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Technical & Business Writing(ENG-315)
Muhammad Bilal Bashir
UIIT, Rawalpindi
Outline
1.Guidelines for conducting a user analysis
5.Plan interviews carefully
6.Involve users in all phases of project
7.Identify document goals
8.Tie the user analysis to document features
2.Summary
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Analyzing Your Users
Lecture: 14
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5. Plan Interviews Carefully
User interviews provide most important source ofinformation for planning your documentation project
You encounter potential users of the program and,in one or two settings, learn enough to design adocumentation system that will satisfy writer’s goals
Not all documentation projects required the samekind of questions of users or poses the same set ofchallenges to the writer
Investing time to plan your interview strategy canpay off by preventing repeat visits or unproductiveinterviews
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Plan Interviews Carefully (Continue…)
General steps for productive user interviews
Do preliminary research into the user job and the programsalready in use
Review the software programs and identify the issues
Establish a scope of your interview (how many, with whometc.)
Make a list of interview questions
Get permission (from your boss, from users, from security)
Get the interview schedule (date, time, place)
Plan a follow up after the interview( thank you letter,reviews, testing)
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Plan Interviews Carefully (Continue…)
How to observe
Observation consist of shadowing: spending time at theworkplace watching users perform their jobs, recording thesequence of tasks
By observing them you have chance to capture some of theuser reasoning behinds the software use
This reasoning can be missed in interviews
You should avoid to try two types of distortions
Getting too involved
Not getting involved enough
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Plan Interviews Carefully (Continue…)
How to write a questionnaire
This is another source of information like interviews andobservations
It enables you to get the information from variety of users
It increases the chances of getting a unique and valuablepiece of information
Pattern of questionnaire
Make it open ended
Provide clear instructions how to fill out the questions
Phrase questions affirmatively
Stimulate responses by including sample passages
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6. Involve Users in All Phases ofProject
A full user analysis should not only study users inthe early phases, but should involve user into entiredocumentation writing, reviewing and testingprocess
For example: where do you think you will find good userreviewers when you are sending your draft out
Similarly, your testing will require real persons from theuser population to help ensure productive results
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Involve Users in All Phases of Project(Continue…)
Involving the users in the process can have thefollowing benefits
Increased accuracy: Users can indicate mistakes or lackof clarity in the manuals
More appropriate information: Users can identifyinformation that is useful for describing workplace tasksand activities that software user supports
Increased usability: Users can advise on the most usefuldesign techniques for information
Improved relationships: Users are flattered to beconsulted
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Production Phases and UserInvolvement
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Production Phase
Ways to Involve the User
1. Start the Project
Identify Users. Get permission for interviews.
2. Perform the User Analysis
Interview, observe, survey potential users.
3. Design the Documents
Check document objectives for suitability tousers’ needs. Get user feedback
4. Write the Project Plan
Check outlines for appropriate task organization.
5. Write the Alpha Draft
Test prototype design with users.
6. Conduct Reviews and Tests
Get user reviews for usability, accuracy,completeness.
7. Revise and Edit
Reconfirm changes with user.
8. Write a Final Draft
Confirm vocabulary decisions with users.
9. Conduct a Field Evaluation
Survey actual users for reactions, improvements.
7. Identify Document Goals
The goal lays the foundation of workplace activities
You must identify the goals of your documents
You can communicate documentation goals--theactivities you want to support, the user performanceyou want to empower--to other writers, managersand clients
Documentation goals consist of statements ofpurpose that articulates what you expect to do forthe users
The clearer your objectives, the better chance thatyou will achieve them
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8. Tie the User Analysis to DocumentFeatures
The user analysis will not help until you tie them todocumentation features
aspects of document that tailor information to specific users
You can not, at the stage of the user analysis, statethe details of your documents design: the pagelayout, choice of type size, style, fonts or stylisticchoices
You should base all your design decisions on theuser task needs that you discover in your useranalysis
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Tie the User Analysis to DocumentFeatures (Continue…)
As you interview, observe, or survey your users, youshould try to see how you can tailor the documentsto the user’s needs
Idea that you get during your analysis can help toguide your later, more detailed, document design
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Analysis Results
Features to Meet User Needs
Possible Users of the Software
What recognizable groups (teacher,student, system administrator) willyour users comprise?
Documents/sections for separategroup
Illustrations targeting different groups
Recap (Guidelines for Conducting a User Analysis)
There are eight guidelines to conduct a useranalysis
1.Choose users carefully
2.Anticipate transfer of learning: Study before and afterusing a program
3.Research professional behaviors
4.Write use cases
5.Plan interviews carefully
6.Involve users in all phases of project
7.Identify document goals
8.Tie the user analysis to document features
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Summary
Any Questions?