This semester, I was assigned three major assignments:
Explain to Me Like I'm... (ELI)
User Instructions
Screencast Video
Each assignment tested my writing skills, design skills, and overall ability to create content for various groups of people so that they can digest my work with ease. I got excellent grades on each one, and was pleased with my growth as a creator and writer from start to finish.
ELI - Explain something technical to three different audiences using both words and images. One audience must be young, one will be your choice, and the third is a constraint. For the third audience, you will only be allowed to use words drawn from the list of the "top ten hundred words".
User Instructions - Prepare written instructions on how to complete a sufficiently complex but well-defined technical task intended for a public audience. Evaluate and revise your instructions through usability. You topic should address a real need and be based in the physical world. You will create two versions: one original, and one inspired by another professional set of instructions.
Screencast - You will explain how to complete a software task using a screencast video. You will describe doing something on the computer while recording yourself doing it with screen recording software. You will be required to implement effective design techniques including title slide, section slides, closed captions, on-screen text, annotations, mouse-pointer visualizations, etc.