Fact, context, communication: the value added to data by communication design

Abstract

"Facts" cannot be viewed as irreducible units of data but rather must be judged for appropriateness dependent upon context; information and messages built from data are even more immersed in the circumstances surrounding their creation; and the feature that determines the success of a document or other form of communication is exactly its responsiveness to the habits of mind of the message consumer. Therefore, the job of the technical communicator is to design with a clear view of the message consumer and the context in which the message will be received. To build these considerations into design, technical communicators must follow user centered design practices.