Using Customer Data to Drive Documentation Design Decisions
http://jbt.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/16/2/115
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  peer-reviewed

Smart, Karl L. and Matthew E. Whiting
Journal of Business and Technical Communication
2002

Abstract:

This article shows how user-centered design can be applied to documentation and reports the results of a two-year contextual design study. The article (1) demonstrates how contextualdesign can be applied to information and (2) reports some of the study's results,outlining key insights gleaned about users. The study found that users vary widely intheir information needs and preferences. Users employ a variety of learning strategies inlearning new software and in overcoming problems encountered within applications.Documentation can better meet variances in learning styles and user preferences whentightly integrated into applications, accessible in the user's own language. Additionally,documentation is most beneficial when several assistance options exist for users tochoose among, varying according to context, task, and user need. Finally, the article discussesthe constraints that affect the implementation of design ideas and explores implicationsfor practice and additional research.