UCD and Technical

Communications: the

inevitable marriageChristopher S. LaRoche, Northeastern University

College of Professional Studies (CPS)

Senior Lecturer & Technical Communications

Consultant

Brian Traynor, Associate Professor

Faculty of Communication Studies

Mount Royal University

• 2000 KM apart – why are we presenting

together?

• Evolution of programs

• Evolution of courses

• Skillsets for future

• Opportunity to approach student

engagement for entire programs

• The merging of technical communication with

the Usability/User Experience (UX) field is

inevitable and increasing quickly.

• Failure to recognize and embrace these

changes will hasten the field‟s demise.

• As a result, our teaching and technical

communication programs must reflect this

change to remain relevant and functioning.

• Much of this workshop will include discussing

this theme by providing examples and exercises

to show how this change can be central to a

technical communication program.

• “User-Centered Design (UCD) is a methodology

that requires that the user of products be thought

of and understood during the entire process of

product conception, development, and

implementation.”

• Many technical communicators attempt UCD

methods & practices, but that is now required

• Methods and mode of content delivery always

change (this is a constant) – but the types of

content required and expected are rapidly and

dramatically changing.

• “For students, teachers,

and practitioners, the era

of „just in case‟

documentation is dead,

while the era of „just

enough‟ documentation

has dawned.”

• “Failure to adapt these methods quickly in both

the classroom and the profession will invariably

lead to the field‟s further decline and likely

extinction as we currently understand it”

• Evolution of the Bachelor‟s Degree in Information

Design at Mt. Royal College/University

• Evolution of the MS in Technical Communications

program at Northeastern University

Workshop format

• Overview of some courses and how

UCD is integrated

• Warming up the sketching muscle…

• Navigation labeling…

• Moving from self-centric to user-

centric

– Student Experiences & Self-service

• Debrief and feedback

Design Knowledge Lifecycle

Design Knowledge Lifecycle

Research: Knowledge of

knowledge generation

Reflective inquiry

Provisional solutions

User knowledge

User profiles

Contexts

Use cases

Use: Knowledge of

use

Artifacts

Services

Requirements

Needs

Cases

Design: Knowledge of

design

Design cases

Domain knowledge

Requirements

Principles

Methods

Tools

Guidelines

Design is choiceTwo places for creativity (Buxton, 2008):

– The creativity you bring to enumerating

meaningful distinct options from which to

choose

– The creativity that you bring to defining the

criteria, or heuristics, according to which you

make your choice.

ReductionElaboration

Design Process

What do you currently do

?

Evolving ideas

Design FunnelIn

vestm

ent

Time

Ideation

Defining Sketching

• Sketching is integral to design practice

• Idea generation and refinement

• Develops an open philosophy for input and

exploration

• Not developing artistic skills, developing ideas

and exploration of creative practices

Quick, disposable, iterative

And learn

• When uncertainty is high – keep stakes

low

• Manage front-end process differently

• User-centric orientation embedded

• Participatory design for optimal input

• Iterative user involvement, testing and

validation

Key documentation milestonesKnowledge

Acquisition

Concept

Investigation

Basic

Design

Prototype

Build

Pilot

Production

Manufactur

ing Ramp

Ability to influence outcome

Project Spending

Manpower

Content Plan Preliminary Standard

Sketching experience – Cashing out!

• Class exercise. Come up with the best

possible cash withdrawal experience you can.

– How long should it take for you to get your cash?

– What might be the minimum standards for this

experience

– Can you make this a „good‟ experience

– Can you come up with ideas that can improve the

experience

– Sketch out what the experience will be like

What do we want to tell them? What do we want them to do?

Minimum acceptable

standards• Minimum acceptable

standards that are achievable in routine professional (normal) practice

• Socially acceptable

Design is Critique

• People on design team

must be as happy to be

wrong as right

• Strong, but fair, criticism

• Reject with good

rationale

• Learn something new

than to be right

Design is Compromise

Convergence

GenerationGeneration

Convergence

Product Design

Specification

Sketches

• Sketches make invisible ideas visible

• How many sketches are enough?

