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RE: Info reqd: Methods/ TOOLS/ Softwares to evaluate Readability and Usability
Subject:RE: Info reqd: Methods/ TOOLS/ Softwares to evaluate Readability and Usability From:Sean MacRae <sean -at- rcp -dot- co -dot- uk> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Fri, 24 Aug 2001 10:06:57 +0100
I'm not sure about tools; as for methods, the best way to ensure your
document quality is to get it reviewed by the appropriate people; for
readability, I recommend a professional editor. Somewhere like the Society
for Freelance Editors and Proofreaders in the UK is a good source if you
don't have in-house skills: http://www.sfep.org.uk/. I'm sure one of the US
members of the list (there are a couple) can recommend a similar
organisation for editors working in the North American variant of the
English language <gd&r>.
For usability, there's no subsititute for the Mk. 1 Human Guinea Pig. You
should know what the users main goals will be when using your software. Find
a couple of newbie users, give them the manual, and ask them to first write
down how they might carry out the goal (from the manual alone), then see if
they can do it live. Or omit the writing down stage, but be aware that most
users prefer to learn by navigation, and may not refer to the manual.
The key point is to observe their actions, and ask them to talk through
their thought processes; prompt them for comment if they appear to be stuck,
or deep in thought.
Or asleep, but that's a bad sign.
Cheers,
Sean M
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Subject: Info reqd: Methods/ TOOLS/ Softwares to evaluate
> Readability and Usability
> From: "Bhargava Y.P." <BhargavaYP -at- elind -dot- com>
> Date: Thu, 23 Aug 2001 16:08:23 +0530
> X-Message-Number: 15
>
> Hi All,
> Could anyone please tell me about methods/ TOOLS/ Softwares
> to evaluate
> Readability and Usability of a user manual in particular and
> a document
> in general??
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