Assignment Sheet Project 1: Usability Project Description Students will create a 2-3 page internal report detailing the usability of a website or app. This will include findings, usability research, and recommendations. This will be the only formal project where using “I” will be acceptable. Resources  Chapter 13  Canvas Resources  Class Lectures (Take Notes)  Office Hours Due Dates  PEER REVIEW (complete draft required for credit): see schedule and Canvas  FINAL DOCUMENT: see schedule and Canvas ABOUT THE PROJECT To follow-up on our in-class discussions, we’ve learned that understanding audience is paramount to quality technical writing. It is the technical writer’s job to construct an appropriate document based on what the audience expects and needs. We’ve also covered the basics of what a “good” technical document should do. We know that a technical document should:  Address a specific audience  Facilitate an audience’s ability to solve problems, gain new information, and to carry out work  Use genre, style, design, visuals, color, type, etc. to enhance readability, clarity, and usability  Allow the audience to gain information quickly and find information easily Furthermore, technical documents are often the result of collaboration and usually represent an organization’s or company’s goals, culture, and values (Markel, 2015, p. 7). We also know that usability and user-based design is important in technical writing. In the broader sense, usability often requires testing the effectiveness of a product, design, or building. Usability engineers, for example, might spend time testing a design for a user’s ergonomic comfort. In terms of technical writing, usability and usability testing refers to the readability and usefulness of the document. To further our discussion on technical writing, audience, and usability, you are going to analyze how effectively a website or a smartphone app has constructed its interface for its intended audience. In (Project 1) 2 other words, your job will be to navigate a website or app of your choosing and analyze how the website or app handles (or fails to handle) the needs of its users. The website or app will be your choice, but it must be one that has more than one page or function (in other words, a website or app which can be explored, has multiple pages, or has multiple user features). Although we will be doing limited usability testing during a class session, the assignment requires you to test the website or app on one user outside of our class (this user must have no background experience with the particular website or app interface). NOTE This is an individually written assignment. Make sure you thoroughly understand the assignment and have thoroughly explored the website or app before writing your internal report. Being specific and detailed in your report is required. For example, if you state that the app is ...

1. Assignment Sheet
Project 1: Usability
Project Description
Students will create a 2-3 page internal report detailing the
usability of a website or app. This will
include findings, usability research, and recommendations. This
will be the only formal project
where using “I” will be acceptable.
Resources
Due Dates
EW (complete draft required for credit): see
schedule and Canvas

2. ABOUT THE PROJECT
To follow-up on our in-class discussions, we’ve learned that
understanding audience is paramount to
quality technical writing. It is the technical writer’s job to
construct an appropriate document based on
what the audience expects and needs. We’ve also covered the
basics of what a “good” technical
document should do. We know that a technical document
should:
a specific audience
information, and to carry out work
readability, clarity, and usability
nformation quickly and find
information easily
Furthermore, technical documents are often the result of
collaboration and usually represent an
organization’s or company’s goals, culture, and values (Markel,
2015, p. 7).
We also know that usability and user-based design is important
in technical writing. In the broader
sense, usability often requires testing the effectiveness of a
product, design, or building. Usability
engineers, for example, might spend time testing a design for a

3. user’s ergonomic comfort. In terms of
technical writing, usability and usability testing refers to the
readability and usefulness of the document.
To further our discussion on technical writing, audience, and
usability, you are going to analyze how
effectively a website or a smartphone app has constructed its
interface for its intended audience. In
(Project 1) 2
other words, your job will be to navigate a website or app of
your choosing and analyze how the website
or app handles (or fails to handle) the needs of its users. The
website or app will be your choice, but it
must be one that has more than one page or function (in other
words, a website or app which can be
explored, has multiple pages, or has multiple user features).
Although we will be doing limited usability
testing during a class session, the assignment requires you to
test the website or app on one user
outside of our class (this user must have no background
experience with the particular website or app
interface).
NOTE
This is an individually written assignment. Make sure you
thoroughly understand the assignment and
have thoroughly explored the website or app before writing your
internal report. Being specific and
detailed in your report is required. For example, if you state
that the app is easy to use, you must

4. describe why, etc.
GETTING STARTED
Select a website or app that you use and know well (OSU’s
website cannot be used for this project as we
used it as an in-class example). This must be a freely available
website or app that your instructor can
also access. For example, you could analyze the app you use to
edit, store, and print photos you take on
your cell phone. Alternatively, you could choose to analyze the
news website that you read every
morning, etc. The choice is yours, but make sure to select a
website or app that you already know well.
Once you’ve decided on which website or app to use, spend
some time analyzing it and create a set of
notes (your notes will be included with your project as part of
your drafts and submitted as part of your
final Project 1 portfolio through Canvas).
In your notes (and eventual report) answer the following
questions:
arly state this.
(colors, font, use of visuals, etc.)?
attributes that were listed in the
“About the Project” section?
easy do you find the website or app to navigate and

5. accomplish your user goals? For
example, notice how many clicks it takes getting to key
information or how easy it is to locate a
“help” or “search bar”.
and why)?
As part of your usability analysis, you will need to “test” the
website or app on a person who is not
familiar with it. Have a roommate, classmate, friend, family
member, etc. sit down with you and use
the website or app. You should spend at least 20 to 30 minutes
with this person. Make sure the person is
aware of the time commitment.
You can let the user explore as you take notes or you can also
direct them to find certain features or do
specified tasks (but don’t help them find the features or tasks as
they explore). As they explore the
website or app, take notes about what they do, where they click,
how long it takes them to discover or
(Project 1) 3
use features, etc. You should also note what you expected them
to do versus what they ended up doing
(For example, maybe you always first check the sports link on
the news site and you expected your user
to do the same. Instead, they clicked on the local news link first
because it was the first item listed in a
dropdown menu). Be detailed in your notes and provide

