J. TECHNICAL WRITING A N D COMMUNICATION, Vol.

9(3),1979

VISUAL/GRAPHIC AIDS FOR THE

TECHNICAL REPORT

ROBERTCURY
Department of Civil Engineering
New Jersey Institute of Technology

ABSTRACT
Authors of technical papers have many visual/graphic aids available to
them. The most common are: grid graphs, tables, bar charts, flow
charts, maps, pie diagrams, and drawings and sketches. Grid graphs are
used to show relationships. Tables allow the reader to make compari-
sons of data. The bar chart is another form of the grid graph and is
used for the same purpose. A flow chart gives the reader a visual
description of a process. Maps show the location of specific features.
Pie diagrams show the proportional breakdown of a topic. Pictures and
sketches show the reader exactly what is being talked about in the
report. Visual/graphic aids allow the technical writer to condense and
present his information in an aesthetically pleasing manner; in addition,
these aids serve as psychological white space.

Today, many technical papers have become targets of extensive

criticism. Readers of these technical papers complain that sentences
are too long, paragraphs contain too many facts, and words that
most people have never heard before are used (just to name a few).
Most of these complaints are true. Most technical information is
not intended t o be written at a third to sixth grade level; however,
you have t o sympathize with the college student who finds himself
totally lost when he is reading about a technical subject of his
interest. So, who is t o blame? Obviously, this is a touchy
question and one that is also hard to answer. It all depends on
whom the author has in mind when he writes his paper (i.e.,
audience adaptation).

28 7

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288 / ROBERTCURY

To break this language barrier, the author should use visual/

graphic aids in his technical report. Graphic aids allow technical
information to be condensed. Information that would normally
saturate a page with facts can often be arranged neatly in a simple
graph or table. I t is also psychologically easier for the reader t o
study information in tabular form than t o have t o pick out num-
bers and facts in a seemingly endless sentence. Charles A. Bicking
observed, “The higher one looks in administrative levels of
business, the more one finds that decisions are based on data that
are analyzed statistically and presented in tabular or graphic form.”
r1, P. 1661

GRAPHIC AIDS
There are numerous visual/graphic aids available t o the technical
writer. Among the most common are: grid graphs, tables, bar
charts, flow charts, maps, pie diagrams, and just plain drawings and
sketches.
Grid graphs emphasize relationships. They come in all sizes and
shapes. We use grid graphs as visual representations of data. Con-
tributing to the widespread popularity of grid graphs is their ease
in construction and simplification of communicating information.
We often draw grid graphs t o appeal t o the eye. This aid adds t o
the psychological impact that a report gives to the reader.
The engineer uses the grid graph to plot information obtained
from test results (see Figure 1). The graph is important because it
shows trends. The shape of the
curve itself allows certain limits
to be seen. The economist uses
the grid graph t o show fluctua-
tions in the Gross National
Product over a period of time.
Businesses use grid graphs t o
show sales fluctuations over time,
production output over time,
and earnings over time. In pre-
senting facts for a case in court,
lawyers rely on grid graphs. There
Figure 1. Grid graph. is an infinite number of ways to
use grid graphs in a technical re-
port. Although some graphs are used to confuse matters, most are
not. Because grid graphs are so well adaptable for condensing and
presenting technical information, they are probably the most com-
mon form of graphics used in the technical field today.
 VISUAL/GRAPHIC A I D S FOR TECHNICAL REPORTS / 289

X Y

Figure 2. Table. Figure 3. Bar graph (3-dimensional).

