Module 3 Group Assignment Group 1 9/30/2013 The author has chosen to use screen shots as illustrations throughout the

Nursing 3165 LibGuide. Screen shots are probably the best type of illustration in this setting since they effectively serve the purpose of helping nursing students learn how to conduct research using the UCF Library articles and databases. We selected three illustrations from Practice Exercise 1 as examples. Practice 1 of the LibGuide opens on the screen with the following text and illustrations:

Part 1
The illustrations are accurate. They are screen shots of things that the student will see if they follow the instructions, but are geographically positioned without reference to the steps they explain. The illustrations some of the steps in the process, but for some unknown reason, others steps are not illustrated. Currently the screen shots have a blurry look to them, which needs adjusting to add more clarity. Neither the eBook subsearch, the location of the side bar, nor the additional information tab are

pictured. Additionally, the sizes of the images are quite random. The first illustration is double the size of the other two, which makes it seem more important that it really is. Since the illustrations used are screen shots, the colors are set. However, by matching the color scheme of the page to the color scheme of OneSearch, unity could be achieved. Another option would be to turn the images into jpegs and make them gray scale, thereby eliminating some of the color confusion. Whatever route is best, fifteen colors, all fighting for prominence, are visually noisy. Our main concerns are the ineffective use of white space, the misplacement of illustrations in relation to the steps in the process they are supposed to be explaining, and the embedding of "notes," "hints," and "suggestions" within the text, confusing the steps the end-user needs to follow. These three images - with some careful rearranging and a few additions- can be used to great effect. The primary concern is to put them all on equal footing, so to speak. None should be so large that they overwhelm the eye and draw attention; none should be so small or shoved off to the side that they seem unimportant. Each step should include an illustration from the search engine that clearly delineates the process the student should be doing to fulfill the learning exercise. This will require a few more steps be represented and some image editing for clarity.

Part 2
Fonts used on the Exercise 1 page include Arial, Verdana, Helvetica (10, 11,12,13,14, and 18 point fonts) in a blend of bold, italic, light italic, and roman. Add all of that to the collection of 6 different text colors and even more color variation in the illustrations... and there is a lot going on. The tidal pool of graphics on the page as it currently reads results in a text that seems busy. Tiny fluctuations in text font (which according to our authors is not even perceivable by most readers), as well as multiple and unnecessary color changes, are distracting, not illuminating. We recommend one font and three colors. Dividing the steps into a clearly (and graphically) delineated series of actions is key to organizing both the information and the illustrations. We suggest using white space between sections. Numbering should be utilized for instruction guidelines. The illustrations should be in line with the text, utilizing subheadings and white space to indicate separation from one section to the next. Since this document is a digital, web-based, in-house production, concerns about length, expense of multiple images, or color printing are not at issue. We can make the document as long as it needs to be to guarantee clear comprehension. We have applied our suggestions to the first half of Practice Exercise 1 on the following pages. Two options are presented here with the first having subheadings for each section and consecutively numbered steps. Headings are large and distinct. Subheadings still stand apart from the steps making it clear what is to follow in the section. Numbered steps provide organization and the instructions are grouped with using bullets consistently. Key words are bold and italicized. Key numerical figures are also bold within the instructions. Each screen shot has been logically placed with the step it illustrates and has been formatted for sharpness and clarity, as well. Finally, we edited the hint removing the wordiness and set it apart as a callout adjacent to the area of the screen shot to which it refers. The second option differs as it shows each sections subheading as a numbered step and title with bulleted lists of instructions following.

Practice Exercise 1: Finding eBooks Using OneSearch

Getting Started 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Open the UCF Library homepage and login Find OneSearch and click Advanced Search. Type Nursing Research in the first box. Type "Sample Size" in the second box. On the second pull-down menu, change the field to TX All Text Click Search
Change setting of field to TX All Text to direct the search engine to look throughout the entire document for a specific phrase or term.

You should retrieve about 41,000 results. Refine the Results 1. On the left hand side of the screen, under Refine Your Results, move the slider to change the publication dates to 2008 through 2013. 2. Click Update.

3. On the left hand panel under Source Types, click on Show More.

4. Check the eBooks box. 5. Click Update.

Practice Exercise 1: Finding eBooks Using OneSearch

Step 1: Getting Started Open the UCF Library homepage and login Find OneSearch and click Advanced Search. Type Nursing Research in the first box. Type "Sample Size" in the second box. On the second pull-down menu, change the field to TX All Text Click Search
Change setting of field to TX All Text to direct the search engine to look throughout the entire document for a specific phrase or term.

You should retrieve about 41,000 results. Step 2: Refine the Results On the left hand side of the screen, under Refine Your Results, move the slider to change the publication dates to 2008 through 2013. Click Update.

On the left hand panel under Source Types, click on Show More.

Check the eBooks box. Click Update.