For my topic, I’d like to explore how cultures perceive visual images. My interest in non-native English speakers and visual images stems from my participation in two classes at MSU Mankato. I really enjoyed the topic discussed in both the International Technical Communication class and the Visual Technical Communication class, both taught by Dr. MacKenzie. I had never given much thought to how culture impacts how people interpret images and pictures.
In the International Technical Communication class, I remember reading a specific article that analyzed an image in a public health pamphlet given to women in a primarily Muslim country. The article showed several revisions of the same image as it was changed to incorporate more relevant cultural images. I thought it was interesting how much thought and research was required to produce a fairly simple line drawing for a public health pamphlet. I found that the Visual Technical Communication class opened my eyes to things like colors, font selection, iconography—small details that make a big image in visual communication.
As most of my career has been spent in the healthcare field, I am especially interested in health topics and barriers that affect access to healthcare. All of these factors collaborated to give me an idea for my final project.
I find that my research question is constantly evolving, so this is likely to change. At this time, my research question is as follows:
Are visual images designed with input from the audience’s culture more effective than visual images designed without such input?
At this time, my argument is that visual images designed by participatory research are more effective in communicating information than visual images designed without the input of the target culture.
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