+ Dr.

Will Kurlinkus
wkurlinkus@gmail.com

Krug’s Rocket Surgery

Made Easy
Questions and Considerations for Tech Writing
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Why Write a Usability Proposal?
 UX Readings: “The UX Research  Questions
Plan that Stakeholders Love” and
“Stop Writing Project Proposals”  Why create a usability
 Goals:
proposal?
1. Clients want to see what  What’s the difference
you’re going to do before you between and evaluation and
do it. (Good practice for job a proposal?
interviews—what can you
contribute).  What are you proposing?
2. You need to prove to clients
that they have problems and
you know how to fix them.  In This Class
3. Evaluation vs. Proposal: You  Evaluate: Identify (users,
don’t want to give too much purposes, flaws, alternatives)
away—you want to show you
know there problems, clients,  Propose: Why should we do
major goals, and how to solve a usability test? What is a
them, but you don’t want to usability test? What’s next?
give away solutions.
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Preface & Chapter 1
 Terms: Usability, Usefulness,  Questions
User-Friendly  What is usability testing?
When and why might you use
 Basic Protocol: it?
 Tasks: We’re testing two  Examples: Nielsen Families;
common tasks (as scenarios) Ebola Form
on the site.  Is the test we are running
quantitative vs. qualitative?
 Participants: We’re testing
two participants (your friends)  In This Class
at these tasks.
 Recording  2 participants+2 scenarios
 What’s best?
 We’re using 3 recording
 Think aloud devices: Screen capture
(QuickTime or CamStudio) and
two external cameras I provide.
You’ll also have notetakers
present at the test.
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Chapter 3: Krug’s Sample Video
 Steps in Krug’s Usability Video
1. Introduce yourself, read a
disclaimer, has the participant
sign a waiver so that you can
use the data
 Normally, you need an
IRB/permission--which asks
people to use their name and
experience in publications/for
monetary purposes.
2. Explain the process: What are
they going to be doing
generally? What do you want
them to say?
3. Gather bio info: Should be
similar to a user persona.
Helps to compare to that ideal
user and/or user types.
 Questions
 Why is it important to
introduce yourself?
 What types of things do
you want your users to
say?
 What is important and
unimportant info?
 What types of bio info
should you gather?
 In This Class
 Should you have a
disclaimer?
 What should you prepare
for this introduction?
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Chapter 3: Krug’s Sample Video

4. Basic concept check

 Check and see if the basic concept of the website is clear: What do you
think about the site? What is it for? What's the content? What's
interesting or confusing? What types of things would you do on this
site?

5. Scenarios
 Provide a printed copy.
 Create a scenario that is related to the task. Put the user in a story.
Word problem almost. Make the scenario around what you predict pre-
existing problems might be and common tasks.
 While the participant is speaking allowed if you want more info or
deeper descriptions your job is to ask.
 Check the bottom line: summarize at the end of the task and ask them if
your summary is correct. Don't necessarily take their word for it but get
the summary anyway.
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Chapter 3 & 4
 Master Plan  In This Class
 Multiple rounds of testing  Does everyone need to be
 1 round of testing=three there for the session?
users  What should different people
 Do three tests and debrief be doing during the session?
with partners
 Who are your subjects? How
 Recruit loosely
many?
 Prep Work  Your writing a more formal
 What to test? Choose what lab report than Krug suggests
you think is a bad site. because, well, this is
Choose two common tasks technical writing.
the average user would want
to perform on that site.
 Protocol task list/scenarios
 Choose a date and time and
schedule yourselves and the
people: Use doodle surveys
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Chapter 3 & 4

 When to start usability testing?

 What are you testing? What are the benefits of each:

 Your site,
 Your competitor’s site,
 A wireframe (sketch of a site).
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Chapter 5
 Test Participants:.  Questions
 You don’t need to necessarily  Who are the participants for
test ideal users because even
your ideal users aren’t often
your test? How many? What
ideal users; they also may be type? How do you find them?
too experienced with the pre- How do you compensate
existing site (outsider’s them?
perspective)
 Three is enough
 Avoid insiders who know too
much about the company and  For This Class
website  For this class we are simply
 What do you need to tell using two of your friends.
people you are recruiting? How Ideally these friends would
might you make a sign or flyer?
What info? Have a substitute somehow be close to your
available average user persona, but
 Ideally we would do multiple
they don’t have to be
rounds of testing—with multiple
users. We’re not.
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Chapters 6 & 7

 Protocol
 What’s the difference between tasks vs. scenarios?

 How to make tasks into scenarios?: One thing to avoid: using

the same words as links, web headings, etc. on the site. Don’t
give clues where to find things.
 Limitations: Don’t use the search function, stay on the site. Provide
print sheets for the participants and the observers. The participant
scenarios should be on separate sheets of paper. Why?

 Checklists: What do you need to prepare now. Think of a place

where you will be doing this testing, participants, and time slots
where team members can be available.