The Instructive, The Informative, & The Infographic

Part One: Rhetorical Analysis [begin] & Reflection [end]

Part Two: Resources Three Ways [Instructive Text, Informative Text, & an Infographic Text]
Part Three: Usability Test w/ Observations
Part Four: Audio/Visual Presentation

Work Flow [reflected on master class schedule]

February 8-12

conferences with Jana

February 15-19

rhetorical analysis via email by midnight

Friday

February 22-26

rough draft workshopping in groups MondayWednesday

February 29-March 4

rough draft workshopping in groups MondayWednesday

March 7-11

accessibility peer review of close to full[ish]

designs of texts Monday-Wednesday
Usability testing should

be happening in/around this tim e

March 14-18

spring break; work at your leisure

March 21-25

presentations and submission of work

Presentations posted in groups by

midnight Monday
Feedback to peers by midnight
Wednesday
Resources emailed with reflection via
email by midnight Friday

This project asks you to create original resources for a local to you (SU, a club, a job or position, an
organization) process or event or object or place. The process, event, object, or place can be
anything that you have access to [i.e. that you can research] that you think would benefit from the
texts you create [while you are not required to post or circulate these texts in real contexts or with
real audiences, the idea is that you could].
These resources will address two issues in modern professional writing: learning to write clear
instructions and working to produce a graphically minded, non-linear text. You will decide on a
process/event/object/place, design-write illustrated instructions for that
process/event/object/place, conduct usability testing, and prepare a presentation of the process.
How should you think of a process, event, object, or place?
A process is doing somethinghow to pull a screenprint, adding captions to a video, or filing a
report with a specific system.
An event is participating in somethingpreparing for a job fair, hosting a fundraiser on campus, or
understanding the Iowa Caucus.
An object is understanding a thingan iPhone app, the 3D printer in the SU Makerspace, or the
Dewey Decimal System.
A place is how a space is utilized or navigatedBird Library, the highway layout in the city of
Syracuse, or whats under the hood of a car.
These arent necessarily hard delineations, but are categories to help spark your thinking.

Part One: Rhetorical Analysis & Reflection

[Analysis]
With your process/event/object/place determined, you will conduct/collect research to situate your
work in terms of audience, context, and purpose.
Audience: Who will use these resources? What are their needs? How is who you are imagining
making use of your resources informing your design? How will you need to make your resources
accessible?
Context: Where/when/why will these resources be encountered/used? Think of both
circulation/posting/publishing the resources, as well actually making use of the resources you
create in ___________ situation and space.
Purpose: Even though you have genres that will inform the design of these resources [to inform, to
instruct, to provide knowledge visually], the form they take should fit what they allow a reader/user
to dohow will these resources be used? How do your purposes as a writer-designer align with

those of your audience in using these resources? How might they not match up?
This research will become an email to me as a form of feedback on progress, but will inform what
you create as resources, as well as your usability testing, your presentation, and your reflection.
These considerations will help you to look at the texts rhetorically.

[Reflection]
The goal of this project is to create resources that serve audience, purpose, and contextto design
effective texts that can be used. This is space to critically engage the processes of researching,
designing-writing, and testing your resources. You will account for:
[ ] How your rhetorical analysis informed the design of your resources
[ ] How usability testing caused you to analyze the effectiveness of your resourcestheir strengths
and weaknesses
[ ] The complexities of designing-writing user centered texts
This reflection will take the form of an email to me at the end of this project. Throughout this
project, you should make note of thoughts that you would like to account for in this reflection.

Part Two: Resources Three Ways [Instructive Text, Informative Text, &
an Infographic Text]
After deciding on your process/event/object/place, you will create three texts to provide
information about your process/event/object/place.
Whats the difference?
Instructive: Think of this text like you would instructions; an instructive text provides steps/process
to achieve an endthere is a task to complete or a product to make with a clear beginning,
middle, and end.
Informative: Think of this text like a flier, poster, PSA, book dust jacket, or movie trailer; an
informative text provides a gloss or broad view of somethingthe big picture.
Infographic: Think of this text like, well, an infographic. An infographic is a mostly visual/graphic
representation of data/knowledge to present information quickly and clearly; they provide
information at a glance.
So, one process/event/object/place represented in three different textual genres.
These instructive, informative, and infographic texts should include a combination of concise text
(prose/writing) and original (made/manipulated by you) graphics/images that illustrate pertinent

information to make it understandable. There is an inter-relationship between the text and the
graphicsthey work together to communicate. Further, this relationship differs between genres, so
what is effective for the particular genre needs to be made clear in what is designed-written.
What will these look like?
It depends on the process/event/object/place and what you think it most fitting. They can be print
or digital. They can be static or interactive. The form they take should make sense/be appropriate
for your audience, context, and purpose. But they all will have visuals and will be created with
evidence of rhetorical design principles.

Part Three: Usability Test w/ Observations

Usability testing is the evaluation of a product/service by testing it with representative users. During
a test, participants will try to make use of the product or service while observers watch, listen, and
record notes. Usability testing makes visible how a product or service is understood, used, as well
as how it is not understood or how it is not used or unable to be used.
You will observe and record interactions users have with your resources. You will need to find three
willing participants for the usability test who have been informed of the purpose of the testingfor
a class assignment. I will provide resources to share with your participants, as well as designing and
observing your testing.
The findings of the testing sessions will inform your presentation and your reflection on the
resources you design.

Part Four: Audio/Visual Presentation

You will create a slide presentation [using a program of your choiceKeynote, PowerPoint, Prezi,
video, etc.] that showcases your work. Your presentation must illustrate/explain:
[
[
[
[

] the audience, context, and purpose for your resources

] the resources you created
] findings from your usability testing
] conclusions on the effectiveness and limitations of your resources