7.5 Technical Descriptions and Definitions
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Descriptive technical writing uses a combination of visuals and text to both “show” and “tell” the reader about the information being conveyed. Like more creative descriptions, technical descriptions sometimes draw on the “five senses” and metaphorical comparisons (analogies) to allow the reader to fully conceptualize what is being described. More often, however, they rely on concrete, measurable descriptors. Technical descriptions can take many forms, depending on purpose and audience. Descriptions can range from a brief sentence, to a paragraph, a whole section of a report, or an entire manual. Poorly written technical descriptions can cause confusion, waste time, and even result in catastrophe! Technical product descriptions are often legally required to ensure safety and compliance. Attention to detail is critical.
Product specifications require detailed descriptions of design features; instructions often require specific descriptive detail to “show” the reader what to do. Some general categories of technical descriptions include the following:
- Mechanism Descriptions: Provide a detailed overview of the physical aspects of a tool, machine or other mechanical device that has moving parts and is designed to perform a specific function. These could be product descriptions for sales or manufacturing, documentation of design specifications, infographics, etc. This chapter focuses in detail on this kind of description.
- Process Descriptions: Detail a series of events (natural/biological/ecological, mechanical, social, or psychological phenomenon) that happen in a particular sequence in order to achieve a specific outcome. These can be categorized into non-instructional processes (such as a process that analyses how an internal combustion engine works, or natural processes like photosynthesis) and instructional processes (such as recommended/required procedures and explicit step-by-step instructions to be followed). (See Section 7.7 for detailed information on Writing Instructions).
- Definitions: Clarify the specific meaning, often related to a specific context, or express the essential nature of the terms being defined. These can range in length from a simple clarifying phrase to a glossary, to an extended document of several pages. Definitions will often include detailed descriptions and visuals to illustrate ideas. Extended definitions are created using various rhetorical strategies: classification, exemplification, analogy and comparison, history, and components, along with relevant visuals. You can find a good example of such a description on the NASA Mars Perseverance Rover site; the overview of the spacecraft that conveyed the Perseverance Rover to Mars includes various rhetorical strategies. Can you pick them out? Click on the link below to view a student PowerPoint