UCD Search Process Training UCD Search Committee Process UCD Human Resources.
UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage
-
Upload
chris-laroche -
Category
Education
-
view
108 -
download
1
description
Transcript of UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage
![Page 1: UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage](https://reader038.fdocuments.us/reader038/viewer/2022103015/54c7158c4a79599a708b461c/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
UCD and Technical
Communications: the
inevitable marriageChristopher S. LaRoche, Northeastern University
College of Professional Studies (CPS)
Senior Lecturer & Technical Communications
Consultant
Brian Traynor, Associate Professor
Faculty of Communication Studies
Mount Royal University
![Page 2: UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage](https://reader038.fdocuments.us/reader038/viewer/2022103015/54c7158c4a79599a708b461c/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
• 2000 KM apart – why are we presenting
together?
• Evolution of programs
• Evolution of courses
• Skillsets for future
• Opportunity to approach student
engagement for entire programs
![Page 3: UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage](https://reader038.fdocuments.us/reader038/viewer/2022103015/54c7158c4a79599a708b461c/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
• The merging of technical communication with
the Usability/User Experience (UX) field is
inevitable and increasing quickly.
• Failure to recognize and embrace these
changes will hasten the field‟s demise.
![Page 4: UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage](https://reader038.fdocuments.us/reader038/viewer/2022103015/54c7158c4a79599a708b461c/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
• As a result, our teaching and technical
communication programs must reflect this
change to remain relevant and functioning.
• Much of this workshop will include discussing
this theme by providing examples and exercises
to show how this change can be central to a
technical communication program.
![Page 5: UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage](https://reader038.fdocuments.us/reader038/viewer/2022103015/54c7158c4a79599a708b461c/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
• “User-Centered Design (UCD) is a methodology
that requires that the user of products be thought
of and understood during the entire process of
product conception, development, and
implementation.”
• Many technical communicators attempt UCD
methods & practices, but that is now required
![Page 6: UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage](https://reader038.fdocuments.us/reader038/viewer/2022103015/54c7158c4a79599a708b461c/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
• Methods and mode of content delivery always
change (this is a constant) – but the types of
content required and expected are rapidly and
dramatically changing.
![Page 7: UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage](https://reader038.fdocuments.us/reader038/viewer/2022103015/54c7158c4a79599a708b461c/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
• “For students, teachers,
and practitioners, the era
of „just in case‟
documentation is dead,
while the era of „just
enough‟ documentation
has dawned.”
![Page 8: UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage](https://reader038.fdocuments.us/reader038/viewer/2022103015/54c7158c4a79599a708b461c/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
• “Failure to adapt these methods quickly in both
the classroom and the profession will invariably
lead to the field‟s further decline and likely
extinction as we currently understand it”
![Page 9: UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage](https://reader038.fdocuments.us/reader038/viewer/2022103015/54c7158c4a79599a708b461c/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
• Evolution of the Bachelor‟s Degree in Information
Design at Mt. Royal College/University
• Evolution of the MS in Technical Communications
program at Northeastern University
![Page 10: UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage](https://reader038.fdocuments.us/reader038/viewer/2022103015/54c7158c4a79599a708b461c/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
Workshop format
• Overview of some courses and how
UCD is integrated
• Warming up the sketching muscle…
• Navigation labeling…
• Moving from self-centric to user-
centric
– Student Experiences & Self-service
• Debrief and feedback
![Page 11: UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage](https://reader038.fdocuments.us/reader038/viewer/2022103015/54c7158c4a79599a708b461c/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
Design Knowledge Lifecycle
Design Knowledge Lifecycle
Research: Knowledge of
knowledge generation
Reflective inquiry
Provisional solutions
User knowledge
User profiles
Contexts
Use cases
Use: Knowledge of
use
Artifacts
Services
Requirements
Needs
Cases
Design: Knowledge of
design
Design cases
Domain knowledge
Requirements
Principles
Methods
Tools
Guidelines
![Page 12: UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage](https://reader038.fdocuments.us/reader038/viewer/2022103015/54c7158c4a79599a708b461c/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
Design is choiceTwo places for creativity (Buxton, 2008):
– The creativity you bring to enumerating
meaningful distinct options from which to
choose
– The creativity that you bring to defining the
criteria, or heuristics, according to which you
make your choice.
