Background

In a team of two, find a niche area of interest, identify its primary audience (your client) and interview and research about the stakeholders of your client (the key participant) in terms of what information they need to know and understand about a process or a product. Then prepare a

process description

that helps to inform the stakeholders/key participants about the phenomenon/issue. Choose a process that is specific to the need of your client.

It is important to note that a product or process description is not an instruction set. An instruction set provides steps a user would take in order to complete a task (for example, steps to change oil in a car). In contrast, product and process descriptions describe how something works (for example, how oil functions to cool an engine). The contrast is between how to use something and how that thing works (e.g. how to use a microwave versus how the microwave heats food). For this assignment, you should focus on how things work, not how to use them.

In performing and completing this assignment, you should:

Identifying Your Client

Typically, you will work with an on- or an on off-campus organization that you or your partner knows. Your team will work with the client an examine a problem that can be addressed through developing and distributing appropriate information about an issue, concept, or service. The following two examples may illustrate the point:

example#1(on-campus)

: imagine you are working with the Campus Dining as your client for this project. Through primary research such as an interview with their manager, your team finds that there is a lack of understanding among the students (the stakeholders) about what defines as healthy dining options.

Your client (the Campus Dining) seeks your expert help in developing appropriate document to raise awareness among the students (the stakeholders) toward adopting healthy food habits.

Using principles of document design and process writing, your team develops short information artifacts like a flyer or poster to educate and increase awareness about healthy food options avaiable at UNCW.

example#2 (off-campus):

Bill Kelly belongs to an environmental group studying the problem of acid rain in its Massachusetts community (Massachusetts is among the states most affected by acid rain). To get community support, the environmentalist must educate citizens about its problem. Bill’s group is publishing and mailing series of brochures. The first brochure explains how acid rains is formed.

Some topics of interest include:

• How the security measures work to protect people on campus
• How flu prevention method works
• How GM foods affect health
• How food products are irradiated
• How termites destroy woods
• How cloudbursts work

Content

For process descriptions, start with a definition of the process and the different steps it involves. Again, this could become an extended definition if you think your audience needs more introductory information. Next, describe each step in more detail. Conclude with a summary of one complete cycle in the process. Click

here

to learn more about style.

Format

The final paper should be between 1000 to 1200 words and single-spaced. It should contain at least 3 relevant visuals with one or all of the following things:captions, label, and call outs. You can use your own visuals or use “reference visuals” which should then be properly cited.

Include design features to help the reader locate information and understand the process better: diagrams including illustrations and/or flowcharts, drawings, pictures, headers, and other technical communication conventions you’ve learned about. Include a work cited page at the end on a separate page.

In short, the method includes

:

1. selecting a client
2. identifying a topic in consultation with the client (through primary research like interview and secondary research like collecting data from the Web, articles, etc.)
3. conducting audience analysis of the stakeholders
4. collecting appropriate information (visual and textual)
5. organizing the information into relevant document types
6. citing secondary textual and visual materials

For details on how to organize the information, refer to the section below.

Organization

Your descriptions should have the following elements:

• Sense of the overall issue, service, or object, including why it is significant for the audience
• Clear explanation of each part’s function
• Details appropriate to the audience’s interest and level of knowledge
• Clear and appropriate organization, which will likely be one of the following types:
  • Spatial organization, when you want readers to visualize the mechanism or process as a static object (e.g., house interior, document, disk box)
  • Functional organization, when you want the reader to see a mechanism or a process in action (e.g., camera, smoke detector)
  • Chronological organization, when you want the reader to see a mechanism or a process according to how it was put together (e.g., tent, piece of furniture)

Grading Criteria

• Have you clearly, logically, and thoughtfully presented the content for each audience? (above and beyond just removing or adding certain sections of content)
• Do your process descriptions show evidence of significant research and have you cited your research sources?
• Do your process descriptions have a clear organizational structure that reflects the needs of each audience?
• Have you appropriately used visual elements to aid in the process description? Do these visual elements complement (as opposed to distract) the written content?
• Do the process descriptions have all required elements? Are they presented in a professional way?
• Is the writing style clear, concise, and appropriate for a process description?
• Are the secondary materials, including visuals appropriately cited, using APA (preferred) or MLA style?