In Unit Three, we learned how to write with a ‘You Attitude’.  It was a great lesson and I particularly enjoyed Chapter 11 of Technical Communication which gave concrete examples on how to tweak your writing to accomplish the ‘You Attitude’.

Researching the report was fun.  It largely consisted of thinking up questions whose answers would be beneficial to the findings and recommendations of the report.  I used SurveyGizmo to conduct the survey. In the future, I will use Google Forms since the user experience is easier for creating, editing and sending the survey as well as viewing the results.

Even though the survey only asked six questions to thirteen employees, because the questions were open-ended, it took a while to read through all the responses and organize everything that was said.  I found this part the most exciting since it really made the formal report draft come together.

Writing the formal report was surprisingly painless. This is in large part due to the roadmap that was supplied—that of  Joanne Leesing’s Example Report.

Reviewing my peer’s formal report draft was the trickiest part of this unit.  Since I was a novice at formal reports, I felt a little out of my depth offering advice.  The structure of my peer’s report was different from mine, so I was unsure if it was correct of him to include similar conclusions in different areas.  I erred on the side of caution and assumed it was.

Overall, I am very happy with this unit, I am continuously trying to apply the ‘You Attitude’ in all of my correspondence, in class and out.

Alexis Jensen-Formal Report DRAFT

Peer Review of Formal Report DRAFT by Wes Berry

It was great to receive feedback and formal tips on how best to traditionally represent oneself in a professional manner on LinkedIn.  That being said, I did find the experience mildly invasive, since LinkedIn is a public stage and as a mature student who has had a LinkedIn profile for a number of years, I have established how I personally wish to represent myself and that choice goes against the traditional.

Brainstorming and preparing my report proposal and outline was a great exercise in thinking about and planning the steps to complete the larger task of writing the report.  I believe it is progressing nicely.  I am slightly concerned since I do not have a clear picture on how it will all come together but once I gather the data, review example reports and begin my own report, I am sure I will feel more confident.

The peer review of my partner’s formal report proposal was my favourite assignment in this unit.  At first I thought it would be a hard exercise since my partner is a stellar student.  Knowing that, however, encouraged me to think deeply about how I could help him improve his work.  The suggestions I came up with are things that not only help him but can also strengthen my own report —  a fruitful happenstance.

Through the peer review process, my partner helped me see areas in which I could bolster my proposal by citing a specific consequence of the problem as well as supply a bit more concrete information on how to solve the problem.  In addition, he was able to help smooth out the small grammatical errors my tired eyes missed.

Peer reviewing has largely impacted my view of writing.  Not only does my peer’s suggestion improve my work, my recommendations also allow me to think about writing as a whole and take that experience and bring it back into my work.

Peer Review by Wes Berry

Revised Report Proposal (based on Wes Berry’s suggestions)

The three definitions assignment was fun and challenging.  It was a new way to approach writing and for that I was curious to try it out.  The expanded definition flowed, as its process is very similar to writing a research paper.  The part that was interesting — and tricky to carve out —  was the sentence definition, since it required a quick and exacting language. The chosen words had to be hand-picked and precise.  I got caught up in the precision of the words and because of this, I forgot my audience and chose words that may not been quite right for a lay person.

Luckily I had Daniel’s peer review to help me out of this tangle.  He was able to pin-point the problem (mainly the word derivative – which is a bit of a five dollar word that has numerous meanings) and offer a nice solution. He also made my writing stronger by telling me to move some of the visuals’ captions into the main body of the text and labeling areas with (fig 1), so people would know when they should refer to the visuals for further clarification.

Daniel also suggested that I remove the etymology of skeuomorph as he found ‘container’ misleading to the word’s definition.  I refrained from completely removing it, as I think the etymology of all words is important, even though we may not clearly see why. Instead, I compromised with Daniel, by replacing ‘container’ with ‘vessel’ and added further words like ‘dress’, ‘equipment’, ‘tools’, etc (since skeuos means all of these things).  In this regard, I am hoping it will add a little more light to the term’s origin and, at the same time, be less distracting as ‘container’ was for Daniel.

From this exercise, I have learned:

• It is sometimes hard to be both precise and use simple words.
• That having someone review your work makes it stronger, as it not only allows for another set of eyes on the work but it also gives you a set of fresh eyes when returning to your work and considering it through the gaze of your reviewer.

RevisionSkeuomorph-ThreeDefinitions-AlexisJensen

Peer Review by Daniel Chen

Introduction
The assignment’s objective is to gain skills in technical writing by composing three definitions of a relatively complex term for an audience with no previous knowledge in the area. The three types of definitions are parenthetical, sentence, and expanded.