ReductionElaboration
Design Process
![Page 13: UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage](https://reader038.fdocuments.us/reader038/viewer/2022103015/54c7158c4a79599a708b461c/html5/thumbnails/13.jpg)
What do you currently do
?
![Page 14: UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage](https://reader038.fdocuments.us/reader038/viewer/2022103015/54c7158c4a79599a708b461c/html5/thumbnails/14.jpg)
Evolving ideas
![Page 15: UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage](https://reader038.fdocuments.us/reader038/viewer/2022103015/54c7158c4a79599a708b461c/html5/thumbnails/15.jpg)
Design FunnelIn
vestm
ent
Time
Ideation
![Page 16: UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage](https://reader038.fdocuments.us/reader038/viewer/2022103015/54c7158c4a79599a708b461c/html5/thumbnails/16.jpg)
Defining Sketching
• Sketching is integral to design practice
• Idea generation and refinement
• Develops an open philosophy for input and
exploration
• Not developing artistic skills, developing ideas
and exploration of creative practices
![Page 17: UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage](https://reader038.fdocuments.us/reader038/viewer/2022103015/54c7158c4a79599a708b461c/html5/thumbnails/17.jpg)
Quick, disposable, iterative
![Page 18: UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage](https://reader038.fdocuments.us/reader038/viewer/2022103015/54c7158c4a79599a708b461c/html5/thumbnails/18.jpg)
And learn
• When uncertainty is high – keep stakes
low
• Manage front-end process differently
• User-centric orientation embedded
• Participatory design for optimal input
• Iterative user involvement, testing and
validation
![Page 19: UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage](https://reader038.fdocuments.us/reader038/viewer/2022103015/54c7158c4a79599a708b461c/html5/thumbnails/19.jpg)
Key documentation milestonesKnowledge
Acquisition
Concept
Investigation
Basic
Design
Prototype
Build
Pilot
Production
Manufactur
ing Ramp
Ability to influence outcome
Project Spending
Manpower
Content Plan Preliminary Standard
![Page 20: UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage](https://reader038.fdocuments.us/reader038/viewer/2022103015/54c7158c4a79599a708b461c/html5/thumbnails/20.jpg)
Sketching experience – Cashing out!
• Class exercise. Come up with the best
possible cash withdrawal experience you can.
– How long should it take for you to get your cash?
– What might be the minimum standards for this
experience
– Can you make this a „good‟ experience
– Can you come up with ideas that can improve the
experience
– Sketch out what the experience will be like
What do we want to tell them? What do we want them to do?
![Page 21: UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage](https://reader038.fdocuments.us/reader038/viewer/2022103015/54c7158c4a79599a708b461c/html5/thumbnails/21.jpg)
Minimum acceptable
standards• Minimum acceptable
standards that are achievable in routine professional (normal) practice
• Socially acceptable
![Page 22: UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage](https://reader038.fdocuments.us/reader038/viewer/2022103015/54c7158c4a79599a708b461c/html5/thumbnails/22.jpg)
Design is Critique
• People on design team
must be as happy to be
wrong as right
• Strong, but fair, criticism
• Reject with good
rationale
• Learn something new
than to be right
![Page 23: UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage](https://reader038.fdocuments.us/reader038/viewer/2022103015/54c7158c4a79599a708b461c/html5/thumbnails/23.jpg)
Design is Compromise
Convergence
GenerationGeneration
Convergence
Product Design
Specification
![Page 24: UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage](https://reader038.fdocuments.us/reader038/viewer/2022103015/54c7158c4a79599a708b461c/html5/thumbnails/24.jpg)
Sketches
• Sketches make invisible ideas visible
• How many sketches are enough?
