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Subject: Thoughts on Graphical Callouts


One of the things I wanted to clarify requirements around are callouts.
Hopefully this summary will be of value to someone and may encourage
discussion.


Example of A Callout-creating Workflow
======================================

This example is designed to describe the full requirements for a complex
but realistic situation. Most situations will be simpler along some
dimension or another.

A technical communicator needs to create a document describing the parts
of a computer screen about the types of injuries that accompany a
certain kind of accident. She finds a photograph illustrating the
different injuries in a single picture (abrasions on one body part,
bruises on another, etc.). We call this picture the "Underlying
graphic." The communicator works with a graphical artist to define a
series of lines and boxes that highlight each portion without having
lines criss-cross or boxes too far from the text they define. They
capture this in a vector diagram that can be placed on top of the
underlying graphic. We call this the "Graphical annotation overlay". In
the context of her particular document, she associates text with the
boxes in the graphical annotation overlay. The boxes grow and shrink to
accomdoate the text. When the document is translated, the text will also
be translated. Both the source and translated texts are kept separate
from the graphical annotation overlay, so that the graphic can change
shape with affecting the text and vice versa.

Examples of Callout Presentation Styles
=======================================

Integrated Annotations and Graphics:

	Lines, boxes and text:
http://www.ballistix.com.au/Marketing_articles/Communications/ad_with_ca
llouts.jpg

	Lines and text:
http://docs.sun.com/source/806-4743/images/Audio.Play.callouts.hc.tif.gi
f

	Lines, ovals and text:
http://www.digi-net.com/newsletter/images/02.05/DCAV_callouts_small.gif

Marks:

	Floating letters:
http://www.scag.com/images/spindle-with-callouts.jpg

	Lines and numbers: http://www.walkerequip.com/images/silo.jpg

	Floating numbers:
http://www.puc.org/files/leads/imagesl/callout/Page-1.gif

Question: how important is the callout style in effective communication?
Does a publishing system that supports only a subset of these (e.g. only
marks) still meet the needs of authors? Which styles are most
appropriate for documenting software?

Definitions
===========

Annotated Graphic: the combination of
	1. an underlying graphic
	2. a graphical annotation overlay
	3. callouts (usually text)

Underlying graphic: something visual to be annotated. Examples include a
map, a diagram or a photograph.

Graphical annotation overlay: a definition of 
	1. annotated areas 
	2. visual annotation relators
Note that the annotated graphic and the graphical annotation layer may
be combined into a single file (especially with standard vector graphics
formats like CGM, EPS or SVG)

Annotated areas: Regions (or points) of the graphic that are associated
with callouts.

Visual annotation relators: Geometric objects like lines, boxes, circles
and perhaps numbers which visually relate each annotated area with some
annotation. For example a relator might be a line drawn from a box
surrounding an area of a picture to a box containing text describing the
area. Relators might be automatically generated by software. This is
easy if the relator is just a mark at a point. It is harder if it is
(e.g.) a line with an associated box.

Callouts: text and other content describing the significance of a
particular region of a graphic. Note: the callouts and the annotated
graphic may be combined in a single file. Alternately, the callouts and
the surrounding text file may reside in a single file. 

Potential Files and Formats
===========================

The Underlying graphic might be in a bitmap format like TIFF.

The Graphical Overlay might be in a vector-ish format.

Each translated version of the Annotated Graphic might be in an XML
format.

A document would embed the translated versions.

So there are up to four files and up to four file formats. But in any
particular situation, multiple files or formats could be merged. For
example, a binary FrameMaker file can embed all four layers (at a cost
of flexibility and maintainability).


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