Instructions Analysis

This assignment is a continuation of the “Instructions Selection” memo. For this assignment you will be expected to take the audience and goal information you obtained for that assignment and:

• Usability test the instructions ( with the intended audience)
• Complete a usablity testing worksheet with this information.
• Write a 2-3 page memo analyzing the instructions you chose and the user testing that you completed.

Step One: The first thing I did for this memo was the usability testing of my audience, college students. I chose my boyfriend and roommate because I knew that they would be honest and helpful. I also knew that they would also be available and near by if I needed to ask them another question etc. It kept the assignment light and fun, and as an added bonus I got to enjoy soup with friends! : )

I asked them to imagine that they were in a hurry to get to class but wanted a quick bite before hand. I told them this because I think that this is the typical scenario in which “Soup At Hand” would be prepared.

I gathered my results by measuring how long it took each student to complete a step and also how accurately they followed the step instructions. Dr.Fricke’s usability testing sheet had two questions on it. I added another question: Do you think the quality of the soup was affected by not following the directions? I asked them this because I had an inkling that microwave soup is pretty hard to mess up and that maybe the instructions aren’t very important at all.

*Hint: Dr. Fricke gave us time in class to work on the “user testing” portion. Although I already knew who I wanted to test for the “fun factor”, helping others do their user testing actually helped me out a lot. Always say yes if someone asks you to user test their instructions and think about the questions they ask you. Should you use that question? Were you thinking of using that question but when you were asked found that question was not very helpful? Anything to help you get a better grade : )

Step Two: Writing that memo. The best way to write the memo is to look at the questions Dr. Fricke has posted. Since he is the one grading the assignment these are the questions he is looking for to be answered.

So what did I find?

Campbell’s Soup At Hand is a yummy and easy product to prepare. My usability testing proved that the instructions on the back though are not as god as the product within!

My suspicion that I voiced earlier: that the product instructions might not have been for quality, was confirmed. Both of the users did not follow the instructions correctly but the quality of the soup did not fall.

From these results I concluded that the instructions may be written for safety more than anything else. The instructions have large warnings for the sharp edges and how to store leftovers, the rest of the directions might just be for those who have never preparedsoup before, or really like exactly following directions : )

Here is the draft that i turned in to Dr. Fricke: Instructions Analysis

*Hint: If you get a chance, talk to Dr. Fricke outside of class and get some extra help. In a class full of students it can be hard to give your full attention to a paper. I went to Dr. Fricke’s office and went through my rough draft with him and I think my grade was a little better for it. Our class also got a chance to edit this assignment again after turning it in. I’d definitely recommend paying attention to all of Dr. Fricke’s comments and coming that day for sure!