unit 1: quick reference project

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project overview
In this assignment, you will create a two-page quick reference card for members of our course. Your card will document certain scripting codes or specific features of a software package that can be used to develop future course projects. For example, in our final course project you will create a documentation portfolio and some of you may decide to work with web technologies. Thus, a quick reference card for HTML (HyperText Markup Language) code or the interface of Dreamweaver MX (a web editing program) can be useful. Or since many of you will work with screen shots in the instructor tutorial project, you may want to develop a quick reference card about altering screen shot images in Adobe Photoshop or Macromedia Fireworks. Regardless of the scripting code or software you decide to document, you will learn to

analyze the audience,
identify the scope of your project,
create a design template for your project,
gather and organize specific software or coding information in both verbal and visual forms, and
apply your audience analysis, scope identification, and design template to produce a rhetorically-situated quick reference card.

quick reference project components
To make the quick reference project more manageable, you will be creating a documentation memo, a design template, and the quick reference card deliverable. Use the following links for detailed descriptions of each project component and resources:

documentation memo (15% of your unit 1 grade)
design template (20% of your unit 1 grade)
quick reference card deliverable (65% of your unit 1 grade)
project resources

Remember if you have any questions about these or other project guidelines, do not hesitate to contact me.

top | documentation memo | design template | quick reference deliverable | project resources | text links

documentation memo
The first component of the quick reference project is a one-page memo. The purpose of the memo is to analyze the audience’s documentation needs, outline the scope of your documentation, and request approval for your project.

how do I develop the content for my memo?
Information to discuss in your memo includes, but is not necessarily limited to, the following:

Among our class members, what is the range of technical expertise?
What is the audience’s general comfort level with learning new software and coding?
How many of your peers are familiar with the specific software/coding you are documenting?
What is your audience's "typical" approach to learning unfamiliar technologies?
What particular aspects of the software/coding do your peers want to learn?
What possible course-related tasks will they need to complete with this software/coding?
How will your quick reference card address the audience’s learning goals and task-related needs?
Based upon the audience’s expertise, comfort, goals, and needs, what specific aspects of the program will you document in your card?
What functions and features you will highlight in your card?
What descriptions and procedures will you provide to make your audience more knowledgeable about your selected software/coding?
What visuals will you integrate into your project?
What is your own background and experience with the software you will be documenting? What steps will you need to take to familiarize yourself with the software?

This documentation memo will help me understand your assessment of the audience’s needs and the scope of your project. Additionally, this assignment challenges you to consider not only the product but also the process of developing rhetorically-situated documentation.

how do I format my documentation memo?
Using Microsoft Word, your memo format should follow these specifications:

one 8^1/2 x 11 page,
1-inch margins on all sides,
double-spaced memo header,
To:, From:, Date:, and Subject: in bolded 12-point Arial font,
Information following the To:, From:, Date:, and Subject:, header in 12-point Times or Times New Roman font,
single-spaced body text,
body text in 12-point Times or Times New Roman font,
level-one headings in bolded 12-point Arial font, and
formatting that is full block (i.e. no indention at the beginning of paragraphs, left justified text, and one blank line between paragraphs).

important: Do not use a Word memo template for this assignment. See this downloadable memo example for further formatting guidance.

how should I create my memo header?
Here is an example of the type of memo header you will create:

The "To" line should identify the intended readers of the memo.

The "From" line should identify the author of the memo and should include signed initials of its author.

The "Date" line should be the date of the memo's authoring.

The "Subject" line is the subject of the memo and it should be descriptive of the memo's purpose.

memo header image

note: Sometimes memos contain a "CC" line, which stands for carbon copy. This line denotes others who receive the memo but are not part of its direct audience. Those persons might be supervisors, administrative assistants, or other members of an organization.

what information belongs in the body of my memo?
The body of your memo should address the questions provided above as well as any other information that you deem pertinent to this assignment. Remember you want to establish a professional tone of competency and thoughtfulness. Consider the body's development more carefully:

Begin your memo with a brief one- or two-sentence overview that quickly summarizes the purpose of the memo.
(note: This summary sentence should not have a heading. Most of your other memo sections should have a level-one heading unless otherwise specified.)
Offer brief well-organized paragraphs that respond to the questions provided.
Add level-one headings for sections to help readers locate information of interest more quickly.
End your memo with a request for action--in our case, approval for the project as you have outlined it.
(note: Just as with the overview of your memo, this section should not have a heading).

To review your memo's design and development, download the memo checklist.

when do I turn in my memo for evaluation?
You will email an attachment of your polished memo by 7pm on Tuesday, February 3. During a brief 10-minute conference in my office--ML 476--on Thursday, February 5, we will discuss, and I will approve, your project. The memo will be graded for both form and content. In terms of formatting, check your fonts, margins, and all other design aspects of the memo. Additionally, be certain that you address all the questions provided in a tone of friendly professionalism.

design template
Your design template should provide specific page layout and design attributes for your quick reference card project. This project component allows you to explore your own design aesthetic while applying design principles to meet your users' needs. Following design and layout principles discussed in our course readings and class meetings, you will develop your template to include both thumbnail sketches of your quick reference card page layout and a listing and/or depiction of your chosen design attributes.

how do I develop my design template?
Using Microsoft Publisher or Microsoft Word, you will create a design template containing the following information:

Title for your design template.
Your name and date the design template was last updated.
Thumbnail sketch of your two-page quick reference card layout including specifications for margins, justification, paragraph spacing, column layout, image/icon placement, image captions, note/tip/warning placement, white space use, border placement, and header/footer placement.
note: The only layout limitations for your quick reference card project are 1) it must not be longer than two 8 ^1/2 X 11 pages and 2) it must have printer-friendly margins.
Listing and/or depiction of design attributes including font color, face, size, emphasis for title, header, body, caption, callout, header, footer, and any other text; color scheme for document; bullet styles for unordered and ordered lists; table design attributes; callout format; and file formats and resolution for icons and graphics.

