Communication Problem #2: Ethically redesigning

a visual for a global audience

Keywords: visual communication, intercultural communication, ethics, adaptation
Course outcomes addressed: Analyze the audience, purpose, and context of technical communication
projects, including cultural and ethical considerations. Create technical documents of varied genres to solve
practical problems. Create documents and graphics using principles of effective information design. Critically
evaluate and choose technologies and tools that are appropriate for technical communication projects.

The communication problem

All documents are designed with certain cultural biases, but in an increasingly globalized world we often need
to make documents accessible to a broad range of people from various cultures (i.e. globalize documents).
This communication problem asks you to take an existing document, which has its own cultural biases, and
revise it for a globalized audience. Revising a document for a globalized audience is not an easy task, so we
will work towards the end goal by submitting smaller, more manageable assignments first:

• Document plan – a document plan that analyzes your audience and justifies the decisions that you
have made in redesigning your document
• Design concept – a paper-prototype/mock up/sketch of your redesign
• Final redesign – an electronic mock-up of redesign
The existing document that you choose to redesign should come from a Texas Tech source, but you have the
freedom to choose another source as long as you receive approval. You can find examples of acceptable
documents in the course notes folder for unit 2 on Blackboard.

Rationale of the communication problem

Understanding and having respect for other cultures is an essential skill both in college and after you graduate.
You will utilize these skills in your professional lives as you work with different kinds of people from your own
region, state, country, and internationally. Knowing what steps you should take to research and understand
other cultures will help you to ethically communicate needs for diverse audiences.

Deliverables
Document plan
Due September 18, 2018

Worth 25 points
To complete this assignment, you will first analyze the cultural dimensions present in the document you chose.
Then, select a country's culture from Hofstede's website or select at least two dimensions and design for their
opposite effects. The document plan for this assignment will adhere to the same guidelines as the CP #1
document plan; however, keep these more specific sections in mind as you proceed:

• Provide a brief introduction, context of use, and/or description of your selected document to redesign
• Identify which cultural markers/dimensions are present in the original document
• Explain how will you'll adapt these cultural markers/dimensions while staying true to the purpose of the
original document
• Discuss how each change makes the document more effective for a globalized audience
 • Include at least two resources (primary or secondary research) that demonstrate why your plan is a
valid one
The plans you lay out in this document will ultimately contribute to your design concept/mock up.

Design concept/Mock Up
Due September 25, 2018

Worth 25 points

A design concept is often the first attempt at a final design based on your planning and research. You will
submit your design concept for CP #2 as a low-fidelity paper prototype (mock up) that literally uses paper to
approximate your final design. Starting with a paper prototype allows you to see what your deliverable could
look like and grants the flexibility to quickly make changes. The paper prototype is typically visual, so the
textual elements of your document might not be reflected in much detail, but you should still make an effort to
indicate how you will adapt that textual content as well.
Try to answer the following questions with your paper prototype:

• What colors will I use with my final deliverable?

• Will I use any pictures? What information will be displayed in the pictures?
• What textual information will I incorporate into the final deliverable?
• How many pages will my final deliverable have?
• How will I arrange the various visual and textual elements on each page?
To submit this, please take a photo and upload it to Blackboard or scan it at the library and upload it as a PDF.

Final Redesign (Digital mock up)

Due October 2, 2018

Worth 50 points

Often, we need to represent our final changes to a document, but do not have the resources or time to develop
a complete draft. Instead, we can develop an electronic mock-up that displays all of our decisions and
provides a more thorough representation of the final draft than the paper prototype. Your electronic mock-up
will include edits to all textual elements of your revised document and display visuals in much more detail.
This electronic mock-up should represent the look and content of the final draft minus any high-
resolution photos and custom visuals. You can use placeholders for these time-consuming visual
elements.