![Page 25: UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage](https://reader038.fdocuments.us/reader038/viewer/2022103015/54c7158c4a79599a708b461c/html5/thumbnails/25.jpg)
Warming up the sketching muscle
• Brainstorming
• Fear of sketching
• Bringing in expertise
• Practice and display
• Sharing work
![Page 26: UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage](https://reader038.fdocuments.us/reader038/viewer/2022103015/54c7158c4a79599a708b461c/html5/thumbnails/26.jpg)
Software-based vs. pencil & paper
![Page 27: UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage](https://reader038.fdocuments.us/reader038/viewer/2022103015/54c7158c4a79599a708b461c/html5/thumbnails/27.jpg)
COMM 1610: Tools for information design
Phase 1: Idea generation
• Visual brainstorming map identifying appropriate Instructions
for Re-Design (IRD) and the final, selected IRD with rationale.
Phase 2: Research, scoping,& benchmarking• Background research, set of user profiles, scenarios of use,
benchmark test for original instructions.
Phase 3:Concept development• Large collection of sketches and their iterations;
final sketch ready for user testing.
Phase 4:Testing and refining• User test of re-designed instructions; final sketch iteration;
and class presentation.
![Page 28: UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage](https://reader038.fdocuments.us/reader038/viewer/2022103015/54c7158c4a79599a708b461c/html5/thumbnails/28.jpg)
User Involvement
• You don‟t know what you don‟t know!
• Who to test? Ethnographic considerations
• Separation of user and designer
![Page 29: UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage](https://reader038.fdocuments.us/reader038/viewer/2022103015/54c7158c4a79599a708b461c/html5/thumbnails/29.jpg)
Process Journal
• Developing good habits
• Keeping groups on track
• Reflection on work done
• Paper vs electronic
• Mixed student feedback
![Page 30: UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage](https://reader038.fdocuments.us/reader038/viewer/2022103015/54c7158c4a79599a708b461c/html5/thumbnails/30.jpg)
Project poster & presentation
• Showcasing work
• Group dynamic and
project pressures
• Presentation skills
• Celebration
• Public exposure
![Page 31: UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage](https://reader038.fdocuments.us/reader038/viewer/2022103015/54c7158c4a79599a708b461c/html5/thumbnails/31.jpg)
Conclusion
• Investment – not looking for perfection
• Professional orientation – portfolio of work
• Group think and compromises
• Project management
• Self-centric User-centric
![Page 32: UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage](https://reader038.fdocuments.us/reader038/viewer/2022103015/54c7158c4a79599a708b461c/html5/thumbnails/32.jpg)
Sketch to Prototype Continuumsketch Prototype
Evocative Didactic
Suggest Describe
Explore Refine
Question Answer
Propose Test
Provoke Resolve
Tentative Specific
Noncommittal Depiction
Fail early and Fail often
![Page 33: UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage](https://reader038.fdocuments.us/reader038/viewer/2022103015/54c7158c4a79599a708b461c/html5/thumbnails/33.jpg)
Navigation & Labeling
• TCC 6110 – Information Architecture:
evolved from a theoretical to practitioner
class - redesign an existing Web site.
• Focus is on the review of the navigation
and labeling within a Web site.
![Page 34: UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage](https://reader038.fdocuments.us/reader038/viewer/2022103015/54c7158c4a79599a708b461c/html5/thumbnails/34.jpg)
Navigation & Labeling
• Class includes a final project that updates
the navigation and labeling of a Web site
of their choice.
• This activity is the next logical step after
the sketching ideas discussed - moving
on to update and make a product more
user centric.
![Page 35: UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage](https://reader038.fdocuments.us/reader038/viewer/2022103015/54c7158c4a79599a708b461c/html5/thumbnails/35.jpg)
Navigation & Labeling
• Card sorting – critical to revamping a Web
site‟s navigation and labels.
• Suggest as part of a way to better
understand UCD and user centric model –
attempt this method to see if clear trends
and themes emerge.
