WRIT 107T Chapter Notes - Chapter 11: Usability
Document Summary
Graves & graves chapter 11: testing and reporting. 12:21 pm: usability = the actual conditions under which a document is used by real people to accomplish a task, usability tests answer: Bad documentation can cost a company money. Use graphics/typefaces as locating devices: usability test = a test that researchers/technical communicators run to determine how easy a document is to use. Involves giving a draft of the document to potential users and asking them to perform the activities covered in it: purpose of usability test: Select test subjects: omissions or ambiguous passages, better ways to organize and present information, individuals should fit the target user group. Backgrounds, knowledge of and experience in subject area. Number of test subjects: more subject --> more accurate and representative the results, money restricts the number of subjects you can have. What to test for: organization of information, accessibility, clarity and readability of prose, completeness of prose, appropriateness of visual aids.
