Siblings or Step Siblings? Common Connections Between Technical Communication and Usability/User Experience

Siblings or Step Siblings?
Common Connections Between Technical Communication and Usability/User
Experience

Christopher S. LaRoche, Senior Lecturer

MS in Technical Communication Program
College of Professional Studies (CPS)
Northeastern University
May 18, 2011

Copyright © 2008 - 2011 - Christopher S. LaRoche

Welcome

• CSL Background

• Evolution of this lecture
- Given many lectures/presentations on this topic

- Over the last decade usability has evolved as a crucial
component of products and product development

- Saw many overlapping connections/history between the
goals and needs of the two groups
- Usability = ‘differentiator’
- Technical Communications = ‘needed evil’

- Companies recently putting groups together… or

Discussion Outline

• My definition and overview of usability and UCD

• Practical examples of usability

• Historical connections and ties between the two fields

• Collaboration & merging of the goals of both fields

• How this collaboration influences our work

• Personal reflection and thoughts on industry trends

Usability Overview

• Concept of usability has been around for generations –
when a “user” needed to complete a task in the most
efficient and stress free manner available in a way that a
particular user would understand.

• History
Wheel > WWII Instrument Panels > Telephones
> Computer industry (Software/Hardware/Web)

Usability Overview

• “Modern usability has its roots in World War II era-
psychology. Initial military interest in the psychology of
human/machine interaction stemmed from the desire for
more effective use of military devices, such as aircraft,
heavy artillery, and other high-cost, mission critical items.”
[Pearrow, 4]

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=3007164

Usability Overview

• During the late 20th century, the evolution of the telephone
from heavy instrument to lightweight intuitive machine.
This was really the start of the concept of usability tied to
consumer products.

http://www.telephoneteca.com/images/AU-10100_1.jpg

Usability Overview

• The last few years have seen the growth of the “user
experience” as an important differentiator in both products
and Web sites.

• A products “user experience” has to be both unique and
satisfying or you risk losing that customer to competition.

• Users will not put up with poorly-designed Web sites like
they do with poorly-design software: they have choices and
go elsewhere if the “experience” is not satisfying!

• “Geek Machismo” – technological difficulty is no longer
celebrated so much!

Ideal Development Timeline

Requirements Gathering QA, Doc,
Overall Product Development Cycles Beta & Training
& Specification Creation

Project End
Project Start

Development

User Early/Lo-Fi Prototyping, Reviews
Research Traditional Usability
Prototypes Design, & UI (Expert &
Testing & Evaluation
Design Heuristic)

Ideal Usability Timeline
These methods can be used at different points in the development process,
but this is the most traditional (and efficient) time to use this framework.

How and Why Things End Up Not Usable

• Knowing user is ignored – developers focus on and are
rewarded on technical implementation or product features.

• Often people making the decisions (such as product
managers) about the product/Web site design have no
experience with design or usability. Often rely on their own
intuition or the latest ‘hot’ technology as references.

• Incorrect assumption that usability is all common sense.

User-Centered Design (UCD)

• “User-centered design (UCD), then, is both a technique and
a philosophy that puts the user’s needs ahead of anything
else. It is characterized by early and frequent interaction
with the real user community to solicit feedback and to gain
foresight into the future of a design.” [Pearrow, 61]

• Both Usability and Technical Communication groups really
have UCD goals – each wants to make the product as easy
to use as possible for the end-user.

User-Centered Design (UCD)
Wurman’s Golden Rule

• “The only way to communicate is to understand what it’s
like not to understand. It is at that moment you can make
something understandable.”
(Knemeyer, Wurman Interview in informationdesign.org)

User-Centered Design (UCD) – What UCD is Not

• Users are not designers and designers are not users!

http://simpsons.wikia.com/wiki/The_Homer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oh_Brother,_Where_Art_Thou%3F

Additional Challenges

• The amount of information available, particularly via the
Web, increases exponentially yearly. Need information
architecture principles adhered to to make usable.

• The human brain can only process so much information and
we are rapidly approaching ‘capacity.’

• An increased need is to make products do much of the
‘mental load’ of information processing instead of the user.

• Demand well-designed products with solid navigation and
labeling information is crucial.

Practical Examples of Usability

• Perform various tests/reviews of specific documentation,
such as an installation guide, to see if it is written according
to how a user will actually install a product and if the
content is correct. This is one of the best first examples to
study/analyze and see how people use the documentation.

• Create a series of mock ups/prototypes of how the user
interface could be redesigned to best support user’s needs.

• Surveys of customers are the most time and cost efficient
methods to understand needs and issues with users.

Historical Connections and Ties

• In many ways the usability community/groups are where
technical communication groups were two decades ago. No
obvious ‘home’ in the company’s organizational structure.