Process for solving the communication problem

Free tools for developing electronic mock-ups:

• Ninjamock
• Piktochart
• Venngage
• Microsoft Publisher
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Adobe InDesign

Point values and due dates

Assignment Points Available Due Date
Document plan 25 March 6
Design concept 25 March 8
 Final redesign 50 Final: March 20

Communication problem documents

Find options for local designs at the following link:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0Bwp0VNPTYjTTLXI0QUN0Y2RoZnM
*You may select another document pending the instructor’s approval.
Some useful links:

• How to design for a cross-cultural user experience: http://blog.usabilla.com/designing-for-a-cross-

cultural-user-experience-part1/
• Cultural appreciation or cultural appropriation:
https://unsettlingamerica.wordpress.com/2011/09/16/cultural-appreciation-or-cultural-appropriation/
• How to create an information architecture: http://www.uxbooth.com/articles/complete-beginners-guide-
to-information-architecture/
English 2311 Rubric
A = 100-90; B = 89-80; C = 79-70; D = 69-60 F = 59 or less
(5) Excellent
Audience • Excellent match of
document to audience
(40pts) needs
• An ethical approach to
the communication
situation
Design • Excellent match of
design elements to
document genre
(20pts)
• Effective use of design
principles such as
repetition, alignment,
contrast, and proximity
• Clear, readable
typography
• Excellent and ethical
use of graphics
Structure • Follows structural
conventions for the
(20pts) genre
• Uses clear headings
and transitions
• Arranges parts logically
• States the purpose
clearly
Style & • Clear and succinct
prose
Editing • Excellent matching of
level of formality and
(10pts) technicality to audience
• Gender- and culture-
appropriate language
• No grammatical,
mechanical, or
typographical errors
• Errors do not affect
usability
Assignment • Fulfills assignment
precisely and fully
completion • Includes all parts of the
assignment
(10pts) • Complete and
appropriate citation of
sources
Significantly poor performance in any one or more of these areas can merit a further lowering of the
entire grade for the assignment
(4) Good (3) Average (2) Weak (1-0) Failing
• Adequate match of • Some mismatches of • Significant • Failure to match
document to document to audience mismatches of audience needs
audience needs needs document to audience • Unethical aspects
• An ethical approach • An ethical approach to needs
to the communication the communication • Questionable ethics
situation situation
• Good match of • Adequate match of • Poor match of design • Failure to match
design elements to design elements to elements to document design elements to
document genre document genre genre document genre
• Good use of design • Implementation of • Poor implementation • Lack of
principles design principles in of design principles implementation of
• Clear, readable most areas • Significant problems design principles
typography • A few problems with with typography • Problems with
• Good and ethical use typography • Poor use of graphics typography that defeat
of graphics • Adequate and ethical or graphics with usability
use of graphics questionable ethics • Lack of required
graphics or unethical
graphics
• Follows structural • Follows structural • Fails to follow some • Fails to follow
conventions for the conventions for the structural conventions significant structural
genre genre for the genre conventions for the
• Uses mostly clear • Uses a few unclear • Uses ambiguous or genre
headings and headings and nondescriptive • Fails to use headings
transitions transitions headings and and transitions
• Arranges parts • Includes a few minor transitions successfully
logically illogical arrangements • Includes significant • Arranges parts
• States the purpose • States the purpose, illogical arrangements illogically
mostly clearly but not clearly that cause difficulty in • Does not state the
reading purpose
• States the purpose in
a way that confuses
the reader
• Almost always clear • Somewhat unclear or • Significantly unclear or
• Unclear and wordy
and succinct prose wordy prose wordy prose prose throughout
• Good matching of • Mostly good matching • Clear mismatches of • Extensive mismatches
level of formality and of level of formality level of formality and of level of formality
technicality to and technicality to technicality to and technicality to
audience audience audience audience
• Gender- and culture- • Gender- and culture- • Some problems with • Significant problems
appropriate language appropriate language sexist or racist with sexist or racist
• 1-3 grammatical, • 4-5 grammatical, language language
mechanical, or mechanical, or • 6-7 grammatical, • 8 or more
typographical errors typographical errors mechanical, or grammatical,
• Errors mildly affect • Errors affect usability typographical errors mechanical, or
usability • Errors distract or typographical errors
unintentionally amuse • Errors make the
users document fail in its
goals.
• Fulfills assignment • Fulfills assignment • Does not adequately • Does not fulfill the
description description fulfill assignment assignment
• Includes all parts of • Missing one or more • Missing a significant • Missing multiple
the assignment minor parts of the part of the assignment significant parts of the
• Complete and assignment • Incomplete or assignment
appropriate citation • Incomplete or inappropriate citation • Incomplete or
of sources inappropriate citation of sources inappropriate citation
of sources of sources