exemplarily by identifying its key audience and readers. This website clearly itself as a site to equip technological researchers and scientists with knowledge of IT-related information. The website’s target audience are the researchers in technological fields involving wearable, ingestible, robotic, embeddable, implantable, and carryable inventions. After logging into the website a researcher in the identified fields can easily carry comprehensive research on their specific areas of study. Readers from other fielders can experience difficulties comprehending the details in a technical document. Similarly, in this website, it is difficult for a non-specialist in these areas to comprehend the presented information.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Ability to help readers solve problems
An effective technical document must help its readers in solving their problems. The "Fabric of Digital Life" website aims to help researchers identify the root of emerging technologies and use such information to make new inventions in the technological world. Therefore, the website is geared towards solving the problems experienced by scientists in their bid to make new inventions. When such researchers log into this website, they can easily identify technologies conforming to their study field. More than 4159 technology-related objects and inventions have been analyzed on this website, thus helping researchers understand how the technologies work. Without these solutions, it would be difficult for the researchers to understand the functioning of these technologies. Therefore, the website solves its readers' problems by providing them with solutions to their understanding of technological inventions.
Ability to reflect goals and culture
The organization's goals and culture of the company must be reflected within its digital communication documents. To conform to the six characteristics of a technical document, the "Fabric of Digital Life" website must therefore reflect the company's culture and goals. The organizational culture and goals elements are represented through both organization, graphics, and words across the document. For instance, the website has an "Analytics" tab which reflects the company's culture. In the analytics section, various pictures and graphs are presented, enabling easier identification of its culture and goals. However, the company should do more in making the website more cultural-relevant. For instance, the website should include various articles reflecting its bid for enhanced technological research and innovations.
Designed collaboratively
A technical document must clearly show collaboration in its design. In achieving this goal, specialists in different fields across the company should work together a good display of information. In this website, there is clear evidence that various players came into action in designing the website. For instance, design experts, researchers, and web-designers worked collaboratively in achieving this website. The website also provides links to various social media platforms, including Facebook and Twitter. With these links, it is easier for the site administrators to work collaboratively with its readers across these platforms. However, the website can improve on various areas of collaboration including in the design of graphs and writing of words from different topics. For instance, in the current design, the home page does not show any display of graphics, which demands a collaborative effect of the designers and other specialists.
Readability
The design of a technical document must ensure ease of readability. The organization of the website should enable readers to maneuver through the website easily. The website is well organized to enable researchers to locate their desired results. For instance, the website provides four tabs, "About, Browse, Analytics, and Research," enabling visitors to identify their solutions rapidly. Once one log into the website, it is easier to read what it deals in or read more about it. Through the "About" tab, a reader can establish if what they want is contained in the document. Serving a similar role as a table of contents, this "About" tab enables visitors to the website to identify their research areas with ease.
The readability of this website is also enhanced through the use of images with link attachments. The website provides an image of the human body, with various parts labeled with highlighted links. Clicking any of the links redirects the reader to a more elaborate explanation of the area. For instance, clicking the head section redirects to all the technologies relating to the head. With such links, it is easier for readers to identify the technologies they want. For instance, if a researcher wants to find technologies involving body movement, they would click on the leg section. Clicking the foot section redirects to 69 objects relating to technological inventions for enhancing foot movement. Such technologies include; Adidas GMR, Flexible sensors, and Cybershoes. With readers being specific on their research areas, it is easier for them to access materials they want to complete their research studies.
Despite showing high readability levels on most of the home page, the website does not elaborately direct a reader to the area they want to examine. In making such improvements, the website could have categorized the website according to the various disciplines it covers. For instance, it would be easier if the information was categorized according to disciplines. Therefore, the organization of the folders should be based on the disciplines including; wearable, implanted, robotic, and ingestible technologies. In this organization, finding a task would be easier for the target audience.
Use of words and images
The use of words and images collaboratively makes a technical document more appealing. This website relies more on words, with minimal visuals, thus making it less appealing to the readers. For instance, the home page does not involve any image, thus making it difficult for readers to understand what the website covers. In this site, the designers could have employed a good combination of images in the technological field. With images, it would have been easier to get attracted to the website and reinforce the difficult concepts in the document. The use of images would also be a good reflection of the company's culture and goals. In improving this area, the website must blend pieces of images into words to create a good taste of the displayed message.
The website shows a good blend of images and words in the "Analytics" section. In this area, the website uses images in the form of graphs and drawings to explain more concrete concepts, thus making it easier for researchers to understand. Using this design criterion will make the website even more appealing, thus increasing the time researchers spend on the website.
