Case Studies show Way of Testing Product Messages and Online Documentation

"Practical Approaches to Improving the Usability of Product Messages and Online Documentation: Two Case Studies" by Nikolay Markov and Uliyana Markova

The researchers, at IBM in Canada, have focussed on online documentation and software messages as important elements of the end-to-end user experience. 'They have a direct impact on the productivity of users and affect the total cost of ownership,' they say.

This article discusses designing and executing usability tests for these two components. It is based on usability tests that were performed on the IBM DB2® Universal Database™ (DB2 UDB) and IBM® WebSphere® Commerce and software products.

They conclude that although not traditionally a main focus area for usability professionals, user assistance tools can benefit from UCD methodology, including activities such as task analysis, focus groups, user interviews, design evaluations, and validations.

The full article can be downloaded from the IBM site - see the link below.

Associated Link: The full paper

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