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I've been asked to perform usability testing for the documentation for our
main product, which is a plug-in for AutoCAD, used primarily by GIS
professionals. I hope to have onsite access to at least a few users in the
immediate area. This is a new product (sales began in late December) so
there are not that many users, period.
Unfortunately, I've been here less than 2 months and haven't yet had the
opportunity to meet any users, or even sit in on training sessions, although
I hope to do that in the next few weeks. [Needless to say, we are a startup
software company...no, there's no money for consultants!]
I'm at at loss for how to start....Can anyone provide me with any practical
tips for how to do a "quick and dirty" usability test that can help point
out key problems with the documentation? If no personal experiences come to
mind, any book recommendations would also help. I was referred to the STC
anthology "Practical Approaches to Usability Testing for Technical
Documentation." Title sounds good, but can't find reviews of it on the Web.
