Round 1

The primary audience for this document is graduating seniors with English majors. They are already motivated to read the document and don’t need to be enticed in the same way that readers of other docs might. Individuals who read this document need to be able to access the information quickly and easily. Every link/explanation that was on the original needs to appear here. (New links/new info optional.)

General thoughts:

• Images:
  Pictures of thoughtful people with glasses or of caps and gowns or of stacks of books may seem too generic. Are there images that relate directly to the field that might be used? Perhaps more to the point: Are images even necessary? Might aesthetically compelling graphic elements serve a similar purpose? (I’d argue yes.)
• Typeface:
  Should be professional and easy to read.

Round 2

Question: Would it be possible to make this an electronic document that could be emailed to graduating seniors? Typing in link URLs seems less effective than being able to click them. Or, would it be possible to collect all of the links together on one webpage and have the print document direct students to that?
Answer: I often send this doc electronically to my graduating students; I’d be happy to make it available for others. It is a good idea to send it out more broadly, perhaps with the graduation e-mail. We always did have the idea that at some point it might be online. At the same time, we do want to have something for the slots in the hallway, and I’m reluctant for it to have less information than it does now. (I think most people just end up googling keywords rather than typing in the URL, but they have the URL should they need it.) While students do look at our website, the document reaches students who sit in the hall or walk by the display. I want to make sure to reach that audience. I do like the idea of the print document saying that it is available online as well for ease of access.

Question: What are some of the problems with the existing document that we could address?
Answer: The existing document is not well designed—it’s just a rather cramped-looking list.