Tables allow comparisons to be made (see Figure 2). Tables are

used when we have information that can be listed under common
major headings. Authors often use graphs and tables together in
their technical reports. They go hand in hand. Information which
is tabulated often serves as the variables used to draw a graph. The
purpose of the report decides which variables are t o be graphed.
Tabulation, like graphing, is a neat and orderly form of presenting
technical information. As a graphic aid, it also serves as a form of
eye relief.
A bar chart is another form of the grid graph and is generally
used for the same purpose. I t is different from the grid graph in
that columns are plotted instead of points (see Figure 3). Each
column is separate and distinct. Some bar graphs have a three-
dimensional effect where the columns are shaded to represent actual
blocks. The horizontal axis of the bar graph is often some unit of
time. Use of bar graphs is usually limited to a small amount of
data, where only a few columns are being plotted. When informa-
tion is abundant, it is better t o use the grid graph in a report. It
makes work easier, too.

DESCRIBING A PROCESS
A flow chart describes a process (see Figure 4). It is also used
to show the different functions of an organization. Construction
companies use flow charts when they build a structure. The flow
chart shows the activities that must be done, their order, and the
allotment of time for each. When used in a technical report, the
flow chart allows the reader to follow the flow of a process from
290 / ROBERTCURY

Figure 4. Flow chart. Figure 5. Map.

beginning t o end. The flow chart simplifies what the author is

trying to say a t a pace where the reader does not get lost. You
can imagine the havoc of trying to read a written technical report
of a process with over 100 activities.
Maps show where specific.features are located (see Figure 5).
Although maps are not used in technical reports as much as graphs
and tables are, they are very important to geologists and engineers.
With the use of defined symbols, a map can show: population
densities, rock formations, differences in land elevation, and vege-
tation areas. Businesses use maps when they are planning t o move
from one area to another. Information obtained from the map
often allows a decision to be made on the best area for the move.
When combined with graphs and charts, the map can show where
the data was obtained for the technical report. Again, the aids
used by an author will vary depending on the purpose of his
report.
Pie diagrams show proportions (see Figure 6). The use of pie
diagrams is usually reserved for
showing the distribution of some
topic. Pie diagrams are unique be-
cause they may be drawn by the
author to emphasize the topic. If
the topic is, for example, taxes,
the pie diagram might be drawn
in the form of a silver dollar.
When used in a technical report,
the pie diagram illustrates facts and
allows the writer to exercise his
imagination; however, his imagina-
tion should not interfere with his
Figure 6. Pie diagram. message to the intended audience.
 VISUAL/GRAPHIC AIDS FOR TECHNICAL REPORTS / 291

Drawings and sketches are common forms of graphical aids.

They are used repeatedly in all branches of technical writing.
Drawings sometimes determine whether a report gets read or not.
Readers like t o look at pictures as a form of eye relief. Pictures
and sketches break the monotony of sentences and allows the eye
t o wander. Drawing is used extensively in: engineering, science,
biology, and business as well as in many other professions. Dia-
grams also clarify terms (see Figure 7). For example, you can
write about transmission gears all
day long; but, unless the reader
knows exactly what they are, your
report is worthless. A picture or
sketch can show what a gear looks
like and where it belongs in the
transmission. The written report
can explain what it does. The use
of color in pictures attracts the
reader’s eye. Pictures and sketches,
when used in technical reports,
serve as a source of information
and psychological white space.
Figure 7. Diagram. When used in the technical re-
port, graphic aids serve as a pause
for the reader. They allow the reader to scan the page and search
out for what information he is looking.
Graphical aids are not new. They have been around for a long
time; in fact, graphics were man’s first form of writing! It might
be said that, by themselves, writing and graphics are necessary but
not sufficient ingredients t o good technical writing. A combination
of the two is the most effective communication. Most importantly,
it is the subject of the technical paper which should decide which
form of ingredient and how much of each goes into the report.
Enrick gives a good summation on visual/graphic aids in technical
reports in the phrase, “To the man who seeks simplicity and clarity
in his presentations, while yet coming t o grips with meaning and
content.” [l, p. 41
REFERENCE
1. N. L. Enrick, Effective Graphic Communication, Auerbach Publisher Inc.,
USA, 1972.

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Robert Cury
1 Oak Ridge
N. Caldwell, New Jersey 07006