6. specific information about what the test user
did, said, etc. in your report.
When your user has finished exploring the website or app (let
them explore at least 20 minutes), ask
them more about their user experience with the interface. Ask
the following questions and take detailed
notes (which will be used to construct your report later). **Feel
free to add to these questions, modify,
or adapt them to better suit the website or app you used.
List of questions:
look? Did you find the colors easy to
see or pleasing? What do you think of the font? Etc.
he design features that you found easy to
use in this website or app? Describe
why they seem easy to use?
Hard? How many seconds or clicks did it
take? How long do you think it should have taken? (Or ask
about any feature they tested and
how easy or difficult it was to find, navigate use, etc.).
similar websites or apps that you’ve
used? (Make sure to record what they compare the website or
app to as part of your report).

7. Describe them. What do you think should
work differently? What changes would you, a new user,
suggest? Would you use this website or
app again?
Once you’ve finished your notes, finished testing a user, etc.,
you are ready to construct your internal
report. Use the guidelines below to organize, craft content, and
prepare your internal report. Remember
that there are many “good” ways of organizing this report. Build
your paragraphs around strong topic
sentences and use specific details to support your claims. Make
sure to always cite any information
paraphrased or related to a source.
PROJECT LEARNING OUTCOMES
Students will demonstrate the ability to:
-centered
design matters in technical writing,
and analyze audience.
ot only grammatically correct but also
descriptive and specific.
1) Identify purpose and audience
2) Improvise genre
3) Construct audience
4) Use rhetorical tools consciously

8. (Project 1) 4
Rhetorical Context
Audience:
Your instructor will be your audience for this first project.
Purpose:
1. To show understanding of audience, purpose, user centered
design, etc.
2. To understand usability.
3. Learn the format of an internal report.
Think:
What does this audience want or need? What details will be
important to include in your
internal report? How will you support your findings and
recommendations?
Assignment Content Requirements
Sources:
The website or app that you analyze will serve as a source. You
must mention it by name and cite it

9. both in your report and on the reference list. When appropriate,
you can include a link or a small
screenshot of the feature/s you point out in your report (this
might help show a reader what you
mean and show flaws/interface features). Screenshots of the app
or site are recommended (but not
required). If you provide a screenshot in the report, make sure
to properly label and caption the
image (go to Canvas and find the document “Using Visuals in
Technical Documents” for a resource).
You must also cite any images used within the report and on the
reference page.
Parts to Include in the Informal Report (although you will have
to use your discretion to organize your
information):
used, briefly describe the purpose
of the website or app, and briefly describe the intended
audience. This likely should take at least
a paragraph. Also provide the proper framing for a technical
document: establish the purpose of
the report (what the report sets out to do, inform, or provide),
establish the organization of the
coming report, etc.
usual
use of the website or app and your
analysis of the website or app. Use your notes and create more
formal, organized paragraphs of
information Organize paragraphs around topic sentences. Detail
how the website or app fulfils
technical writing ideals (or not). For example, detail and rate
the effective features on the

10. website or app, etc. Cite any information specific to that
website or app within the report. This
likely will take 3 to 4 paragraphs (perhaps more). If you use a
screenshot or screenshots, make
sure to properly label, caption, and cite them (both in your
report and on the reference page).
app, their age, their typical website or
app usage, if they fit the target audience for the website or app,
etc. (don’t use their names, keep
physical identifying features anonymous). This should take a
paragraph. Then describe their
background with using similar websites or apps, how much
direction you provided as they
navigated the website or app, if you simply took notes on how
they navigated, etc.). Describe the
testing process, what the tester did, what was easy, what they
did not discover, etc. For example,
you might note how long it took them to find certain features on
the interface that you
(Project 1) 5
prompted them to find (for example, how long it took them to
find the link to the “about us”
page). You would note features they thought were easy to use
and ones that didn’t seem to
meet this user’s needs. Include how the interface helped or
hindered the user. You must be
specific. Vague descriptions will lower scores. In other words,
accurately record the user’s
experience and provide concrete details relating to the user’s

11. experience. This part should take 3
to 4 paragraphs (perhaps more). Cite any information specific to
that website or app within the
report.
experience as a longtime user of the website
or app was different from the new user you had test the website
or app. Be specific and provide
specific details and examples. This should take 1 to 2
paragraphs. Cite any information specific to
that website or app within the report.
analysis, what specific changes might
make the website or app more user centered? How might the
website or app better support
established users (like you)? How might the website or app
better support new users (like the
person you had test the website or app)? Provide specific
examples. The recommendation should
take a 1 to 2 paragraphs. Cite any information specific to that
website or app within the report.
Format:
for the internal report.
left margin):
Student Name
WR 327 (class time)

12. Date
document: Usability of______________
on second and subsequent pages
(but no last name/page number on page 1).
to organize parts of the report)
Single spaced block paragraphs. No indentations, 1 blank line
between paragraphs.
ike
screenshots, are used). See the
document “Using Visuals in Technical Documents” for a
formatting resource (found on Canvas).
-text citations and References page.