For the assignment, I have chosen to define “Skeuomorph”, which is a term used frequently in the world of iOS Development. However, for a lay person, though they may have interacted with many objects that display skeuomorphic design elements, they most likely are unaware the term exists. I will therefore, target these people when defining skeuomorph.

Parenthetical Definition
Skeuomorph (the aesthetic of using an imitative design element, taken from a traditional object, and applied to an iteration of that object in a new form or material) is an ornamentation device that can also be used to help humans correctly interact with a new object.

Sentence Definition
Skeuomorph is a derivative design element retained from one object as that object transitions into a new form or material.

Expanded Definition
What it is
Skeuomorph, derived from Greek with Skeuos meaning ‘container’ and morph meaning ‘shape’ or ‘form’,  is a derivative design element retained from one object as that object transitions into a new form or material.  

How it developed
The term dates back to at least the 1890s when it was used to describe the mimicking of ‘rivets’, originally  found on Minoan silver cups, but now transferred to Minoan ceramic cups through the use of repeated small balls of clay; imitating silverwork ornamentation. Today, however, the term is more often applied to design elements found in computer and mobile graphical user interfaces.

fig 1. Apple’s use of skeuomorph in iBooks’ graphical user interface displaying ebooks on a “bookshelf”.

How it is used
Skeuomorph’s popularity in graphical user interfaces makes sense as it tries to emulate the look and feel of physical objects to help users transition from the physical to the digital world with ease.  Some examples of high degree skeuomorph can be found in audio software whose graphical interfaces display knobs, switches and dials and in some cases, even ventilation holes.  A good aural skeuomorph example is the sound of the shutter-click, heard when taking a picture with a shutter-less smartphone or digital camera.  Other less obvious skeuomorph constructs that help users navigate the digital world are the conceptual and iconic representations of files in folders, emails in mailboxes and ebooks on bookshelves.

Comparison
The term skeuomorph has recently become more widely known through Apple’s public debate over skeuomorphic elements in its software.  Its founder and CEO, Steve Jobs, was a big advocate for skeuomorphic elements but since his death in 2013, Apple has moved away from this trend in favour of more simplified ‘flat’ design championed by Apple designer Jonathan Ive.  This change in Apple’s software was heralded in with iOS 7 and with it began the “death of skeuomorphism”.

fig 2. An example of Apple’s transition away from skeuomorphic to flat design demonstrated in its calculator app. The iOS 6 calculator (on the left) shows skeuomorphic elements by representing a digital calculator as though it were a physical calculator, through the use of shadow and light properties found on the buttons and the green color of the calculator’s display. These properties give the buttons a 3-D quality and the display’s green color imitates the LCD displays of physical calculators. The flat iOS 7 design (on the right) on the other hand, strips all of these ornamental elements away, leaving only the functionality of the calculator.

Link to document of posting: Skeuomorph – Three Definitions

Sources
Basalla, George. The Evolution of Technology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988.

Judah, Sam. “What Is Skeumorphism.” BBC News Magazine. BBC, 13 June 2013. Web.

Solis, Brian. X: The Experience when Business Meets Design. Hoboken: Wiley, 2015. Web.

Definition of Skeuomorph in English:”Skeuomorph”. Oxford Dictionary, n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2016.

“Skeuomorph.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2016.

January 12th, 2016

Dear classmates of the English 301 Technical Writing Class,

Please consider my application as a professional writing partner in your English 301 group as advertised in the posting for Lesson 1:2. I am a fourth year student majoring in Computer Science paired with Fine Arts. I also possess degrees in Art History and have over ten years experience working as a Collections Manager in a museum.  These achievements make me an ideal candidate and an able team player for a professional writing team.

My strength in writing comes from hours spent composing historical papers and an MA thesis.  This effort bettered my writing so that I was able to clearly argue a point in a formal academic setting.  I built on this skill — and in some ways, stripped it down — in my museum career when I drafted exhibit text, described historical documents and wrote archival policies and procedures. In this environment, I peeled away the layers of affected language and pushed myself to communicate in a genuine and direct manner.

It was also during my museum career where I learned to naturally work in a group putting together grant applications with colleagues.  In this role, I acquired the skill to cue into areas that required my attention as well as improve on my work with advice from my colleagues. Through all of this, I would argue that, my weakness is trying to take on too much when it comes to a project I am attached to.  With this awareness, I now know when to step back and simply be a reliable cooperative teammate.

My learning philosophy can be summoned up in a word: curious.  I am always delighted to discover new things and hope I can share this enthusiasm with my prospective writing team.

Thank you for taking the time to read over my application.  I look forward to sharing an exciting work experience this semester with my prospective teammates and welcome an invitation to your professional writing group. You can contact me through email at jensen.alexis@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

Kind Regards,

Alexis Jensen

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