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6   Methods of Presentation

Screen Illustrations

Use a screen illustration to show readers what a computer screen or a part of the screen, such as a dialogue box, looks like. Often, when following step-by-step instructions, readers may be unsure if they’ve followed the steps correctly. An illustration of the screen can confirm that readers are where they should be. See Figure 6-4.

By using arrows with callouts, you can also provide instructions for filling in each field.

Figure 6-4: Sample screen illustration
Figure 6-4: Sample pull-down menu Figure 6-4: Sample button bar

Figure 6-4: Sample screen illustration, button bar, and pull-down menu

To capture a screen illustration on Windows personal computers:

  1. In the Windows Control Panel, set your monitor to display in monochrome.

  2. Start up the software application and go to the screen you want to capture.

  3. Fill in the appropriate field information. Make sure the default information is displayed correctly.

  4. Press PRINT SCRN to copy the screen to the clipboard. Press ALT+PRINT SCRN to copy the active window only.

  5. Start your word processor and open the text file. Position the cursor where you want the illustration to appear.

  6. Paste the illustration into your document. The screen illustration should appear.

  7. On the Format menu, click Picture, and size the screen to fit.

Tips on Using Screen Illustrations

Here are some tips on using screen illustrations:

  • Show the screen the way it will appear to the user of the software. If certain fields will fill in with default information, make sure the defaults are shown correctly. This sometimes requires that a test database be created to simulate the appearance of the screen. Last-minute changes to the interface often require that the screens be re-captured once the software is finalized.

  • If you want to focus the reader’s attention on only part of the screen, crop the screen using graphics software.

  • When sizing, make sure the screen text is legible.

  • Because the screen illustrations are bitmaps, they will significantly increase the size of the file, possibly impairing your computer’s ability to handle or print the file.