Re - visiting the Digital Space for Audiences Sake A Perspective

Problems with helps and How-tos Printed text posted online in the form of PDF Difficult to read Less interactive Lack of audience participation Digital Divide between user and writer An example -

PERSUASIVeTOOLsPERSUASIVeTOOLs Podcasting video conferencing social bookmarking ireporting Looking through the Digital Space Rss Social Media Tagging Sharing Collaborative Writing Youtube Wiki chatting online community posting comments adding online user Messaging downloading New Media Tools Blogging Twitting Scraping Last.fm facebook, del.icio.us foursquare Participation acceptance open invitation Socialize without boundary free speech Privacy Concern

A New Space Blogging TechComm2.0 Online commenting ireporting podcasting SharingWiki Continue..-> Content creator (reader/writer)

Multimodal Approach

Setting Goals: Helps and How-tos in a New Media Space Problems: Users cannot generate content (add/update). In other words, they are not the contributor. Actions: Wiki and commenting features are helpful here Problems: Users can no way collaborate with each other Actions: Ensure end-user participation and collaboration. Wiki can help here too. Problems: Wiki-based Documentation is restricted to open source documentation/collaborating Actions: Find out why wiki Problems: Technical information are difficult to read, access and time consuming Actions: Study the content type Study how content delivered, online vs. offline Incorporate multimodal approach in designing technical manual Study audience behavior Remix varied content types (verbal and visual) Problems: HTML Help users read documentation online. Cannot download them on their phone. Actions: Platform-independency feature will help

Audience Analysis in the new space A nalysis - Who are they? U nderstanding - What is their knowledge of the subject? D emographics - What is their age, sex, educational background? I nterest - Why are they there (reader)? Who asked them to be there? E nvironment - Where will I stand? Can they all see & hear me? N eeds - What are their needs? What are your needs (both functional and intellectual tools ) as a communicator? C ustomized - What specific needs do you need to address? E xpectations - What do they expect to learn or hear from you? Findings – Authors need to develop specific questions similar to these or which fit into each of these eight categories (or more). – Gather information on what users need and give it to them. –Audience are also learners. – Prior to designing a learning product one must consider the type of audience you are trying to reach at. Parameters like appropriate learning stimuli, learning style, a specific type of multimodal approach are important. – Arranging and picking right Rhetorical modes (multimodal approaches) may appeal to audience. This also depends on the type of audience you are communicating with.

Research Needs Case Study-based approach -Interview different users groups -Interview authors -Create questionnaire that addresses printed text [PDF] and hypertext [wiki, online help, facebook message] -Ask users to generate help doc by remixing content -Create survey report on the basis of data collected -It was often claimed that an interactive artwork involves collaboration between an author and a user. Is this true? -The author and the user are often two total strangers, two aliens which do not share a common communication code. Why? A user is often made to feel like a real artist by allowing her/him to quickly create a professional looking work by selecting from a few menus. The examples of such authorship by selection are the Web sites that allow the users to quickly construct a postcard or even a short movie by selecting from a menu of images, clips and sounds. How? Most communications are non-verbal. List them Metaphors as essential units of thought ? Still thinking….

Media Needs Camcorder Uninterrupted Web Skills Needs Rhetorical analysis techniques (Emotional Appeal, word choice, style, and arrangement) Interviewing different user groups Storytelling techniques Other Skill Needs Camtasia Studio Movie Making Movie Editing Sound Editing

Outcomes Create a new model of authorship An html-based output - a space for collaboration of different Individuals and/or groups, opportunities for participation A space that wards off any miscommunication or lack of communication User is the main focus of this new model of documentation Perfect arrangement, style, delivery creates a opportunity for user participation (instant feedback opportunity)

Schedule: Timeline (Tentative) –Research Phase ends October 25 –Design Phase I ends Nov 1 –Design Phase II ends Nov 7 –Development of project report starts: Nov 10 –Fine-tuning continues till: Nov 29 –Completion of project report: Dec 5