Capturing the Usability Chimera: Practical Applications of Usability Testing  

How do I effectively include usability as a part of developing online and printed documentation?

Holmes, Fredrick and Melissa Wallentine. STC Proceedings (1994). Articles>Usability>Testing>Documentation

Lessons Learned from Usability Testing of the Documentation  

This presentation and demonstration will first establish the principles behind usability testing of the documentation, then show examples of lessons learned from testing both print and online documentation. Video clips of actual tests will be used to make some compelling points. The session will be especially useful to those who are interested in usability testing but haven't done it yet.

Barnum, Carol M. STC Proceedings (1998). Articles>Documentation>Usability>Testing

Six Slick Tests for Docs and Help

Usability testing isn’t just for software and web sites. Testing documentation can ensure that it includes — and accurately conveys — all the information users expect and need. Testing gives you accurate information on how well your documentation and Help work. It can even uncover problems that are better solved by changing the interface.

User Interface Engineering (1998). Articles>Documentation>Usability>Testing

Test That Information!  

Software products are tested. Hardware products are tested. But, how often and how thoroughly are the information deliverables tested? In the rush to bring products to market, the full and thorough testing of information often gets overlooked. Last minute changes are crammed in. Procedures are not thoroughly tested. Even something as simple as testing links can be ignored due to lack of time or resources.

Crawford, Vanadis. STC Proceedings (2005). Articles>Documentation>Usability>Testing

Usability Testing and Editing Online Documentation: Where's the Connection?  

Through the completion of an independently researched and developed academic proposal, this author demonstrated the need for change in academic instruction and the need for working technical communicators to extend their skills by recognizing the connection between usability testing and editing online documentation. In short, the underlying connection between these two processes is that, in order to edit online documentation effectively, the editor must know the basics of usability. This paper discusses the background, the methodology, the results, and the implementation of this research project.

Giordano, Jennifer L. STC Proceedings (1998). Articles>Documentation>Usability>Testing

Usability Testing: A Field Test Report

The following is a brief description of how I tested a user manual for a word processing program to be used by low-level and intermediate-level users.

Cheng, Ting Ting. Boston Broadside (1992). Articles>Usability>Testing>Documentation

Usability, Testing and Documentation

The three disciplines of usability, testing, and documentation are important to the success of hi-tech products. These three areas are often overlooked, but they have a profound affect on the end user's experience of a software product. As customers become more perceptive about IT, their expectations rise. Since customers now have more choice than ever, to be successful, a software product needs to stand out from the crowd. This article explains why the three disciplines are important to the overall success of a software solution. It concludes with recommendations for obtaining the best return on investment.

Unwalla, Mike, Andrew Swartz and Bill Matthews. TechScribe (2006). Articles>Usability>Testing>Documentation