The document provides instructions for creating a Gmail email account for high school students to use for college recruitment. It outlines 6 steps for creating an account, including choosing a professional username with first initial and last name, providing additional contact information, verifying the account, and agreeing to privacy terms. A test user was able to follow the instructions to successfully create an account, though struggled to choose an available professional username and found the layout formal and possibly unappealing to students.

1. Creating an email account – Instructional Brief:
Context: High school students preparing for collegiate softball competition and recruitment, in
need of an email account, specifically for this purpose
Students: 14-18 year olds
Background: Students will be college bound students with the desire to play collegiate softball
Prerequisite Knowledge: This instructional guide is step 4 of a larger recruitment process
Learning Groups: High school students, ages 14-18
Learning Outcomes: Students will be able to sufficiently create a new email account, for the
use of college recruitment
Creating an email account – Instructional Guide:
The goal of this instructional guide is to aid the potential collegiate student-athlete in the
creation of a Gmail email account.
Directions:
Step 1: Navigate to Gmail homepage on the browser. In bottom left side of sign in page, click
“Create Account.”
Step 2: Enter the information needed to create Google account.
- Username:
o Should be a professional screenname
o Include first initial and last name (if possible)
o Can include numbers, less than 3 is ideal
o Stay away from full name, can get extensively long, making it easier for
mistakes
Step 3: After creating desired username and password, click “next” to continue with process.
The following page offers user the option to add additional information. By entering phone
number and recovery e-mail address, the user has options for recovery if locked out from
account.

2. Step 4: Verify phone number entered on previous page. Choose either option, to have
verification code sent to email, or opt out and click “not now.”
Step 5: The following page is the Privacy and Terms agreement. By clicking “I agree” the user is
abiding to the agreement terms presented by Google.
Step 6: User is prompted with various screens offering advice and tips on new Google account.
Instructional Guide DataSheet
Teacher name: Aly Boytz
Instructional Guide Title: Creating Email Account
User: Ryanne, a current WOU student, female, age 21. With the limited access to high school
students, due to my profession as NCAA collegiate coach, the candidates for ideal test users
(high school aged) were limited.
Test site location: Coffee shop
Background: She is comfortable on a computer, navigating webpages, and is familiar with email
accounts. She has her WOU email account as well as one other personal account, both accounts
were set up for her by someone else. She has never set up an account alone, this was the first
time doing so.
Briefly describe how you explained/presented the IG to the user:
I told Ryanne I needed a user to test my IG, and asked if she felt comfortable performing the
tasks I had presented. She felt as though she was a good test user, because of her lack of
previous experience creating an account.
Briefly describe what the user seemed to understand:
Ryanne knew how to access the Google homepage, and navigate to the opening Gmail page.
Briefly describe what the user did not seem to understand:
Ryanne did not come across any steps that she did not understand, though made a suggestion
to write out the homepage website for Gmail.
Briefly describe what challenges the user had:

3. The main challenge that Ryanne was presented with, was the ability to create a username that
was available, and remained professional.
Identify any questions the user had:
What classified a username as “professional”?
Identify any times you had to intervene or support the user—what elements of the IG did it
focus on?
I had to intervene when she was in the process of finding usernames that were available
Did the user successfully complete/reach the learning goal.
The user did reach the learning goal.
How do you know this?
I know this because after following the steps listed, she had completed the creation of a new
email account.
What other observations do you have?
The user referred to the layout as “very formal.” She suggested that it may not be too appealing
to the average high school aged student.