Using role sets to engage and persuade visitors of websites that promote safe sex.

Promoting safe sexual behavior is difficult because of the face threatening nature of such messages. Too much facework involves the risk of the message to become unclear and noncommittal, while too little facework might end in the reader resisting the message, and even boomerang effects (reactance). In this paper, it is argued that creating appropriate author and reader roles (role sets) might be an effective way to escape from this dilemma. Some examples are analyzed to identify different role sets and to discuss how they can help. The paper concludes with some considerations on the effect of creating role sets on the persuasiveness of Web sites

Author and reader in Instructions for use

Instructions for use should not be seen as merely instrumental-they should also persuade the reader to read the text and to act accordingly. Moreover, they should establish a positive image of the product and the manufacturer. In this paper, a collection of instructions for use is used to identify strategies that technical writers apply to fulfill these `rhetorical' demands; especially strategies that involve the author-reader relationship. The analysis shows that the implied author's role is not only that of a neutral instructor, but also that of a teacher or a salesman. The reader is not only addressed as a technical `operator', but also as a `user' who applies the product in a `real-life task'. The analysis also shows that technical writers sometimes use subtle politeness strategies to compensate for `face threatening acts' (FTAs). However, all of these rhetorical strategies seem to be applied very unsystematically and often clumsily. The conclusion is that technical writers may be aware of rhetorical demands for their documents, but that the instrumental function still is paramount in their eye

The Sequential Order of Procedural Instructions: Some Formal Methods for Designers of Flow Charts

Document designers who present procedural instructions can choose several formats: prose, table, logical tree, or flow chart. In all cases, however, it is essential that the instructions are ordered in a way that allows users to reach the outcome in as little time as possible. In this article two formal methods are discussed that help determine which order is most efficient. The first method is based on the selection principle. The second method is based on the principle of the average least effort

Evaluation of User Support: Factors That Affect User Satisfaction With Helpdesks and Helplines

In addition to technical documentation, face-to-face helpdesks and telephonic helplines are a powerful means for supporting users of technical products and services. This study investigates the factors that determine user satisfaction with helpdesks and helplines. A survey, based on the SERVQUAL framework and questionnaire, shows that the SERVQUAL dimensions of customer satisfaction are not applicable in these contexts. Three quality dimensions were found instead: solution quality, the experience of the consultation, and, in the case of a physical environment, the so-called tangibles. Helpdesk customers base their overall quality perceptions mainly on their experiences during a consultation, while helpline customers focus strongly on the quality of the solution offered.\ud The study also found a connection between the perceived helpline quality and the appreciation of the primary service

Beyond technical documentation: users helping each other

The author reflects on what users will expect from 'customer support' in the near future. To this end he looks at relevant literature and also reflects on the content of some current customer support sites on the Internet. In particular he focuses on two expectations. Firstly, users will expect tailored information. They want a straight answer to their individual questions and needs. As opposed to 'documentation', the helpdesk might well be a better metaphor for technical communication in the future. And, secondly, users will expect communication rather than documentation. As opposed to 'documentation', dialogue would seem to be a better metaphor for technical communication in the future. A communication mode that seems to meet these expectations are Internet- or intranet-based user forums. Many users of advanced software systems prefer to address their questions to user forums rather than to search for answers in the documentation. Not surprisingly, many companies host user forums on their customer support Web sites. But how well do these forums meet users' needs and expectations? A preliminary study of user forums suggests that they indeed cater to the needs for tailored information and dialogue

The effect of nonhuman’s versus human’s external regulation on children’s speech use, manifested self-regulation, and satisfaction during learning tasks

Because of several analytical and methodological critiques on the findings and contexts of children’s private speech (PS), self-regulation learning (SRL), and thinking aloud (TA), the present study was conducted to shed new light on the effect of the nonhuman’s/computer’s versus human’s/teacher’s intervention (C-Condition versus T-Condition) on young children’s speech use, SRL, and satisfaction during learning tasks. Four developmental measurements with novel criteria were used to measure: (1) speech analysis, (3) SRL as a function of task level selection, (3) SRL as a function of task precision, and (4) a friendly-chat questionnaire to measure children’s satisfaction. Two types of intervention (enacted versus verbal encouragement) were applied through computer-based learning environment and investigated by forty preschool children divided by their teachers between the two conditions equivalently. It was hypothesized that children who acted alone (C-Condition) were more PS productive, manifested higher SRL, task performance, and satisfaction. The results confirmed the hypothesis with no significant differential effect of the gender on performance, showed that the injudicious use of encouragement hindered the children’s regulation behavior, and proved that PS and TA elicitation were fully different. However, the results were not confirmed Vygotsky’s view and simultaneously not fully inline with Piaget’s view of self-regulation development

The effect of the external regulator’s absence on children’s speech use, manifested self-regulation, and task performance during learning tasks

The present study was conducted to explore the effect of the absence of the external regulators on children’s use of speech (private/social), task performance, and self-regulation during learning tasks. A novel methodology was employed through a computer-based learning environment that proposed three types/units of encouragement with only two sequences of instructional conditions, Verbal–Gesture–Silent (VGS) versus Silent–Gesture–Verbal (SGV). The Knowledge of response (KR) was applied as: verbal KR feedback with verbal encouragement during the verbal unit, visualization-representation of KR without verbal encouragement during the gesture unit, and no KR feedback without any encouragement during the silent unit. Three measurements were used: speech analysis, novel criteria to measure self-regulation and task performance, and a computer-based friendly chat questionnaire to measure children’s satisfaction. Forty preschool children were divided by their teachers between the two conditions equivalently. It was hypothesized that children in the VGS condition were more speech productive, manifested higher self-regulation, task performance, and satisfaction. The results showed significant differential effect on the speech intensity and manifested self-regulation with no significant differential effect on task performance and satisfaction during learning tasks. However, the results were not confirmed Vygotsky’s view as it were supported (neutralizing, at best) to Piaget’s view of self-regulation development

From expert-driven to user-oriented communication of infection control guidelines

Currently, infection control guidelines in hospitals and other health care institutions are more expert-driven than user-oriented. In order to enhance the usability of the expert-driven guideline format, we developed a website for the communication of existing guidelines that better fit the practical information needs of health care workers (HCWs). We employed a user-centered design process that involved two studies.\ud \ud In the initial study, 28 HCWs were asked to solve tasks using existing, paper-based infection control guidelines. In order to detect their strategies and problems, the participants were asked to think aloud. Usability problems occurred due to poorly structured information, insufficient quality of information, and a mismatch between experts’ and HCWs’ vocabulary. To overcome these shortcomings, three design principles were applied for communicating infection control guidelines: better navigation (the guidelines should be searchable in several ways); multimodality (the guidelines should not be presented as text only), and action-orientation (the guidelines should be presented as HCWs’ behaviors). A website was developed to meet these principles.\ud \ud In the second study, the same 28 HCWs completed tasks identical to those of the first study while thinking aloud, but this time using the website. The percentage of correctly completed tasks increased and the mean time for task completion decreased significantly. Also, respondents were more satisfied with the website than the paper-based guidelines. The number of problems due to poor information quality and a mismatch in vocabulary declined, although the number of structural problems increased. This can probably be explained by the fact that the navigation structure was user-generated (using Card Sort), in contrast to a standardized answer format based on common usability principles.\ud \ud Overall, we found that involving HCWs in the development process is important to create a sense of ownership and to foster the implementation of the guidelines, which might eventually result in compliance and reduce health care-associated infections. This paper outlines concrete steps for how to involve HCWs in the design process