Re: Usability studies

[Marilyn O'Leary <moleary -at- LSUVM -dot- SNCC -dot- LSU -dot- EDU>]

In reply to Tina Cipolla's questions below:

>Do any companies actually do this sort of study?  What exactly do you do
>in this sort of study, and >more importantly what can it tell you about
>your
>documentation?  What would a lower-end usability study look like, and
>what sort of information would you expect to glean from it?

*Many firms do this sort of study, and they spend a lot of money. If you
can design one of your own that can be modified for several of your
products and you can standardize it for easy analysis, it will pay for
itself.  To make decisions concerning such a study, consider a few things
like how well do you know the audience for whom you are writing? Who are
they; how do they use your product?  How new (untested, unused, different
from other products) is the material in your program/manual/help file?
Have you designed it for many uses, or only one or two specific ones?

Answers to these questions help you decide what kind of study you really
need - You'll have a better idea about whether you can go to a few users
informally, ask carefully designed questions, and rely on the answers or
whether you need a formal "observe the user" type of study or something in
between.

>Where might I find more information about such studies?

*Start with Karen Schriver's new book, Document Design.

Marilyn

Marilyn Barrett O'Leary
Louisiana Sea Grant College Program
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, LA
moleary -at- lsuvm -dot- sncc -dot- lsu -dot- edu

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