In many cases, you can simply depict your design attributes. For example, in your "Font Styles Section," you may write: "Level-one Header is bolded 16-point Arial. Level-two Header is bolded 14-point Arial." You may even find it useful to create a table listing/depicting all the font types for your text.

how do I format my design template?
Using Microsoft Publisher or Microsoft Word, your design template should follow these specifications:

as many pages as necessary,
1-inch margins on all sides,
title for template in level-one heading font of your choice,
your name in a level-two heading font of your choice (directly below your title),
name, last updated information, and page number in footer, and
required thumbnail sketch and design attributes as listed above.

important: Do not use a Publisher template for your design.

how should I create my design template?
Here is an example of a design template:

This example image depicts the first page of a deign template for the quick reference card project.

Remember your title should be tailored to your own design template project.

The thumbnail sketch shows the reference card layout, representing title placement (navy box), icon placement (yellow box), image placement (purple box), callout placement and design (black arrow), tips (aqua box), text (black lines), and borders (black lines). Other page specifications are listed below the image.

Remember to list your design template title, your name, last updated date, and page number in your template footer.

figure 2. design template creation

important: You may find it easier to make your thumbnail sketches "life size," which means your two-page quick reference card layout can be represented in two individual pages of Publisher or Word rather than one as shown in this image.

note: Remember as long as your template follows these guidelines, you should feel free to represent the required information in the best way for you.

when do I turn in my design template for evaluation?
On Tuesday, February 17, before 5pm, you will email me a draft of your design template and quick reference deliverable. Your final, polished design template, however, is not due until Tuesday, February 24 along with your final quick reference card deliverable. See the course schedule for other project due dates. The design template will be graded for both form and content. In terms of formatting, check your margins and all other required aspects of the design template component.

quick reference deliverable
Produced using Microsoft Publisher, your quick reference card deliverable should provide members of our own class with a resource for their future course project development.

how do I develop the content for my quick reference deliverable?
After analyzing the audience and outlining the project scope in your deliverable memo, you and I will conference on your project. Once approval is gained for your project, you will be ready to craft your deliverable.

The art of creating your actual deliverable will include working back and forth across the application you are documenting and the application you are using to create your quick reference card. Remember, however, to refer back to your own user analysis to determine which application features or coding will need further description. Which features are best represented in a step-by-step procedure? How will you familiarize the readers with the interface? What screen shots will be most useful? What other resources might be useful references for further information? Audience is key!

In addition to foregrounding your audience's needs, you also must consistently apply your own design template in the development of your card.

Lastly, keep in mind that you should frequently test your own in-progress documentation. While user testing is not a formal requirement of this project, you will be given workshop time to support peer review of your in-progress deliverable.

As you work out the content and design of your deliverable, you may discover that you need to revise an aspect of your design or scope. Such a revision is expected as you enact the plans you laid out in your memo and articulated in your design template. If you have any questions, however, please do not hesitate to contact me.

how do I format my quick reference deliverable?
Using Microsoft Publisher, you should follow your own your design template specifications to develop your quick reference deliverable. The only stipulations of the project are 1) your deliverable must not be longer than two 8 ^1/2 X 11 pages and 2) it must have printer-friendly margins.

when do I turn in my quick reference deliverable for evaluation?
On Tuesday, February 17, before 5pm, you will email me a draft of your design template and quick reference deliverable. Your final, polished design template, however, is not due until Tuesday, February 24 along with your final quick reference card deliverable. See the course schedule for other project due dates. The quick reference deliverable will be graded for both form and content. Be certain that your quick reference card deliverable is user-friendly and rhetorically situated with our class members as the audience. In terms of formatting, check your own deliverable against your design template document.

project resources
This project asks you to consider several technical documentation principles. Audience, purpose, and your role as technical documentation author will be central not only to this project but to all other projects as well. Developing rhetorically-situated projects is one of the primary goals of the course. Other aspects of this project are covered through the following supplemental resources:

memos
Purdue's OWL memo writing handout
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/pw/p_memo.html

memos page from the Writing Center at Rensselaer
http://www.rpi.edu/dept/llc/writecenter/web/memos.html

documentation terminology
netlingo
http://www.netlingo.com/lumenu2.cfm?category=Technical+Term

miami university's technical writing glossary
http://www.units.muohio.edu/mcs/suppctr/lis/MCISGlossary/

template design
go for the grid!
http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/articles/gridlayout/index.htm

page design
http://academ.hvcc.edu/~kantopet/page_design/index.php

planet typography
http://www.planet-typography.com/

all good things typography
http://www.redsun.com/type/

color matters - design art
http://www.colormatters.com/colortheory.html

taking screen shots on PC
http://www.quiltbroker.com/screenshot_pc.html

about.com desktop publishing site
http://desktoppub.about.com/cs/new/a/newvisitors.htm?PM=ss11_desktoppub

quick reference deliverable examples
juniper networks - corporate page of downloadable listing of quick reference documentation
http://www.juniper.net/techpubs/qrc/

analog devices - downloadable PDF of quick reference documentation
http://www.analog.com/UploadedFiles/Technical_Documentation/88291104836qref0.pdf

digital content factory - examples from company developing quick reference cards
http://www.digitalcontentfactory.com/qrcs/

nortel networks - downloadable PDF of quick reference documentation
http://www142.nortelnetworks.com/bvdoc/i2002/p1002468_2.00.pdf

partner software - corporate page of downloadable listing of quick reference documentation
http://www.partnersoft.com/documentation/QuickReference/