• Been a real ‘growth spurt’ in usability awareness. However,
usability groups are still immature in the following ways:

– Where does a usability group fit in an organizational structure?

– What to call a usability group? “Alphabet soup’

• This is more settled in technical communication groups
today.

Increasing Collaboration/Merging of Fields

• Many writers have intersections with usability.

• The better the product is designed from the beginning, the
less documentation is required, and so easier job it is for
the writer and also for the user – satisfaction all around!

• This is becoming more common for consumer products
especially, but is an industry-wide issue.

• Professionally, the usability profession includes many
technical communicators who migrate from writing. Many
of the skills are transferrable and are a good complement
to the skills of a usability professional.

Historical Connections and Ties

• The connection with User-Centered Design (UCD) and the
focus on the user is the most obvious connection.

– Traditionally, technical communication tends to be involved towards
the end of the development cycle when the user interface is somewhat
stable. Often involved earlier, but the end of development cycle is
where we are primarily – the ‘crunch time.’

– Depending on the type of usability methods performed, it could be a
various times in the development cycle (in the start at the design
phase, throughout the cycle for testing, etc.)

– Quite often, you can obtain valuable user feedback from usability tests
that you can incorporate into documentation – or take out information
that is not used based on solid numerical feedback.


• The last decade has seen a real movement towards the
consolidation of ‘common communication functions.’

• Technical communication, training, and usability/user
experience are often together as one organization.

• Although part of this consolidation is due to cost savings
(less writers), some of the unknown or unintended benefits
include that with this closer working relationship, we can
often uncover more issues that directly affect users when
resources are ‘pooled.’


• Usability/Documentation teams often are tied together by a
common interest in creating a usable interface – both
better for the user and requires less documentation.

• The merging of documentation/training/UX folks is
happening more in more non-traditional companies that
tend to be more collaborative and less traditionally ‘siloed.’

• Many ‘Gen Y’ engineers/developers (roughly under 30) see
usability as one of the components and think about
usability in general. Try to position yourself so that you can
grow in this type of environment. This is one of the future
waves.


• Technical communication can often use valuable
information that usability teams often have, including:

– Contact information to interview and talk with real users

– Feedback that users have given previously about the product, their
‘pain points’ and often feedback about the documentation itself

– Vast array of usability reports and reviews of the product that can
focus what areas need more/less documentation

• Often technical communication can help the usability team
with understanding the technical angle of the software and
discuss in detail where issues exist within the product.


• Although the change and connections have been occurring
for a long time…

• The last few years especially has seen the constriction and
partial collapse of the field of technical communication
within the traditional hardware/software fields.

– This was happening as a trend the last decade…
(technology expectations, generational differences, cost, etc.)
– The economic collapse of 2008 exacerbated this trend
– Since then, the field has continued to constrict and change


• Realistically, the field is not going to ‘come back’ in the way
that is has after previous recessions, as this is a
fundamental shift in the profession.

WARNING!

• The idea and ability to land a decent technical writing job in
a hardware/software company with a few years of
experience producing volumes of chapters/books, knowing
Frame and RoboHELP -- and be able to make about
$85,000.00 is no realistic, and in fact I think it will be …

DEAD SOON

GONE

How This Influences Our Work

• Working with a usability group directly often helps influence
the creation of a more usable product overall. This also
helps allow for more streamlined documentation.

• With a more standardized and consistent interface the
technical writer can focus more on the important issues and
not have to ‘write around’ complicated and cryptic
software.

• Taken to the extreme, a totally usable product would not
require any documentation, but realistically that will not
happen with complex products. However, having software
that is designed with usability folks and not engineers will
result in better products that are easier to document.


• Although it could be considered a threat, this is also a great
opportunity in that we can learn something additional, add
to our portfolio of skills, and might just help one stay
employed in a tough economy – knowing basics of usability
is a differentiator when getting hired.

• Documentation is becoming more streamlined, targeted,
and minimal when it is still created.

 Videos
 Embedded Software
 Posters/One-pagers


The era of ‘just in case documentation’ is DEAD

The era of ‘just enough documentation’ REIGNS

Personal Reflections

• The role of technical communicator as valued in many
companies, but I also see that role being VERY DIFFERENT
over the next few years.

• Writers will likely narrow focus to become more specialized.

• Writers will have to be more adept at more tools/software,
particularly for working with consumer products/tools
(audio, video, graphical tools, etc.)

• SIMPLY– there are and will be fewer jobs for technical
communicators without specific skills/specializations
the next decade.


• Since user interfaces have generally improved and most of
our users have a basic understanding of the Windows and
browser interface, often less ‘generic’ documentation about
user interfaces is now required.

• There is an expectation that more product and services are
usable – and documentation must be as well – even in
complex products.

