learning with professionals - Higgins Counterterrorism Research ...

Classic errors in format include the delivery of target coordinates in a format that is
different from the customer’s maps, and the delivery of imagery with annotations that
block or obscure terrain that the customer needs to see. These problems would be avoided
if the intelligence provider were to actively seek a fuller understanding of the customer’s
circumstances.
Pitfalls that Support Usability
Intelligence Writing. Intelligence must be in a format that directs the customer to the
most significant information in the product without requiring additional manipulation or
analysis. Unlike academic writing, intelligence presents the most important conclusions
first, followed by a brief, but clear, concise, and coherent line of reasoning. 100 The language
used and units of measure must be tailored to the customer and his use of the product.
Selection of Presentation Media. The presentation media greatly influence the usability
of an intelligence product. Presentation media, to include the printed word, audio, television
and film, and computers, are not neutral transmitters of information.
Through the filter of its technical and formal characteristics, a medium transforms
information while communicating it, emphasizing particular aspects of events and ideas,
deemphasizing others. As a consequence, each medium presents certain types of information
easily and well, other types with difficulty or relatively poorly. 101
Each medium has its own strong suit. In relation to the other media, the printed word
is “extremely good at presenting a person’s inner reflections;” audio increases information
recall of dialogue and figurative language; television and film is “strong in presenting
action, three-dimensional space, and several items of information at once;” and computer
technology “has a great strength in allowing users to interact with complex systems having
multiple, interacting, dynamic variables.” 102 On the other hand, visual images distract
attention from dialogue, leading to recall of the image but not of the dialogue. These
influences shape what people learn and recall with regard to the particular sorts of information
being presented. Intelligence organizations must consider these influences as the
customer develops and refines intelligence requirements, so intelligence information is
presented in the most understandable manner.
100 Coherent writing “does not say one thing one place and something contradictory elsewhere, “and the
conclusions logically follow from the data presented.” Karl Pieragostini, Defense Intelligence College faculty
member, “Assessing Intelligence,” unpublished paper, 6.
101 Patricia M. Greenfield, “Electronic Technologies, Education, and Cognitive Development,” Applications
of Cognitive Psychology: Problem Solving, Education, and Computing, Ed. Dale E. Berger and others (Hillsdale,
New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers, 1987), 18.
102 Greenfield, 18-19.
65