From the book lists at Adware Report:

 All information current as of 00:52:17 Pacific Time, Friday, 11 March 2005.

Dynamics in Document Design: Creating Text for Readers

   by Karen A. Schriver

  Paperback:
    Wiley
    31 December, 1996

   US$31.50     

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Editorial description(s):

Book Info
From high-tech instruction manuals and textbooks to health communications and information graphics, to online information and World Wide Web pages, this book offers one of the research-based portraits of what readers need from documents and of how document designers can take those needs into account. Paper. DLC: Technical writing.


Card catalog description
This book is for writers and graphic designers who create the many types of documents people use every day at home or school, in business or government. From high-tech instruction manuals and textbooks to health communications and information graphics, to online information and World Wide Web pages, this book offers one of the first research-based portraits of what readers need from documents and of how document designers can take those needs into account.


The publisher, John Wiley & Sons
In this book, one of the world's premier researchers in the evolving field of document design and communication takes a probing look at exactly how people read documents and how they create them. This book provides numerous examples and case studies to assist writers and designers in creating effective documents. Examples include before and after case studies based on user responses, studies of actual design scenarios (including the first technical illustration of the HIV virus), and examples from Scientific American. The Sears Catalog, IRS, The New York Times, and many others.


Back Cover Copy
From an international leader in document design, research-based insights about writing and visualizing documents that people can use . . .

This book is for writers and graphic designers who create the many types of documents people use every day at home or school, in business or government. From high-tech instruction manuals and textbooks to health communications and information graphics, to online information and World Wide Web pages, this book offers one of the first research-based portraits of what readers need from documents and of how document designers can take those needs into account.

Drawing on research about how people interpret words and pictures, this book presents a new and more complete image of the reader—a person who is not only trying to understand prose and graphics but who is responding to them aesthetically and emotionally.

Written by document design expert Karen A. Schriver, Dynamics in Document Design features:


About the Author
KAREN A. SCHRIVER, PhD, is an internationally recognized expert in document design. Her positions have included the Belle van Zuylen Professor of Language and Communication at the University of Utrecht in Holland, Research Director of the prizewinning Communications Design Center at Carnegie Mellon University, and Research Associate for the National Center for the Study of Writing and Literacy at Carnegie Mellon and the University of California at Berkeley.


Book Description
From an international leader in document design, research-based insights about writing and visualizing documents that people can use . . .

This book is for writers and graphic designers who create the many types of documents people use every day at home or school, in business or government. From high-tech instruction manuals and textbooks to health communications and information graphics, to online information and World Wide Web pages, this book offers one of the first research-based portraits of what readers need from documents and of how document designers can take those needs into account.

Drawing on research about how people interpret words and pictures, this book presents a new and more complete image of the reader—a person who is not only trying to understand prose and graphics but who is responding to them aesthetically and emotionally.

Written by document design expert Karen A. Schriver, Dynamics in Document Design features:




Reader review(s):

What a wonderful book!, March 2, 2000
For years I've purchased almost every book on writing and design I could get my hands on. This one ranks up there with the very best of what I've seen such as Edward Tufte. Actually, I like this one better because it is not vacuous about what cognitive art means. Tufte claims to tell us about how people respond to text but he never gives any data. How strange for a statistics prof! Schriver offers studies in which we see reader after reader responding to a real document. I very much liked hearing the voices of the audience and seeing what they said. BTW I noticed that one reviewer below chastizes Schriver's book, presumably for poor editing. However, in looking at the page he refers to, HE not Schriver introduces the typing error. Get a clue before you review! I found the writing very clear and personal. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to meet the needs of their audiences.

A very usable document about designing usable documents, October 1, 1998
As a designer of technical documentation for almost 12 years, I have studied, and used many of the concepts that Karen Schriver presents so well, in this definitive book on documentation design. For myself, finding this information and learning how to apply it to real-world situations was been a long and frustrating process, and there were many times when I wished for a book such as this.

Dynamics in Document Design is not a how-to book, nor is it a set of guidelines. It is information compiled from extensive research that provides designers and writers with the many variables that can be used to make a document accessible to the reader.

I am currently teaching document design as part of a technical writing certificate program at a local community college and Dynamics in Document Design is our recommended textbook. I am confident that Shriver's new book will become the reference bible for what many are referring to as the "emerging field" of document design (even though it has been emerging for more than a decade).

In her Preface, Shriver states that she "...decided to write this book because it has been difficult to find resources devoted to helping document designers reflect on the nature of good writing and design from the perspective of the reader." Thank you Ms Schriver!