• As a writer, knowing usability basics and understanding its
role in a development process is important. understanding
and talking about this as a technical communicator will
often help position you better when job hunting.


• Having a solid background in technical writing and a strong
interest in usability has proved quite helpful to me to obtain
my last two writing positions – as the value of usability is
better understood now.

• Both sides are learning to understand the needs/limitations
of the other groups.

Trends in the Profession

The Profession is Becoming More Focused
Although hiring will happen, it will likely be slower, but will tend to
move into more specialized areas. There will be less of a need for a
‘general’ writer and more interest in writers who are specialized in
certain areas or have specific knowledge of a particular products.

For example, structured documentation is becoming the norm – and
jobs are in biomedical/pharma, regulatory, etc.


Usability Presence is Ascending and Will Continue
Usability groups have expanded quickly the last few years and will
likely continue – even as the economy is tight. The job market for UX
and usability is quite strong. This is one of the few areas of growth in
the IT field. Partly usability is now a differentiation within products and
there has been a realization within management circles that this is now
important and a ‘hot topic.’

Example – The Boston UPA Chapter conference (May 25th) = 550!


Technical Writing as a “Commodity”
In some ways, technical documentation is viewed as a commodity.
Especially on simple products, editorial processes, or even
documentation that only requires maintenance updates.

Realistically, anything viewed as a commodity can easily be done
somewhere else cheaper.

With documentation satisfaction even at its best not really high, many
companies will take a lower satisfaction rate to save even more
money. This can be stressful, but also many opportunities arise in this
type of situation flexibility and adaptability is key here!


Higher Demands of Documentation’s Usefulness
Expect more and continually higher demands for more usable and
streamlined documentation. Not only will all content be online, but
‘less is more’ – more quick start guides, installations that are simple
and are similar to generally understood installation concepts/best
practices.

Less volume(s) of documentation will be delivered, but in much more
succinct and expanding format types.

Writers also will be required to be much more proactive in both their
career and within project teams to show value of their work and
themselves.


The Printed Book is Now Gone
Look for more unorthodox or newer forms of information delivery –
often created in conjunction with the usability team.

Creating videos and tooltips (embedded documentation) and ‘quick
bites of information’ will predominate and information distributed
through small devices (iPods/iPads/Tablets) will be much more
common. Not only is this cheaper, but this will reflect the
needs/demands of the latest generation which will start to
predominate within the next decade.

Ok, What the Hell Do I Do as a Writer?

• If you have a decent job as a writer and enjoy it – STAY!

• If you are unsure or out of work, network like crazy
(professional groups), consider focusing on a specialization
of biomedical, pharma, regulatory writing, etc.

• Consider the usability field – as it is a ‘natural fit’ for many
writers and is a field with a promising job market the next
few years. You can do this on your own, and there are
several solid programs in the greater Boston area to learn
more

Conclusion

• Technical Communication in general is constricting and
refocusing on specific narrow fields.

• The trend of increasing cross functionality between
technical communication and usability is happening and will
continue to increase the next few years.

• Understanding the need for a usable product – and usable
documentation – is not only good for the user, but also a
good ethos for learning and for your own job prospects.

• Having an understanding, knowledge, and interest in
usability will help differentiate you and might help with job
survival and hiring.

Conclusion

• Questions?

• Thanks and good luck

• Please feel free to send me email with any questions about
the profession or the lecture today: c.laroche@neu.edu

General Links

• MS in Technical Communication (Northeastern)
http://www.cps.neu.edu/techcom

• User Experience (UX) Certificate (Bentley)
http://www.bentley.edu/ux-certificate/index.cfm

• MS in Human Factors (Bentley)
http://www.bentley.edu/graduate/ms/mshfid.cfm

• Usability Professionals’ Association (UPA)
http://www.upassoc.com/

• Usability Professionals’ Association (UPA) – Boston Chapter
http://www.upaboston.org/

• Boston CHI
http://www.upaboston.org/

Bibliography

Coe, Marlena. (1996). Human Factors for Technical Communicators. New York, New
York: Wiley & Sons.

Knemeyer, Dirk. (2004). “Richard Saul Wurman: The InfoDesign Interview.”
http://www.informationdesign.org, January 2004. Retrieved August 20, 2008 from
http://www.informationdesign.org/special/wurman_interview.htm

Morville, Peter & Louis Rosenfeld. (2006). Information Architecture for the World
Wide Web – Third Edition. Sebastopol, California: O’Reilly Media, Inc.

Nielsen, Jakob. (1993) Usability Engineering. San Francisco, California: Morgan
Kaufmann.

Norman, Donald. (1988) Design of Everyday Things. New York, New York:
Doubleday.

Pearrow, Mark. (2007). Web Usability Handbook, Second Edition. Boston,
Massachusetts: Charles River Media.

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