Slides from a workshop on testing content, even when management doesn't expect you to.

1. Kristi Leach
WhyTechComm.com
@kristil
kwritenow@gmail.com
Grassroots Documentation Testing

2. Tech writer/help systems/6 yrs
 Degree in creative writing
 STC! Web work for STC UX SIG,
member of Chicago Chapter, VP and
President of the Suncoast Chapter
 Lots of tech comm interests—why a
workshop about testing?

3. DIY – because that’s all I can get
away with.

4. NVC– because I got my ass
kicked.
Photo by _Nezemnaya_

5. Collaboration – because I got stuck.
Photo by cogdogblog

6. Please contribute to the blog post
after the session.
http://whytechcomm.com/stc/grassroots-doc-
testing-workshop-sacramento-summary/
Photo by plasticrevolver

7. Who do we have in our group today?
Photo by aka*kirara

8. What do we mean by scenario?
Ginny Redish’s definition from Letting Go of the Words
(p.24): “Scenarios are short stories that give you a good
sense of the people who come to your site, what their lives
are like, and what they want to do at your web site.”
Pretend circumstances + a task for the tester to complete.
Photo by Jenniferschwalm

9. Example: Pages 9 and 10
 Let’s write a scenario for this illustration.

10. This exercise is a proxy.
How is this experience similar to what you would
experience if you did this at your company?
Photo by //amy//

11. What do we mean by severity?
Each group decide your two most severe
challenges.
At which points did you have difficulty?
Based on Steve Krug’s definition from Rocket Surgery
Made Easy (p.105):
• “Will a lot of people experience this problem?
• “Will it cause a serious problem for the people who
experience it, or is it just an inconvenience?”
Photo by joiseyshowaa

12. Form groups of 4-5 people and write
your own scenario. (15 minutes)

13. Choosing two scenarios and testers
Who has a finished scenario we can run?

14. Run the testing scenarios. (5
minutes)
Choose a test to observe.

15. List the things that were difficult. (It’s
not time for solutions yet . . .)
 Reminder: this is a proxy. Try to name difficulties that
you would likely experience at your company.
 Think of Krug’s definition of severity: consider
frequency and degree of difficulty.

16. Now it’s time for solutions.
Photo by Michael Silberstein

17. Kristi Leach |WhyTechComm.com | @kristil
kwritenow@gmail.com
Low-Budget Testing Resources
 Rocket Surgery Made Easy by Steve Krug:
http://www.sensible.com/rocketsurgery/index.html
 The Usability and User Experience STC SIG website:
http://www.stcsig.org/usability/
 Undercover User Experience Design by Cennydd Bowles and James Box:
http://undercoverux.com/resources.php
Collaboration Resources
 Nonviolent Communication by Marshall B. Rosenberg: NVC website:
http://www.cnvc.org/
 The Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense by Suzette Haden Elgin. Elgin's website:
http://www.adrr.com/aa/
 Words that Work in Business by Ike Lasater:
http://wordsthatwork.us/site/resources/articles/