After reading this weeks readings I feel that the document markup would be the best form of usability testing that I could use. I think that this would be especially useful for my novice instruction set. I think this is because when people are first starting out with something new it is a lot easier to become confused when you do not understand something. I also think that the document markup would be best because something that makes perfect sense to me may not make little or no sense to a novice. This test will help me to check myself in regards to using terminology or concepts that beginners may not understand.
While I think that the document markup would be the best usability test for both my instruction sets I also feel that the read and locate test specifically applies to my expert instruction set. I know from personal experience as you become more used to a certain technology you get use to how to use it. Whenever I was looking up something for a class or lab I am usually looking for a specific piece of information, a specific line of code for example. I feel that this applies more to my expert instruction set rather than my novice set. When you are more experienced with something and know the basics you generally want to be able to find any information you need quickly. You also usually know exactly what you are looking for.
I feel that Level 2 of the levels of edit would be most the useful to me when I am going to check though my instructions sets. By using this level I can make sure that the level of my content is correct. I do not want to end up using more advanced terminology in the novice instruction set than is needed. I know it can be easy to forget that not everyone will know what you are talking about. I also feel that organization is a very important part of my type of instructions. I have to make sure everything is placed logically and easy to find.
Different Users = Different Usability
I like your point about possibly using two different usability tests for your two different instruction sets, bpo. I like it because it accounts for, as you point out, the fact that expert users look at documents differently. This fact should probably be accounted for in assessing how users will look at and use documents.
Multiple Tests
I think the idea of using different usability tests for your different experience levels is a great idea. Unfortunately I also think it may not work for this particular project. In the readings this week, the text said that usability tests should be completed by someone with the same skill level as the target audience. This works out great for most of us as far as our novice instructions go, but few people in this class will consider themselves experts at someone else's chosen topic. So even if you design a usability test to get the maximum information possible from an expert tester, getting results from a novice on a test designed for an expert may not give you the information you were looking for. To keep your audience in mind (for the usability testing, not the actual instructions), you need to design a usability test that will give you the information that you want from an audience that may not be as experienced as you would like. If you can accomplish that using one test or multiple tests is really up to you and the information that you think you can get from the particular audience you are given.
2 Tests
I like the idea of using multiple usability tests to discover how thorough your instructions are. I agree that you could ask questions that are more specific to your target audience through this manner. I think that for this project however I am still sticking to one usability test. I may add a few questions that pertain to only the novice or expert user though. I think that by adding questions that pertain to just one or the other group I will be able to add questions that will help me know how I can improve my instructions to meet the needs of the specific user.
-Chris
Two usability tests
I think having two different tests for the different instruction set is a great idea. I agree with you that when I am looking at instructions for something I already and familiar with I am usually looking for a specific piece of information. I tried reflecting this in my layouts for my instructions. My novice instructions are just a simple step by step process that goes in order to get a user started with the program. But I changed the layout for the expert instruction set. My expert instructions I am going to try and have all the main headings on one page, and by clicking on them, it takes the user to the page about that topic. That way they do not have to wade through all the other instructions in order to find what they are looking for.
Patrick Griffin
pgriffin@purdue.edu
Two tests
I also agree that different usability tests geared for your different audiences is a great idea, and I think I will employ it for my usability tests. There is not a whole lot of expert terminology or industry lingo associated with my project (installing an operating system), most of it is following point-and-click instructions. The difference between my two sets will mainly be additional background information in the novice set to explain “what” they are actually doing, not just how to do it. Therefore, I’ll probably give an understability test for the novice instruction set and a read and locate test for the expert usability test, for the same reasons you’ve pointed out above.