![Page 36: UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage](https://reader038.fdocuments.us/reader038/viewer/2022103015/54c7158c4a79599a708b461c/html5/thumbnails/36.jpg)
Navigation & Labeling
• After card sort, have students see if other
methods needed (such as competitive
analysis of other sites) and then start
prototyping for the updates.
• Following is an example of label and
navigation updates:
![Page 37: UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage](https://reader038.fdocuments.us/reader038/viewer/2022103015/54c7158c4a79599a708b461c/html5/thumbnails/37.jpg)
Navigation & Labeling
• Student example of updating labeling in site:
![Page 38: UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage](https://reader038.fdocuments.us/reader038/viewer/2022103015/54c7158c4a79599a708b461c/html5/thumbnails/38.jpg)
Navigation & Labeling
• Example of existing navigation in site:
![Page 39: UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage](https://reader038.fdocuments.us/reader038/viewer/2022103015/54c7158c4a79599a708b461c/html5/thumbnails/39.jpg)
Navigation & Labeling
• Student example of updated navigation in site:
![Page 40: UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage](https://reader038.fdocuments.us/reader038/viewer/2022103015/54c7158c4a79599a708b461c/html5/thumbnails/40.jpg)
Navigation & Labeling
• Understanding of basic concepts of
information architecture and investigating
UCD methods to review and validate
labeling and navigation of Web site is goal.
• Promote more visual approach to move
from text-based approach too.
![Page 41: UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage](https://reader038.fdocuments.us/reader038/viewer/2022103015/54c7158c4a79599a708b461c/html5/thumbnails/41.jpg)
Navigation & Labeling
• Another key concept is students now
demand key practical skills „take aways‟
from this class and program – this is one.
• Failure to provide these practical skills to
students will hasten the program‟s demise.
• Must constantly reinvent/update program.
![Page 42: UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage](https://reader038.fdocuments.us/reader038/viewer/2022103015/54c7158c4a79599a708b461c/html5/thumbnails/42.jpg)
• Student engagement – ownership of work
• Creative tensions
• Students see instructors collecting data on course
COMM1610 - Learning
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
Working effectively
with others
Thinking critically
and analytically
Writing clearly and
effectively
Solving complex
real-world problems
Using computing
and information
technology
Learning effectively
on your own
Speaking clearly
and effectively
Analyzing
quantitative
problems
Understanding
people of other
ethnic backgrounds
COMM1610 - fall 2008 students
COMM1610 - fall 2008 instructor
![Page 43: UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage](https://reader038.fdocuments.us/reader038/viewer/2022103015/54c7158c4a79599a708b461c/html5/thumbnails/43.jpg)
Future steps
• Suitable projects
• Earlier testing
• Tracking cohort through
four years
• Reinforce process in other
courses
![Page 44: UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage](https://reader038.fdocuments.us/reader038/viewer/2022103015/54c7158c4a79599a708b461c/html5/thumbnails/44.jpg)
Future steps – required skill sets
• Traditional technical communication skills are
still required: solid writing skills, technological
inquisitiveness, etc
• Understanding of UCD and usability is now also
required – and a true understanding of your user
base.
• Documentation continues to exist – but must be
focused on new ideas such as using tool tips,
graphics, videos, etc. More words not an option!
![Page 45: UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage](https://reader038.fdocuments.us/reader038/viewer/2022103015/54c7158c4a79599a708b461c/html5/thumbnails/45.jpg)
Using UCD on ourselves
• Please comment on the survey we passed out.
• Let‟s discuss how our presentation mapped to
your understanding and needs!
• What successes have you had with your
students so we can learn from you.
![Page 46: UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable Marriage](https://reader038.fdocuments.us/reader038/viewer/2022103015/54c7158c4a79599a708b461c/html5/thumbnails/46.jpg)
Thank you
• Now we want to hear from you! What do you think about the approaches presented? Can they work for you?
• What have you been doing that we can learn from? How are you creating an engaging, safe learning environment for your students.
• Let‟s continue the discussion: