ENG 333 Communication for Science and Research

So that your readers will not anticipate your guidance with such skepticism, you should consider the following questions before you begin structuring your information:

1. What is your objective?
2. Who are the primary/secondary users? (Consider education, technical background, cultural aspects, etc.)
3. What will be the users' main questions?
4. What will be their likely reading pattern?
5. What are the users' main goals?
6. How will the users' measure success when completing your instructions?

You need to view your audience as consumers. In order to facilitate readers' "buying into" your instruction, you need to carefully consider their prior knowledge, and expectations. The conventions, and steps, that you will use must match your users' needs, as well as abilities. Viewing your readers as collaborators can help you anticipate areas where they may need additional guidance, or cautions.

Creating your Audience Analysis

The following guidelines are from M. Jimmie Killingsworth's text, Information in Action.

First, select your instructions to improve. As clearly as you can, write down a statement of your purpose and audience in a sentence using the following format:

This manual shows [a particular audience] how to [do something].

Example: "This manual shows college students unfamiliar with the Windows software how to use the program to complete a short writing assignment."

Once you have specifically narrowed your purpose and named your audience in this way, make a set of notes that answers the following questions:

• What kinds of information does my user need to know to complete the desired actions?
• What kinds of information about my topic can my user do without?
• What are the activities the user will need to do to achieve the overall action goal of the manual?
• What kinds of frustrations is the user likely to bring to the task, and how can I keep from making these worse and avoid others?
• What kinds of strengths will my typical user bring to the task, and how can I build upon these in delivering the instructions?

When you have completed your notes, share them with your group. Use the feedback you get to refine your notes.

Remember, the audience analysis needs to be written as an informal memo to me. Be sure to frame it with an introductory paragraph that clearly states your problem and purpose. You may use a list format and restate the questions with the answers, but I want you to use complete sentences. Go beyond the obvious, think about these issues, and ultimately try to understand your users background, interests, and motivations. This will help you to create effective, and usable instructions.