Writing Software Documentation A Task-Oriented Approach Thomas T. Barker Chapter 5: Analyzing Your Users Summary Cornelius Farrell Emily Werschay February 19, 2011

Interviews, questionnaires, and surveys gather information for the following areas of an analysis: 1. Tasks and activities the user will perform 2. User’s informational needs 3. User’s work motivations 4. Level of the user’s computer experience 5. User’s knowledge of the program’s subject matter 6. User community 7. User’s learning preference 8. User’s usage pattern

Guidelines for Conducting a User Analysis 1. Choose Users Carefully Brainstorm as many groups or types of users as possible Be sensitive to culture Pay attention to information-related tasks: communicating, storing, sharing Identify users with concerns

Guidelines for Conducting a User Analysis 2. Anticipate Transfer of Learning: Study Users Before and After Tasks Describe the job duties and activities the user does without your program Notice small facts about users (tacit knowledge)

Guidelines for Conducting a User Analysis 3. Research Professional Behaviors Construct a mock-up of the user to use as a resource in making design decisions ◦ Research tasks for various occupations by consulting occupational guides ◦ Research industry specific guides ◦ Review job descriptions produced by specific companies

Guidelines for Conducting a User Analysis 4. Write Use Cases Your goal is to uncover motivations, behaviors, values, and knowledge pertaining to users that might not be visible on the surface. (tacit knowledge) Use cases depict actual work flow tasks Prepare one or more use cases for each user type Draw a workflow diagram for each user scenario Review your user scenarios and ask potential users to provide feedback

Guidelines for Conducting a User Analysis 5. Plan Interviews Carefully User interviews provide the most important source of information for planning your documentation project. What support issues does your program raise? How to plan an interview (do research, set a schedule, etc.) How to observe (shadowing without getting too involved) How to write a questionnaire (clear, open-ended questions, etc.)

Guidelines for Conducting a User Analysis 6. Involve Users in All Phases of the Project Users should be involved in the entire documentation writing, reviewing, and testing process for the following reasons: ◦ Increased accuracy ◦ More appropriate information ◦ Increased usability ◦ Improved relationships Users can make sure the documentation is suitable to the task Collaborative writing between users and documentation specialists Cultivate relationships with users Do a focus group

Guidelines for Conducting a User Analysis 7. Identify Document Goals Communicate documentation goals to other writers, managers, and clients Goals should reflect the highly situated nature of efficient software use (specific to a particular set of users and your particular program) In document design, goals are used as a guide for decisions about page layout and text design Goals are also used in various stages of testing the writing and editing

Guidelines for Conducting a User Analysis 8. Tie the User Analysis to Documentation Features Use the analysis to tailor information to specific users All design decisions should be based on user task needs discovered in the analysis As you interview, observe, or survey users, try to visualize how you can tailor the documents to their needs

Now that you know the guidelines, let’s move on to the discussion…

What Does Use Mean? “Software use is always situated in a user’s workplace and cultural context” (p139) How is it situated in the user’s workplace? What is its relationship to the user?

What tasks will the user perform with the program? Tasks are not easily defined because each one could be done differently every time it is performed. No single software program will fit neatly with one single task.

What are the user’s informational needs? Understanding what types of information does the user need? What are the users sources of information?

How does the user communicate? Know how user’s communicate with each other to effectively complete tasks. Does the user need to document each action?

What work motivations affect the software user? “What motivates user’s professionally will also motivate them to do well with software.”(p.146) Examine internal and environmental motivations What part does software use play in satisfying these work motivations?

What’s the user’s level of computer use? Novice? Experienced? Expert? How does the level of computer use affect attitudes towards learning new software? How does the level of computer use affect the ABILITY to learn new software?

How much does the user know about the subject matter of the program? The more the user knows about the program, the greater the ability of the user to integrate the program into their work. The higher the level of skill, the easier and faster the user will be able to learn new software.

What is the user’s workplace environment? User communities Investigate the user groups that your user’s already participate in. Determine your user’s willingness to participate and join NEW user groups as needed for additional support.

What is the user’s preferred learning method? Each user learns in different ways. Some prefer to learn from an instructor Some prefer a teaching manual Some prefer an online manual

What are the usage patterns of the users? Regular Casual Intermittent What causes usage patterns to vary?