The current state of safety information training: Using Schriver's information design principles to analyze a slideshow for an audience with limited English proficiency and low literacy

Abstract

This is an exploratory study into the current state of the design and writing of safety/job training materials for employees who are non-native speakers of English and/or employees who have a low level of literacy. Educators and technical communicators can take steps to more effectively communicate safety training information to workers with limited English proficiency and low levels of literacy. Best practices in the field of education (Wiggins and McTighe’s Backward Design) and the field of information design (Schriver’s Three-Phase Heuristic, also known as the Principles of Information Design) can combine with other research in both fields to improve the effectiveness of presentations of safety-training materials through the common medium of “the slideshow.” Also included is a brief look into the future of education and safety training with XR (Immersive/Extended Reality). Concluding statements include the implications for ethics and advocacy within technical communication.