Better Software - January 2008 - (Page 75) just soliciting feedback on a process that wasn’t enforced or used. In fact, once users became familiar with the processes themselves, unsolicited feedback started to pour in. Heuristics to Implement The following paragraphs detail some methods that worked for us during our user-centered approach to ePDQ 2.0. Incorporating these things into your own process improvement plan will leave you well on your way to molding an engaged set of users who will, in turn, be more willing to adopt the processes you deploy. HEURISTIC 1: PIQUE THE INTENDED USERS’ INTEREST As simple as it sounds, addressing the potential interests of the users was not something the original process definers considered. We recommended that the “do it or die” mentality be replaced by a genuine effort to incorporate the interests and needs of the practitioners. HEURISTIC 2: ENGAGE USERS One of the easiest ways to incorporate users’ interests and needs is to engage the users in the process design itself. Starting with the most experienced users—reminding them that they are being involved because of their expertise—is a key strategy to opening the lines of communication with users. Experienced workers will most likely be flattered to be involved and will readily offer their opinions. Obviously, this particular subset of the intended user group does not represent the full spectrum, but it is an important springboard from which to launch further user-centered efforts. Once the “experienced practitioner” foundation has been laid, it is more likely that the rest of the bricks (new hires, lessexperienced practitioners, etc.) will more easily fall into place. turned to recommendations for the presentation of the process documentation itself. As mentioned earlier, an overwhelming set of procedures, guidelines, work instructions, templates, checklists, etc., were developed for the ePDQ 1.0 release. Although it could be argued that difficult-to-read documentation is better than none at all, the sheer volume of information for users to digest, understand, and use in ePDQ 1.0 was enough to elicit information anxiety in even the most experienced team members. More specifically, users did not understand the relationships among the information sets. No apparent hierarchy of information was made explicit. Users did not always know which document would contain the information they were seeking. Still others struggled through the documents themselves, not understanding the “process lingo” or how what was written translated to their actual work. As information architects, we felt equipped to help re-architect how this wealth of process information should be presented to users. Consistency was one key benefit of re-architecting the documentation and laid the foundation for many other improvements. In addition to providing users with consistency in the way the information was presented, a more general goal was to enhance the documentation’s usability. Instead of viewing the list of documents and clicking several to see if the bit of information they wanted was contained in it, we knew we could make better use of previewing capabilities, building in “explanatory” tables of content so that users can determine what “lies within” before scrolling through pages and pages of content. it make sense to apply the same design concepts to process improvement? Your new process is something you want your users to “buy.” So, how can you encourage that? A user-centered design approach, customized to your business objectives and user needs, will help make successful process adoption infinitely more achievable for you and your organization. {end} Ember DeBoer is a former information architect and technical writer in the software engineering process group (SEPG) at Johnson Controls, Inc. (JCI) in Holland, MI. Ember now works as a communications specialist for a local educational services organization. She completed her master’s degree in technical communications from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and BA in scientific and technical communication from Michigan Technological University. Ember co-authored a book chapter in Power and Legitimacy in Technical Communication, Volume I: The Historical and Contemporary Struggle for Professional Status. Email Ember at ember.deboer@gmail.com. Jennifer Kolassa is an information architect in the software engineering process group (SEPG) at Johnson Controls, Inc. (JCI) in Holland, MI. Jennifer has worked as a technical writer and information architect at JCI for more than eight years, in both the validation and the software groups. Jennifer graduated from Michigan Technological University with a BS in scientific and technical communications. Jennifer received a certificate in human-computer interaction from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2004, and in 2006 she received a master’s degree in technical communication. Email Jennifer at jennifer.kolassa@jci.com. Conclusion HEURISTIC 3: CAPITALIZE ON THE BENEFITS OF INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE Now that we had in place solid strategies—piquing the users’ interest and engaging them in our redefinition process—for the underlying problem of opposition to the ePDQ process, we Usability and user-centered design are terms we hear a lot. Perhaps we have thought to ourselves, “Eh, it’s just a fad and it will pass.” But making things more usable—whether it’s a car’s navigation system, a software application, or a process document—is here to stay. Gone are the days of a product’s being successful in its market without focusing on usability. Think about how discerning you are with the products you buy and the Web sites you visit regularly. Doesn’t www.StickyMinds.com Sticky Notes For more on the following topics go to www.StickyMinds.com/bettersoftware. I I I CMMI References User-centered design resources JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008 BETTER SOFTWARE 75 http://www.StickyMinds.com/bettersoftware http://www.StickyMinds.com
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