1 Technical & Business Writing (ENG-315) Muhammad Bilal Bashir UIIT, Rawalpindi

Outline 1. Testing the documentation product 2. Guidelines for testing documentation 1. Decide when to test 2. Select the test points 3. Choose the type of test 3. Summary 2

Conducting Usability Tests Lecture: 19 3

Testing the Documentation Product It consists of procedures for gaining empirical data about the usability of documentation process There are three basic types of tests  Tests for task performance (procedure)  Tests for skill and understanding (tutorials)  Tests for access to information (references) 4

Guidelines for Testing Documentation Guidelines (steps) include to perform testing; 1. Decide when to test 2. Select the test points 3. Choose the type of test 4. Set performance and learning objectives 5. Select testers and evaluators 6. Prepare the test materials 7. Set up the test environment 8. Record information accurately 9. Interpret the data 10. Incorporate the feedback 5

1. Decide When to Test You can test any time during the nine stages of the documentation development process Usually you test after you have a draft finished, can see areas that need testing, and can still make changes You can test at roughly three stages;  During design  During writing or development  After the documentation set goes to the customer 6

Design When to Test (Continue…) 7 Development phase Kind of test Description Phase 3: Design PredictiveDone at the design stage to test the suitability of design specifications and productions goals. High degree of flexibility in making changes based on results. Phase 5: Writing/ Drafting RemedialDone while drafting and writing. Corrections made immediately and retested. Moderate degree of flexibility in making changes based on results Phase 9: Field Evaluation EvaluativeDone after finishing and shipping of product. No chance to change the existing product. Changes have to wait for the next release

2. Select the Test Points A test point is an issue or a feature of a document that might interfere with the efficient and effective application of a program to a user’s work activities Test points falls in two areas;  Problem with content  Problem with design 8

Select the Test Points (Continue…) Select Procedure for Testing  Identify what task you want to test by looking at the points in your documentation set where you perceive that a mistake on either level could introduce a chance of user failure  Remember that you are testing a document not the user  You should not test the procedures that are overly complex (involve over 10 steps) or involve one time activity (installation, configuration etc.) Because of the complexity and uniqueness user run the risk of getting them wrong due to lack of knowledge or experience 9

Select the Test Points (Continue…) Select Design Strategies for Testing  Identify the document design strategies you want to test by looking at the following design elements Terminology: Identify what terminology you want to test by looking at the language in your documentation An index: Test an index for consistent, recognizable terminology Cuing patterns: Test icons and labeling graphics that might confuse Heading/layout: Test for headings too small to see Navigation: Test the navigation that doesn’t match the user’s usage pattern Extraordinary document formats: Test for special conditions, Waterproof, fireproof documentation should be subjected to these conditions and tested 10

3. Choose the Type of Test The three of types of tests shown in below table 11 Test PointsType of Test Description TasksCan-They- Do-It Test Often called a performance test, this test requires users to perform a procedure TerminologyCan-They- Understand- It Test Often called an understandability test, this test requires user to provide a summary of material they have learned, or provide definitions of key terms Document Design Strategies Can-They- Find-It Test Often called a read-and-locate test, this test requires users to use mocked-up portions of a manual—the index or table of contents—to find information to key topics

12 Summary Any Questions?