This book should be read, not only by designers and writers, but just as importantly, by the companies whose products require documentation. I'm sure that many will be surprised by the correlations made between the quality of a product's documentation and the perceived quality of the product itself.

I can't say enough good things about this book. Buy it and read it and use it to create good usable documentation!

A somewhat top-heavy, ponderous book, February 1, 1999
As a graduate student in technical communication, I've been required to use this book as a course text. I can assure you few students referred to it regularly.

As a professional tech writer, I still keep it on the shelf. For a book on document design, this does not appear to be the best example. If you want to scan for the salient points, this book is not for you. The 600 pages are very crowded and, though there is lots of good information in it, you have to do some digging. I wouldn't use this book as my only resource on the subject. If you add this one to your library, consider including books by Roger C. Parker and Robin Williams to complement to this volume.

Schriver is Tufte for writers!, October 29, 1997
Blew me away! Now, all we need is _Dynamics for Dummies_ because I can't get others to crack open the 600 page binding. This is the definitive book on document design, and covers the harder task of demonstrating that a document is successfully designed. One of the best highly technical books I've ever read. Covers history, modern practice, theory, links to other fields, etc. for lots of writing and communication issues. Slightly politically biased, which is one of the risks of a subjective writing style.

What a waste. Avoid it!, January 30, 2000
I'm so disgusted with this book I probably cannot compose this review properly. Please bear with me.

While the content of this book is appallingly poor the design of the book as a document overall is not without irritating faults, as she wastes too much time outlining what she's going to tell us without actually telling us. Frequently she refers us to figures that are so far removed from the text that you spend a ludicrous amount of time searching for them (no, she doesn't even always include page numbers).

The entire book is in such a stilted style that I expected the book to have been written circa 1972, not 1997. Example (page 136): 'PacMan was an immeadiate "hit" with boys and girls...'

I shall now examine Amazon's return policy to see if I can reclaim my money for this book. I wish I could reclaim the couple of hours it wasted.

Instant classic for professional writers, designers of docs, August 22, 1997
Great definition of the emerging field of document design, good history of the influences coming from consumerism, academia, technical writing, graphic design. Fantasic timeline of document design, 1900-1995. Rich case studies of the way documents engage readers' thinking and feeling, leading to a new way to link usability testing with your next document design. Fascinating summaries of research on typography, space, and the interplay of words and pictures. Pluses: here's a researcher who has actually looked at real documents and real users. How refreshing! Also, she has written a usable book, one that follows her own recommendations-- another amazing feat! Practitioners and scholars alike will find this book easy to understand, wide in scope, and deep in implication. This thoughtful book makes Wurman's Information Architects look like a fancy poster, and Mok's Designing Business look like a casual first-person narrative. Don't miss it. --Jonathan Pric

Tremendously valuable as a reference for document design., August 2, 1998
I read selected portions of Karen Schriver's book on document design. This is an excellent resource for those needing confirmation of design decisions or for those wanting guidance. I paid particular attention to the examples and the reviews of the impact of design and text choices. Some may be put off by parts of the book that are very academic; however, this is overshadowed by the practical information for "communications architects" (a phrase Ms. Schriver has coined to describe those of us who are both writers and designers of documents).

Terribly wordy - lots of deadwood, January 28, 2003
Sorry - I would not recommend this book to a TECHNICAL writer.

This book has 559 pages and could be cut down to maybe 100 pages of useful information. Each chapter has a full page explaining the chapter... if you have to do that, you haven't planned and written the chapter well. A good product sells itself.

It takes the author 5 pages in the preface to explain the book! It also has a lot of side head paragraphs explaining more... explaining the explanations. This book was painful reading for me... I kept thinking "bla bla bla bla bla"

This book seems to have a lot of the author's opinions and theory, but not very much practical information.

A must read for information designers!, March 1, 2000
Finally a book that takes information design seriously! I liked this book VERY much because it went beyond confirming what I know about writing and design to tell me things I never thought about. I liked being challenged instead of being coddled. What a refreshing book to show data of real people reading real documents. Eat your heart out Saul Wurman, Ed Tufte, Bob Horn and other pretenders who claim their design ideas captivate the reading public and then provide not a shred of evidence to support their speculations. Every serious designer and writer should read this book. Schriver has a rare talent for telling the story of the reader in the reader's words. A good read but also evidence-based design--a rare treat.

Imaginative, fascinating, detailed, September 17, 2002
This book went far beyond my expectations and gave me a broad perspective on document design. Clearly this is one of the seminal books on writing and visual design. Schriver is imaginative in her content, fascinating with her examples, and detailed in her analysis. I found her writing to be excellent and I highly recommend this book.
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