TC 310 The Computer in Technical Communication Dr. Jennifer Turns Week 10, Day 2 (12/4)

Week 10, Day 2 By the end of class, students should be able to: Learn more about various tools present today Make decisions on choosing various tools for TC purposes Identify more tools of interest What we’ll do… Expose students to various popular software Illustrate how people differ in s/w tool choice Discuss how to choose tools

Everyday tasks of a TC professional Writing Reading Editing Presentation Research Field studies Usability Studies Any other tasks?.........

Factors in s/w choice How much it costs? What company makes it? How does it work? Can you think of any other factors?

Toolbox for a TC professional Data collection - Prototype creation Observer - XML Reviewer - Flash Data Analysis - Data presentation Excel - PowerPoint SPSS - Moviemaker Easy sort - Frame maker Access - Inspiration Writing, Editing Other TC tasks, other tools, alternatives? Work in groups and make a list of other tools. Share with class.

Scenario You are designing and implementing a large scale research study for a mid size company. You make decisions and recommendations of what tools to buy. Prototype Must run on a pocket PC Hosted from a server in the lab Participants 100 participants Lab setting Documenting the study Video Audio Notes Data analysis - Data presentation Qualitative - Research report (at least 100 pages) Quantitative - Present findings to a large audience

Your Task Make a 3 – 5 slide presentation with the following information. Research all the tools available. Choose the right s/w for the scenario. List reasons why you chose them. Make a request to your company justifying the need to purchase the s/w you recommended. Make a list of the s/w you would like to learn next, add reasons why.

Looking Ahead… What we discussed today: What we learned… Learn more about various tools present today in the industry Make decisions on choosing various tools for TC purposes Identify more tools of interest What we learned… Multiple tools are needed to complete a project There is always a choice of tools to pick from