Writing for Interaction

Chapter 4

Gathering Data about Your Users

Introduction

Learning about your users and understanding how they use your application are important for ensuring that the content you create meets their information needs. Simple research methodologies can be used to learn about your users, their work practices, and what motivates them to use your application. This can be a daunting task, and it’s easy to become overwhelmed with facts and data. Creating a plan and limiting your research to common user tasks and goals will help you stay focused. A good way to start is by thinking about user goals, as well as the tasks your users will want to complete to meet those goals. Then define your research plan and questions around those goals. After gathering your ...