Marking information in computer documentation: why and when?

A typical design characteristic of computer documentation, either hardcopy or online, is the tendency to break through the monotony of running text and to mark particular text segments by using typographical highlighting, layout signals, graphical or pictorial features. One might think that the use of this design feature is the result of computer documentation containing warnings and other important information segments which simply require special marking. In this paper, it is contended that such a view is too simple and even incorrect. The paper presents the results of studies which focus on the use and the effect of lexical markers (in particular the Dutch variant of "Attention!") in computer manuals. The first (analytical) study explores the way in which designers use lexical markers in computer manuals, the second (experimental) studies examine the effect of lexical markers on the users' comprehension and appreciation. On the basis of these results, conclusions are drawn on the adequate use of lexical markers in computer manuals.