© 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 1 Chapter 3 Delivering Usable Information Technical Communication, 11 th edition John M. Lannon

© 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 2 Usability A Document’s Usability is a measure of how well that document fulfills the information needs of its audience. The Reader should be able to easily:  locate the information they need  understand information immediately  use the information successfully

© 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 3 Audiences Found in the Workplace  Scientists  Engineers  Executives  Managers  Lawyers  The public

© 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 4 Assess the Audience’s Information Needs Because audience’s basic purposes vary, every audience expects a message tailored to its own specific needs  The same basic message can be conveyed in different ways to different audiences

© 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 5 Identify Levels of Technicality Experts Just the facts and figures Informed persons Facts and figures explained Laypersons Facts and figures explained in simplest terms Highly technical Semi- technical Non- technical      

© 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 6 Primary and Secondary Audiences Primary  People who requested the document  Often need more technical information Secondary  People who will carry out the project  Need less technical information

© 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 7 Develop an Audience and Use Profile  Audience characteristics  Purpose of the document  Audience's technical background  Audience’s cultural background  Audience’s knowledge of the subject  Performance Objectives for this document  Setting  Possible Hazards or Sources of Error  Appropriate Details and Page Design  Due date and timing

© 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 8 Preparing the Document  Create a Design Plan for the Document  Write, Test, and Revise Your Document  Content  Organization  Style  Page Design  Ethical, Legal, and Cultural Considerations

© 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 9 For additional help reviewing this chapter, please visit the Companion Website for your text at Any Questions?