Chapter 15 - Designing Pages and Documents

Page design - the layout of words and graphics

Page Design in Workplace Documents
These documents need to be concise and accurate to display the needed information in the smallest amount of time.


How Page Design Transforms a Document
Design cues are used in chunking information into organized units of meaning.


Design Skills Needed in Today's Workplace

• Desktop Publishing 
• Electronic Publishing
• Using Style Sheets and Company Style Guides

Creating a Usable Design

• Shaping the Page
• Use the Right Paper
• Use Consistent Page Number, Headers, and Footers
• Use a Grid
• Use White Space to Create Areas of Emphasis
• Provide Ample Margins
• Keep Line Length Reasonable
• Keep Line Spacing Consistent
• Tailor Each Paragraph to Its Purpose
• Make Lists Easy to Read
• Use Typography Effectively
• Select an Appropriate Typeface
• Use Type Sizes That Are Easy to Read
• Use Full Caps Sparingly
• Guidelines for Highlighting for Emphasis
• You can indent (and use smaller or different type) to set off examples, explanations, or any material that should be differentiated from body copy
• Using ruled horizontal lines, you can separate sections in a long document
• Using ruled lines, broken lines, or ruled boxes, you can set off crucial information such as a warning or a caution
• Bold face is good for emphasizing a single sentence or brief statement, and is seen by readers as "authoritative"
• More subtle than boldface, italics can highlight words, phrases, book titles, or anything else one might otherwise underline.  But long passages of italic type can be hard to read
• Small type sizes (usually sans serif) work well for captions and credit lines and as labels for visuals or set off other material from body copy
• Avoid large type sizes and dramatic typefaces -- unless you really need convey forcefulness
• Color is appropriate in some documents, but only when used sparingly
• Using Headings for Access and Orientation
• Lay Out for Headings by Level
• Guidelines for Using Headers
• Ordinarily, use no more than four levels of headings (section, major topic, minor topic, subtopic)
• Divide logically
• Insert one additional line space above each heading
• Never begin the sentence right after the heading with "this", "it", or some other pronoun referring to the heading
• Never leave a heading floating as the final line of a page
• Use running heads (headers) or feet (footers) in long documents
• Decide How to Phrase Your Headings
• Make Headings Visually Consistent and Grammatically Parallel

Audience Considerations in Page Design

• If people will use your document for reference only (as in a repair manual), make sure you have plenty of headings
• If users will follow a sequence of steps, show the sequence in a numbered list
• If users will need to evaluate somethings, give them a checklist of criteria
• If users need a warning, highlight the warning so that it cannot possibly be overlooked 
• If users have asked for a one-paged report or resume, save space using a 10 point type size
• If users will be facing complex information or difficult steps, widen the margins, increase all white space, and shorten the paragraphs

Design On-Screen Documents

• Web Pages
• Guidelines for Designing Web Pages
• Display the main topic or point close to the top of each page
• Provide ample margins so that your text won't blur at the screen edges
• Keep sentences and paragraphs shorter than for hard copy
• Display links, hot buttons, and help options on each page
• As with printed text headings, make your links consisten
• Don't use underlining for emphasis
• Don't mix and match too many typefaces
• Use sans serif for body text
• Don't use small type
• Online Help
• Adobe Acrobat and PDF Files
• CDs and Other Media