Making written information fit workers' purposes

This paper discusses research results in occupational literacy studies that have implications for technical writers. Specifically, research conducted by the military and by the authors in civilian settings is discussed briefly. Results that have applications for writers are described in more detail. Such results include the fact that workers approach various types of instructional material quite differently, and the strategies they use for getting information are distinctly different, depending on their purposes; additionally, most materials are used in a consultative fashion and are consulted repetitively. By examining workers' purposes in using written materials, it is possible to construct materials so that the varying strategies used by workers in getting information are aided, thus making the material more usable. A number of specific suggestions for designing and writing materials to fit workers' purposes are given.