“Using Comics in Technical Documentation” by Rajdeep Gupta
January 27th, 2008When conversing with a friend the other day, he said that technical documents are not like magazines or comic books that can keep users engaged. They are only meant to be read when required. He is correct, but wait! He mentioned comics. Hmm…technical documentation as comics, I thought.
I did not answer, but that set my mind moving. I have always been curious to find out how end-users go through our technical documents, and to be honest, I am sometimes dismayed at their approach to reading the documentation. I have always wanted to find out an approach of making technical documentation livelier. This article of mine is based on the research and feedback that I have received from numerous writing and design specialists on how to engage technical document users in a natural dialogue.
How it Started
I read an article by Rebekah Sedaca entitled “Comics: Not just for Laughs!” (http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/comics-not-just-for), where she suggests using comics to capture reader interest, advance understanding, and utilize the knowledge in purchasing. Her ultimate objective is to use comics as a medium of communication wherein complex thoughts are broken into simpler tones for various audiences. Great, I thought. We deal with a lot of technical topics that are complex and difficult to explain; a medium like comics could contribute to the purpose of simplifying technical documentation without eliminating the fun factor.
Benefits of This Approach
Many people say that technical documentation is not supposed to be fun. That is exactly what I am trying to refute. Almost 50% of technical documents lie on shelves. Some are untouched; and, some documents are read whenever its need arises. If documents are being wasted, can we try something new? What is the harm in making it interesting? Disregarding opinions in opposition of my idea, I started working on it. I considered developing a chat messenger to help writers use the comic techniques, and I decided to create an online help guide on how to use this messaging system.
Problems with This Approach
The following are some of the common problems with using comics in technical documents:
• Comics or cartoon characters can be interpreted in different ways. What may seem creative to the designer/writer could be offensive to the reader.
• A lot of thought needs to go into every aspect. For example, the customs, nationality of the character, dress, and dialogue may be viewed differently by individual readers.
• For technical documents, if the information needs to be corrected, that can be done easily. If incorrect information is presented through a comic, the time and cost to change it will be too great.
• Kids like comic art. Adults like it only if it is witty. We do not want our documentation to be witty, do we? We want it to be informative. Even if we make an informative comic, an adult reader may ask, “Why are they doing this to me? I just want to quickly learn how to do a particular thing, not view a cartoon strip.”
• When viewed for the second time, a cartoon or comic strip loses its charm. If users want to refer to a technical document again, they may be very frustrated to see the same comic a second time, even if they liked it initially.
• Printing costs will increase substantially.
• Translation will be an issue.
Suggestions from the Experts
I pitched my idea to several design and writing professionals, and they suggested the following ideas:
• Analysis of the interaction between audience, content and the drawing style should be done before starting the writing. The mindset of using the comic style could trivialize the material or it must only be used for humor. Therefore, to avoid confusion, documentation must be entirely done in either the comic style or a more serious style. This initial analysis is pretty similar to technical writers working on a documentation analysis before setting up to start with the first draft.
• The panel structure of comic art is also a nice way to show a sequence of actions because the time concept is built into the design pattern. Using a comics style also allows the artist to over-exaggerate critical details or to adjust the view to make small details easier to see.
• Comics might also be an effective way to engage readers who might not typically turn to a book for instruction. For example, the United States Army using the comic book style for heavy equipment manuals and service bulletins could be an effective way of communicating with the mechanics in the maintenance departments.
• The critical factor here is to understand the users and the context of use and to make design decisions that enhance usability (for the appropriate people trying to meet their goals. This is similar to the awareness of end-users in technical documentation.
• Understanding the culture and mapping it into technical documentation is one of the critical factors in making the document useful.
• Anything that reduces cognitive overhead in communication is welcome. Whatever the medium, usability testing to check on the deliverables is recommended.
Development
I am developing an online help website wherein I am using comics as an interactive medium. On successful completion of it, I will be forwarding it to my colleagues and listening to their responses. Using comics for interactive learning is worth a try. Whether it will work or not would be something to watch out for in the days to come.
– Rajdeep Gupta is a writer with Infosys Technologies and is currently the Bangalore STC City Representative. He has more than three years of work experience in Technical Documentation and Usability Testing. He is the Assistant Organizer of the Bangalore Technical Writers Meetup group and a quizmaster. You can browse through his blog for a collection of his writings http://coloredwritings.blogspot.com/
