ENGL 4181/5181-090: Writing User Documents

Welcome to the Class

Tonight we will get to know each other and find out the course goals and requirements. I will go over the syllabus first, which will only be located online. I have been told by the University to conserve resources, so I will not print or photocopy anything for this class. We will use the Web and Moodle to communicate course material.

After we go over the syllabus, I'll highlight some important dates and assignments to come. Then, we'll get to know our classmates.

Maintain a Website all Semester

I want you to have and update a web site throughout the semester. The goal is not to become a web developer or all-around expert; instead, I want us all to have a common technology to work with as we discuss important concepts related to technical communication in the 21st century.

I have a page to get you started, so please check out the requirements.

An Overview of This Course

• What this class is
• What this class is not
• How theory can save your life
• How theory can overcomplicate your assignments
• A little history of User Documentation
  • Usability--"a product's usability is deterimined by the user's perception of the quality of the product, based on the user's ease of use, ease of learining and relearning, the product's intuitiveness for the user, and the user's appreciation of the usefulness of a product" (Barnum, 2002, p. 6).
  • Usability Testing
  • User-Centered Design

Don't forget, your syllabus is online--I won't be printing any hardcopies.

Moodle Practice

ENGL 4181 and 5181 should be combined into one course on Moodle (in order to keep this page up, right click on the link and choose Open in New Tab or Window). I believe I granted everyone access, so let's see if it worked. Logon and post a response to the following discussion under Topic outline:

Click on Discussion on Users Forum

Please separate your responses--1) and 2).

1) What makes computer and electronic products so difficult for the average user to use?

2) Defend or refute the following statement: The user needs to be more prepared and deal with increased complexity because that necessarily brings increased functionality. And why?

If we can't get into Moodle, respond to these prompts and post them on a new page--link to it from your home page.

How to Approach the Readings

Obviously, you should approach and finish them prior to coming to class. If you haven't gotten them yet, now would be a good time to go to Amazon.com.  I got HAL in a week for less than $5--including shipping.

Let's talk a little bit about them.

• Pringle, Alan S. & O'Keefe, Sarah S. Technical Writing 101.
  • Nuts and bolts guide to technical writing
  • Applied as opposed to theoretical
  • Technical Writer job specific
  • Advice for gathering information
• Degani, Asaf. Taming HAL: Designing Interfaces Beyond 2001.
  • Interface-oriented (HCI)
  • System states or behaviors--what's going on
  • Warnings
• Cooper, Alan. The Inmates Are Running the Asylum: Why High Tech Products Drive Us Crazy and How To Restore The Sanity.
  • Business Goal--saves money
  • New Economics--accounting vs. design
  • Where do companies spend their money?
    • Reducing costs on programming vs.
    • Increasing cost on research, planning, and designing
  • User-inspired (or, actually, persona-inspired) designs
  • Bias towards hiding processes
  • Tasks vs. Goals (p. 150)
  • Cooper's vision doesn't begin at documentation...but he can still help us
• Alan Cooper, "Father of Visual Basic"

IRA-Career Essay

I want you to write an essay, a career-oriented essay inspired by Cooper. this essay is diagnostic--I want to know your writing abilities--but it's mainly exploratory. I hope that it makes you think more about your future or current career path and the nature of work in general. Here's the page devoted to thinking about Cooper and the essay topics.

Career-Related Study

Occupation Links

On the daily activities page (our class index page), I have links to career statistics based on major and occupation. Of course, everyone knows exactly what he or she wants to do in the future, so the links might not be of any use...

Career Choices by Degree and Median Salaries
Salary Scales For English Majors
Salary Scales For Computer Science Majors

Assessing Technologies
(time permitting)

Let's break for a moment and take out all our technologies. I'm curious to see what "we" carry around with us daily.

My First User Document
(time permitting)

Using all your technical communication ability and expertise, create a user document for creating/updating a UNCC student's webpage. Use any program you'd like to create this document (MS Word, In Design, Dreamweaver, etc.), but I eventually want this online...like next week.  Please include the following original items:

• Title
• Overview--explain what the person will do
• Screen captures (or other graphics)
• Steps for updating/creating a UNCC student webpage

The parameters are up to you, but I want you to try to complete this in the time remaining. You may capture most screen elements by pressing

[Alt] + [Print Screen]

Doing so captures the active window.

Before We Go...

Your first assignment will be an essay on Alan Cooper's The Inmates are Running the Asylum. This is a diagnostic essay, so please do it. This assignment is due in two weeks--February 7th. Let's get a preview of the assignment if we have time.

Our discussion will be next week (it will probably spill over to 2/07 as well).