http://tc.eserver.org/publisher/Apogee A listing of works published by Apogee in the field of technical communication. en-us Copyright (c) 2005-08 by the EServer. All rights reserved. tclib-editorial@eserver.org (TC Library Editorial Board) webmaster@eserver.org (Geoffrey Sauer) http://tc.eserver.org/images/newlogo.gif http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Apogee http://tc.eserver.org/33358.html http://tc.eserver.org/33358.html Talking to a CEO about usability can be wonderful or terrifying. The difference between raging success and total failure comes down to understanding exactly what the CEO needs to know and then adjusting your usability message to fit. This article explains how to understand various contexts, and in turn, how to position your usability message. http://tc.eserver.org/29475.html http://tc.eserver.org/29475.html The individual components of a persona are described and an example persona relating to the SecureCam case study is provided. http://tc.eserver.org/29254.html http://tc.eserver.org/29254.html In order to be effective in the usability business, you have to face the fact that you'll have to deliver bad news. You have to talk about what's not working. You might have to bruise egos and make your client uncomfortable. http://tc.eserver.org/27031.html http://tc.eserver.org/27031.html Design and optimize products around basic features. The result--you will sell more products and improve the chances of people using secondary features (such as value added services). http://tc.eserver.org/27027.html http://tc.eserver.org/27027.html You may only get one opportunity in a home visit and good planning and preparation is important. Here are some tips and hints from recent home site visits in both China and Taiwan. http://tc.eserver.org/27029.html http://tc.eserver.org/27029.html Usability is about understanding your users, and designing and testing with and for those users. However, there are other competing needs that need to be considered to ensure product success. In architectural and technical drawings, different layers or transparencies are often overlaid to assemble the complete design solution. A similar "design transparency" approach can ensure that product teams are working towards a common goal, gaining a balanced view, and increasing the chance of success. http://tc.eserver.org/27030.html http://tc.eserver.org/27030.html Customers avoid web-based customer support if information is not relevant, out of date or hard to find. Without a business commitment to addressing these issues, customers will continue to prefer contacting a service representative by phone. http://tc.eserver.org/26996.html http://tc.eserver.org/26996.html Product teams can leverage usability in three simple ways. First, usability can disambiguate requirements. Second, it can push a product closer to perfection with a small investment. Finally, usability helps product teams inform the organization about potential and expected support issues. http://tc.eserver.org/27028.html http://tc.eserver.org/27028.html Planning is crucial if you want your user research efforts to be effective. You need to think about what information you need to gather, and why, before embarking on any research. Good planning, well communicated to the client or project, and followed by careful implementation will ensure your research is effective.