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>in my place we're still teaching TW 101. Usability testing is somewhere in
the 500s, I fear.
It's in the 600s at Mercer University. They're offering TCO 605, Usability
Evaluation Process, this fall. But your point is well taken. Usability
testing does seem to be a graduate-level discipline, and there are not many
writers out there with the knowledge or experience to make it happen.
>Of course, I realize that there are many among us who will say that there
is no reason for usability testing.
>I'd also be interested in hearing from those who do manage some usability
testing about how they balance that need with deadlines and other
deliverables.
These are the other obstacles to usability testing. Until companies
recognize the need and budget the resources, technical writers (or anyone
else, for that matter) will never be able to perform meaningful usability
testing.
