Over this week’s readings, I found the information from the TCT and instructor’s blog to have useful tools for optimizing the usability for instructions.
For the usability test, I think I am going use survey testing. For this assignment I feel that it will be a more effective way to process information. I don’t know if there are many people who have rice cookers, so instead of people buying one, I want to have feed back to see if the user would have any trouble before starting the process and wasting time and money.
With the survey I will be phrasing the 4 questions that are identified in the instructor’s blog; can they find it, understand it, do it, and most importantly safety.
Locating information, I will be asking about the layout and design of the instructions. Is it easy to read? Do I have the information labeled well?
With understanding it I will have a comment box, so that the user can relay how he/she interprets what the instructions are asking.
Ability to do it, I want to know if the user had trouble following instructions, provided if I am asking to much or if the instructions are too vague.
Cooking Jambalaya I hope safety is not an issue, but it may very well be. I want to make sure that user knows the ingredients, if they are allergic or have reactions they know to avoid it. They will be using potentially harmful dangerous utensils.
From the rest of chapter 12, I found that the information provided will help me have my own check list before publishing my instructions to insure full usability. Although most of the information in this chapter was a review, I found it useful.
Overall, from this chapter I plan to make the usability of my instructions better in the multiple aspects of finding, doing, and understanding.
Cooking can kill
While at first it might not seem like safety would be as big of an issue anytime you are working with appliances there is always a risk of something going wrong. I think you are very right in warning people about allergies. Even though your instructions could be "How to make Shrimp Jambalaya" someone would still be surprised to find that it had shrimp in it. Putting a warning/disclaimer is a great way to CYA. While it is a good idea to structure your test so the user doesn't need to have a rice cooker, you should make sure someone actually makes it following the instructions. That way you can make sure that you haven't left out any ingredients.
Andy
Power To the Survey
The idea of using a survey usability test is starting to grow on me. I was set on document markup for instruction testing. However, giving the opportunity to make feedback work directly for you I find important. Steering the feedback in the direction that you are looking for is a good way to improve your document.
The thing I would suggest is opening up the reader the opportunity to give free feedback in addition to your questions. It is a good idea to send the reader’s suggestions in the right direction, but you might be limiting the ideas the reader originally had. But giving them the same path to follow, the audience may create other helpful advice.
I also plan on utilizing the
I also plan on utilizing the survey as one of my usability tests. The main reason I feel the survey will be a good test is because it will allow actual feedback and input from readers in regards to every aspect of our instruction sets. I don’t think that it will be a big issue if the person(s) doing your usability test are actually completing the process as they go through your instructions, it seems to me that the most important thing is that they identify that they are comfortable and ready to utilize those instructions when the need may present itself.
Thanks!
Jason Flittner
www.JFlitt.com
Safety
While safety isn't a huge issue for you, you may want to consider a little bit more. You say that "I don’t know if there are many people who have rice cookers" and I for one, do not have a rice cooker and have never used one. If I wanted to make jambalaya and went out to buy a rice cooker, I still wouldn't really know how it worked. If someone was using one for the first time could the burn themselves if they touch the wrong spot? I don't really know if this applies or not because I have never used one, but it is something to think about. When you think about "novice jambalaya cookers" you may have to also consider "novice cookers" altogether.
Safety shouldn't be an issue
First off, I don't really think there should be any safety issues. People who cook (or know what cooking is) know what is going on, from knives to heat to allergic reactions (hopefully they know what they are allergic to, so that can be avoided). However, it may still be a good idea to put a couple disclaimers in your instructions. I know I will be in mine.
I think the survey usability test and your questions will fit well with the instruction sets. It is a good thing to have an idea of what you are doing before you go out and spend the money to make it happen. As Young said above, you should add a section where the user can pass along his own thoughts. Someone else who enjoys Jambalaya may have some tips or different ingredients that they think should be on your instructions, or they might have noticed something in your instructions that they want to comment on or clear up.