Monthly Archives: April 2016

User Test Report.

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Introduction: The purpose of this report is to report on the success of the testing of my instructions.  My instructions are on how to fold a towel as well as how to roll a towel. My instructions are aimed at any one and everyone and I think my test group is a fair example of who may be using the instructions.

 

Objectives: The objectives of my instructions are to convey how to properly fold and roll towels. The objective of my tests were to find if there were any holes in the instructions or badly worded instructions.

 

Method: My instructions are not going to undergo any changes from draft to final. My users didn’t report back any issues with the instructions so I see no reason to change them at this point in time. My testers were Jongwoo Won (fellow classmate), Luke Kincaid (older brother) and Hannah Kincaid (younger sister). I wish I was able to get more classmates feedback but due to my late posting of the instructions I only have one classmate’s feedback. All of the testers conducted the test at their homes which is a fitting place for the test because that is the place the testers would normally do this task. The procedure was simple I asked them to follow the instructions I had provided carefully and report to me any issues they saw in the instructions. Jongwoo posted a video of himself completing the instructions with commentary, Luke and Hannah conducted their tests in front of me and gave me direct feedback.

 

Results: The results I got from my testers were all good. No one had a problem that I saw or that was reported to me. I did see that Hannah was having an issue rolling the towel but she consulted my troubleshooting guide and was able to complete the task because of it.

Instructions.

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   Before I begin this blog post I would like to start by apologizing to my fellow classmates as well as my instructor. I mixed up due dates in this class and another class I am currently taking and that has resulted in me not posting this assignment when I should have.I realize that in an online class such as this it is even more important that things get done on time since we are all depending on each other for feedback. This mix up of mine has also resulted in me rushing to get it done once I realized my mistake so with that said the content is a little simple but I tried to make it at least a little bit more interesting. Once again I apologize to everyone who was affected by my blunder and I will do my best to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

Here are my instructions. I believe you should be able to comment on it if not let me know and I will attempt to fix it.

Second blog post.

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In my field of electrical technology I run into technical writing all the time. The most common form of technical writing I encounter is in the form of datasheets. Datasheets are documents that contain all the information you could need about a particular component from pin-outs to how the output will change with variations in temperature. Below is an example of one of the last pages found in most datasheets. These typically sum up all of the information into a grid so it can be quickly referenced. This particular one is for a 555 timer which is a very common componet in most digital electronics.

One of the last pages of a Fairchild brand 555 timers datasheet.                                                     Image obtained from datasheetq.com

Another place I encounter technical writing in my field is in travel documents for products I am testing at USNR. I work with their TriCam scanners that use a camera mounted on the top to look at the points created by diffracting a laser into a line on the bottom and firing it at the lumber to be scanned the image below is one of the models of these I typically work with. I have to separate the controller and scan head and test them individually. After I test them I create travel paperwork for each of them that includes the parts serial number and what exactly is wrong with it. The travel paperwork informs whoever receives it next what I have found and  the course of action I recommend to fix the problem.

A TriCam Sensor.                                                                                                     Image from pubweb.usnr.com

An example of a professional website in my field is datasheetcatalog.com.  This website is a depository of datasheets from many different companies and can be an invaluable resource when trying to troubleshoot or build a circuit. What I like about this particular website as opposed to other similar ones is the background isn’t just solid white. It has a circuit board design as the background which can be a nice distraction for the eyes when you are hunting for that specific part number in a long list of similar part numbers. Their home page is pretty well designed, it has seven options other than English in the top right hand corner and right in the middle of the page is a grouping of company logos of the companies they have datasheets for. These logos are links that take you right into that manufacturers datasheets.

Blog design

I chose the theme I did because it is simple and not flashy while being professional. while the background is a plain white I think the blue helps break up the page. I chose the header picture I did because I thought it would help convey a sense of learning and desire for knowledge. I still might change the design and theme of my blog. When I started the blog I was more concerned at the time with getting the assignment done than making the blog look just right. I didn’t run into many problems setting up my blog. The biggest problem I ran into was figuring out how to get the class blogs plugin on my blog. I solved this by double checking the instructions provided and looking on the forums on moodle to see if anyone else was having a similar issue.