Meeting Notes
January 21, 2003 —

Technical Writing + Usability + Interface Design = Success

Senior Member Jacqui Miller provided an overview of usability and the techniques used at Deloitte & Touche to bring the technical communicator into a more effective role in the product development life cycle.

Just talking about usability doesn't get the job done, she said. Other professionals who participate in these project already understand, by experience or exposure to the literature, the basic ideas behind usability. But that understanding doesn't always translate into user-centered design.

Among the most important tools for success, she said, are developing solid relationships with other stakeholders in product development and having the patience to gradually build a track record.

Miller also encouraged technical communicators to carefully pick their usability battles, striving to make more long-term friends than short-term enemies. Know when you've done all you can - for now - and then move on to the next project.

Among the best allies in large organizations are the support center people who answer end-user questions, she said. The support desk experience can bring focus to the cost of supporting a product developed with too little attention to usability on the front-end of the development life cycle.

Likewise, support center records can help document the results after an existing product's usability has been improved as the result of your efforts.

Miller's presentation included materials used at D&T's Hermitage facility, including:

10 Steps for Success - Guidelines for building a product that is Useful, Usable, and Desirable

Content Usability Checklist for Web Sites - A detailed checklist based on the experiences of technical communicators at D&T

Content Usability Heuristics - A guideline for creating the heuristics you will use when evaluating content usability

The presentation is available in the following formats:

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