Warming up the sketching muscle

• Brainstorming

• Fear of sketching

• Bringing in expertise

• Practice and display

• Sharing work

Software-based vs. pencil & paper

COMM 1610: Tools for information design

Phase 1: Idea generation

• Visual brainstorming map identifying appropriate Instructions

for Re-Design (IRD) and the final, selected IRD with rationale.

Phase 2: Research, scoping,& benchmarking• Background research, set of user profiles, scenarios of use,

benchmark test for original instructions.

Phase 3:Concept development• Large collection of sketches and their iterations;

final sketch ready for user testing.

Phase 4:Testing and refining• User test of re-designed instructions; final sketch iteration;

and class presentation.

User Involvement

• You don‟t know what you don‟t know!

• Who to test? Ethnographic considerations

• Separation of user and designer

Process Journal

• Developing good habits

• Keeping groups on track

• Reflection on work done

• Paper vs electronic

• Mixed student feedback

Project poster & presentation

• Showcasing work

• Group dynamic and

project pressures

• Presentation skills

• Celebration

• Public exposure

Conclusion

• Investment – not looking for perfection

• Professional orientation – portfolio of work

• Group think and compromises

• Project management

• Self-centric User-centric

Sketch to Prototype Continuumsketch Prototype

Evocative Didactic

Suggest Describe

Explore Refine

Question Answer

Propose Test

Provoke Resolve

Tentative Specific

Noncommittal Depiction

Fail early and Fail often

Navigation & Labeling

• TCC 6110 – Information Architecture:

evolved from a theoretical to practitioner

class - redesign an existing Web site.

• Focus is on the review of the navigation

and labeling within a Web site.

Navigation & Labeling

• Class includes a final project that updates

the navigation and labeling of a Web site

of their choice.

• This activity is the next logical step after

the sketching ideas discussed - moving

on to update and make a product more

user centric.

Navigation & Labeling

• Card sorting – critical to revamping a Web

site‟s navigation and labels.

• Suggest as part of a way to better

understand UCD and user centric model –

attempt this method to see if clear trends

and themes emerge.

Navigation & Labeling

• After card sort, have students see if other

methods needed (such as competitive

analysis of other sites) and then start

prototyping for the updates.

• Following is an example of label and

navigation updates:

Navigation & Labeling

• Student example of updating labeling in site:

Navigation & Labeling

• Example of existing navigation in site:

Navigation & Labeling

• Student example of updated navigation in site:

Navigation & Labeling

• Understanding of basic concepts of

information architecture and investigating

UCD methods to review and validate

labeling and navigation of Web site is goal.

• Promote more visual approach to move

from text-based approach too.

Navigation & Labeling

• Another key concept is students now

demand key practical skills „take aways‟

from this class and program – this is one.

• Failure to provide these practical skills to

students will hasten the program‟s demise.

• Must constantly reinvent/update program.

• Student engagement – ownership of work

• Creative tensions

• Students see instructors collecting data on course

COMM1610 - Learning

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

Working effectively

with others

Thinking critically

and analytically

Writing clearly and

effectively

Solving complex

real-world problems

Using computing

and information

technology

Learning effectively

on your own

Speaking clearly

and effectively

Analyzing

quantitative

problems

Understanding

people of other

ethnic backgrounds

COMM1610 - fall 2008 students

COMM1610 - fall 2008 instructor

Future steps

• Suitable projects

• Earlier testing

• Tracking cohort through

four years

• Reinforce process in other

courses

Future steps – required skill sets

• Traditional technical communication skills are

still required: solid writing skills, technological

inquisitiveness, etc

• Understanding of UCD and usability is now also

required – and a true understanding of your user

base.

• Documentation continues to exist – but must be

focused on new ideas such as using tool tips,

graphics, videos, etc. More words not an option!

Using UCD on ourselves

• Please comment on the survey we passed out.

• Let‟s discuss how our presentation mapped to

your understanding and needs!

• What successes have you had with your

students so we can learn from you.

Thank you

• Now we want to hear from you! What do you think about the approaches presented? Can they work for you?

• What have you been doing that we can learn from? How are you creating an engaging, safe learning environment for your students.

• Let‟s continue the discussion:

– c.laroche@neu.edu

– btraynor@mtroyal.ca