Visuals in Technical Writing

 As we know, technical writing is more than just words. Sometimes words aren't enough to accurately communicate concepts or techniques, so we use visuals to clarify the more complex content. With effective visuals and design, your document can go from creating a confused reader to equaling success!

The most common visuals used in technical writing include:

• Graphs
• Tables
• Charts
• Diagrams
• Photographs
• Maps

Hayley in Higher Education YouTube channel has several videos relating to technical writing. Below is one that really helped me to better understand how visuals differ from document design, and how I can utilize them to improve my documents. Over half of the video is Hayley (a writing professor) reacting to real-life examples of visuals being used in technical writing documents, so take notes! She covers A LOT of really useful information!

Things to avoid when using visuals in technical writing documents:

• Decorative Images
• Overloading with too many visuals
• Poor alignment
• Inconsistent sizing 
• Inserting visuals in a document without including relevant text/explanation

Visuals aren't just "add-ons" in technical writing, they are tools that are needed for effective communication. Proper application of visuals in your document enhances clarity and improves the likeliness of your audience understanding even the most complex information!