X7-439A-B Integrated Robot for Household Chores Usability Testing

Purpose The main purpose of this assignment is to give you practice in writing instructions, one of the most common kinds of technical communication you will do in the workplace and in your day-to-day life. Some common reasons for writing instructions include specifying details of technical activities, describing office procedures, preparing training manuals, explaining how to operate computer programs, and telling your children (or adults who act like children) what to do. An important aspect of writing instructions is using graphics and design: good instructions contain graphics and are designed to be easy to read and understand. Therefore, another important purpose of this assignment is to improve your skills in the visual dimension of technical communication. Deliverables A complete instruction set will include the following parts: a title page (focus it on the task’s audience, not the class assignment) a table of contents a brief introduction a technical definition and description cautions and safety notices (include ANSI- or ISO-compliant safety information, as appropriate) 3–4 pages (max length) of step-by-step instructions graphics/photos you must include visual elements, and they must be created by you (whether it’s a photo or a graphic). I will not accept any submissions with images from the Internet. all graphic elements must have a caption (for example, Figure 1: Widget configuration) a conclusion with a feedback statement any relevant back matter; this can include troubleshooting information if required A complete usability test will include a filled-in copy of the usability test worksheet. Basic Rules Your instructions should describe a simple, easily-conducted-in-the-classroom process related to your major. If the process requires materials other then PC computers with the software already available on the classroom’s computers, you are responsible for bringing the materials to class for usability testing. Avoid illegal, unethical, and potentially dangerous topics, but try to find something interesting. Your audience is a nonspecialist audience. Assume that your user is completely ignorant of the task at hand. I want to see you think through everything involved, even with a simple topic, and be very clear. Submitting Your Topic You have the weekend to decide on your topic. You will need to submit your topic to this dropbox by the end of this week. I will review and approve them promptly after. You don’t need anything special for the topic submission, a simple “how to create a vectored image in Adobe Illustrator” will do. Here are some ideas: constructing a model for architectural planning editing pictures in Adobe Photoshop creating a graphic to display data visually effective monthly budgeting using advanced features of Adobe Acrobat writing a simple computer program creating a basic web page creating a model for the best pumpkin launcher publishing a website performing first aid or CPR Automatic vetoes will be given to anything involving the following: weapons food dangerous chemicals Sample Instructions Preparing the X7-439A-B Integrated Robot for Household Chores Usability Testing The usability testing portion of this assignment does require that instructions be completed before the due date. For the usability test portion of this assignment, you will find a test subject. This can be your mom, a classmate, a friend, anyone who fits the “non-specialist” audience. You will then use this worksheet to conduct a usability test. When filling out the worksheet, ensure that your work is saving. You may want to copy and paste your answers in a Word document as a back-up–some students have had problems with disappearing answers before. Close, re-open, and check the document before you submit it. You must also take two separate photos during your usability test and submit those along with the worksheet to this dropbox. Submission Requirements First, you must submit your topic to the dropbox by the end of week 5. I will look at them and approve them first thing next week. Do not start working until your topic is approved. When you finish the assignment, you should have the following submissions to turn in by the due date (week 8). Your instructions (Word) Your Usability Test Worksheet (either PDF or Word) Two separate photos from the usability test (JPEG, PNG, PDF, or Word)