Think of a major improvement you would like to make to a workplace or organization to which you belong. (If you are working on a longer proposal or recommendation report for class, you can use that project to work on this question.) Create a brief plan for how that improvement would be implemented. Using table 10.2, try to anticipate the kinds of feedback you might encounter as you implement your plan.

Think especially hard about the points of no return, or the events in the plan that would make it hard to respond to further feedback.

Table 10.2:

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Audience considerations Identify typical and atypical user task environments: Under what physical conditions do users perform the tasks? How do elements like space, time, light, and bodily position and characteristics affect task performance? (Miles 2000). Identify typical document-use patterns: Why do users tend to draw on technical documents? When do they turn to documentation? What formats are preferred? Do users help create documentation (as in user forums, or through user-generated content), or provide evaluative feedback about them? Activities to include in project plans When direct user involvement is constrained Meet with user contact personnel; meet with subject-matter experts and developers; construct activity simulations and use cases; interview users informally. Sample document types: e-mails, memoranda, and meeting notes; simulated use scenarios; interview questions. When direct user involvement is encouraged Visit user work sites and/or observe users working in their typical environments; develop sound usability tests that evaluate; interview users about their task environments. Sample document types: evaluation, usability, and assessment reports; usability procedures and protocols; interview questions. When direct user involvement is constrained Review user-support call logs; review access logs of online or electronic support documents; review user feedback on previous documents; interview users informally. When direct user involvement is encouraged Conduct usability tests; interview and observe different kinds of users; research, create, and administer mechanisms for users to evaluate and generate support content; observe and assess Independent user-support platforms.