Complex Reading Materials and How Visual Design Affects Comprehension

1: Read topic: Explain these apparently contradictory statements by identifying a situation when each might be true:
1. Complex reading material may require long paragraphs.
2. Complex reading materials may require short paragraphs with headings or lists.
Explain how visual design affects comprehension. Give some specific examples of how an editor can use visual design to influence what a reader learns from a document.
2; read my response to it:
Complex reading material may require long paragraphs
It is vital to consider that paragraphs are coherent passages of logical sentences connected together and concentrating on more than a single idea. In regards to this, it is vital to consider that complex reading materials may in this case require long paragraphs since short and unconnected sentences may fail to bind together.
Complex reading materials may require short paragraphs with headings or lists.
On the other hand, it is vital to mention that the more complex a reading material tends to be, it is likely to require short paragraphs with headings. This would only be achieved when the first sentences of the paragraph are generally considered as strong and signal or indicate the primary idea of discussion within the paragraph. Through the use of connecting words such as moreover, furthermore and however can be established in these connections, a factor that depicts the reason why in complex material the use of short sub-headings is necessary.
How Visual Design Affects Comprehension
Visual design effects can be determined as the ability to have a clear understanding, interpretation and evaluation of visual messages through the idea that pictures can be used to develop meaning and that can be communicated through the process of reading. The use of visual designs is known to aid the aspect of comprehension and usability, a factor that motivates the readers. Design in this case can be considered as subordinate to meaning and use, with this pointing out to the fact that design does not only apply decorations on a page but is developed to enable the readers to have an understanding of the document. Websites offer visual designs options that require informed choices and options in impacting the comprehension of the readers. This enables the readers to make judgment's based on the knowledge of the document.
An instance of this can be depicted in a visual image that was taken by Dorothea Lange while working as an administrator in President Franklin Roosevelt's regime that carried the image of a migrant worker who was suffering a starving with her child at one of the firms in California where she worked as a farmer. This visual image clearly depicted the hard moments that were experienced during the Great Depression. Visual images in this case is used to drive a point home through an approach that allows the reader to read the visual images, analyze its content and determine the message of the effect. This clearly means that the development of visual images in pegged on the use of different techniques and purposes in mind. In this case, visual design effects can be determined as the ability to have a clear understanding, interpretation and evaluation of visual messages through the idea that pictures can be used to develop meaning and that can be communicated through the process of reading.
3: read both peer response to topic:
Peer 1:
Complex reading material may require long paragraphs when dealing with a concept, such as the concept of infinity or the concept of stoichiometry. This is the case because the material will most likely be best understood as a cohesive paragraph and though process instead of bullets or lists. Complex reading material may require short paragraphs with headings or lists when dealing with a process. Even if the process is complicated, it will most likely be best understood by a chronological list. The shorter and simpler the steps of the process are, the better it will be able to be understood and carried out accurately.
Visual design affects comprehension by working with or against the written content. If a very complex subject is written in one long paragraph without any break or headings, the reader may get lost and confused. Visual design can also mean diagrams or pictures. Diagrams and pictures help the reader to see what the words are telling them and part of the way humans comprehend is through seeing. Visual design should be minimalistic, simple, and aesthetically pleasing. This will minimize distraction and confusion for the reader.
Peer 2: Complex reading material may require long paragraphs in a situation where you are trying to explain what something is or what is does. Complex reading material may require short paragraphs with headings or lists when it becomes to material that can be broken down in the short bullet-ed lists, such as instructions on how to do something. If the Reading material can be divided into sections to make it more understandable then headings could be used, this way the reader can skip to the section they really need to read, this can be particularly helpful in a technical manual where you may already have the device put together, but need to find out the way to fix a malfunction. If the entire complex document is in long paragraphs with no headings or lists a reader might skim for key words instead of reading all of the important details, this is especially true with a longer document. If a list of some sort is included then the reader will usually pay more attention to that list as it is pulled away from the main paragraph and appears more important. The instruction set that I submitted for this module included a numbered list to make the instructions more clear. The process description my partner created from my instruction set was divided into headings. They were both understandable, but one was more a step by step instruction set telling a person how to apply, where as the process description broke down those instructions into a process that though understandable did not need to tell a person exactly what to do so much as told them what was required to apply.
4. What you write: Tell what you like/dislike, agree/disagree with for each peer response to topic, keeping in mind of my response, so that we are on the same page.