Client-based Service-learning Project

For Project 3, you will work collaboratively in project teams on a client-based service-learning project that teaches you to manage complex writing challenges in real contexts that matter. You will learn principles of project management, collaboration, document cycling, usability testing and study, and client-based research. Because you will work with real clients--either in the community or online, you will also learn important principles of professional and ethical communication.

The goal will be to start with the Illustrated Instructions Project topics, such as wikis, podcasts, blogs, online selling, online databases, and other Web 2.0 technologies, and then, after user-testing and a usability study, produce a user-guide that recommends and teaches a critical and (perhaps) complex application of the technology to an interested client. You will begin the project by thinking of and contacting clients who may benefit from having such your report, which will consist of several components, including a short multmedia, web-based presentation. For some background reading and context, review Chapter 29, "Writing and Rhetoric on the Web" (641)in The Thomson Handbook, which presents some information on usability and accessibility issues. See especially the "Accessibility and Usability Resources" on page 658.

Discussion

Learning about usability studies: You'll spend some time in the early part of the project reading about usability studies and why they're useful for testing and user documentation, in addition to the development and design process in any industry.

Building on the past: You'll use the skills you learned in Project 2 as your starting point and then select your topic as some specific aspect (use) related to these ideas. For example, if the Instructions focuses on Google Docs, you might propose conducting a usability study and producing user documentation for using that tool for collaboration in technical writing context, or about how to use Google Docs to produce good PDF files. Those instructions will give you a base to build on.

Rhetorical Situation: The primary audience for your writing will consist of client whom you contact at the outset of your project. Your goal is to produce user documentation, conduct a usability study, and then package and submit everything to the client as a report by the end of the project. A subsidiary audience is other people interested in these new technologies (the early adopters in the public sphere), even entrepreneurs who may see (or desire) new applications for these technologies for business, education, and enterprise purposes.

Writing That Matters : As with Project 2, students whose work focuses on open source software or technologies may be able to publish their work at the Open Source Development and Documentation Project. If the work focuses on writing and communication technologies, we will encourage you to submit your work to the professional writing program for showcasing on our resources website for subsequent use by future students, instructors, and the public.

Project Goals

This project emphasizes several important goals that all professional writers should bear in mind and that are consistent with those of the Professional Writing Program at Purdue.

Writing in Context

  • Analyze the invention, manufacture, and distribution of technologies in context and use writing to communicate these attributes in a variety of media and genres.
  • Write to the different levels of technical expertise of a range of audiences and stakeholders to foster technical understanding.
  • Understand the ethical implications of working within the nexus of technology and culture.

Project Management

  • Understand, develop and deploy various strategies for planning, researching, drafting, revising, and editing documents both individually and collaboratively.
  • Build professional ethos through documentation and accountability.

Document Design

  • understanding and implementing design principles of format and layout
  • interpreting and arguing with design
  • drafting, researching, testing, revising visual design and information architecture
  • ensuring the technical accuracy of visual content

Teamwork
Learn and apply strategies for successful teamwork, such as

  • working online with colleagues to determine roles and responsibilities
  • managing team conflicts constructively
  • responding constructively to peers' work
  • soliciting and using peer feedback effectively
  • achieving team goals

Research
Understand and use the research methods and strategies necessary to the production of professional documents, including

  • working ethically with research participants, subject matter experts, and technical experts
  • locating, evaluating, and using print and online information selectively for particular audiences and purposes
  • selecting appropriate primary research methods such as interviews, observations, focus groups, and surveys to collect data
  • applying concepts of usability research, such as user-centered design

Technology
Use and evaluate the writing technologies frequently used in the workplace, such as emailing, instant messaging, image editing, video editing, presentation design and delivery, HTML editing, Web browsing, content management, and desktop publishing technologies.

Deliverables

  1. Project proposal. Each group will do preliminary research on the available Instructions topics already submitted, then propose a focus for their usability study and user documentation. This can also be opened up beyond our Instructions to other Web 2.0 technologies. The goal will be to submit a proposal as a "story" at our course website for class discussion and feedback. Your proposal should include client information.
  2. Project logs. Each group member will keep a weekly project log on their individual weblog. See the guidelines for project logs.
  3. Design and conduct a usability study. Build upon the models provided to create 1) individually generated usability studies, posted to individual blogs and tagged appropriately (e.g., "Group 3 Usability"); a compiled usability report that take each member's experiences/data and pulls them together to draw some conclusions.
  4. User documentation. Using the usability research in Step 3, decide on the focus for the user documentation that the group will produce. Post the topic proposal/focus as a story to allow for group feedback. Make sure your topic is very tightly focused since good user documentation is highly detailed (if your focus is too broad, you're documentation will be too long to produce given our time constraints). In this step, you'll produce two drafts. The first draft will be text-only and no visuals. In the second draft, you'll incorporate visual content to support the textual content.
  5. Short multimedia presentation for Web delivery. Use PowerPoint, Keynote, Captivate, or Connect to create a short movie that would stand-in partly as viewable documentation and a persuasive deliverable. Adobe Captivate is available in Purdue labs. You also have access (from anywhere) to Adobe Connect, which is useful for capturing screen movements as a Flash movie.
  6. Peer Collaboration Evaluation Form Memo. At the end of the project, each group member will provide a detailed evaluation of all of the group's members and submit the form memo to the instructor via email.

Collaboration

Successful collaboration will be a critical component of this project. Follow guidelines for successful collaboration as described in The Thomson Handbook (see and discussed in other course readings and messages. To summarize, you should

  • Work collaboratively with the rest of the group in researching and drafting, including participating in any online group meetings and providing deliverables in a timely manner in the requested format.
  • Follow good professional communication practices, especially in project and issue logs
  • CC all group members on any email communication regarding the project (including contacting the instructor, unless of a personal nature).
  • When assigned, provide detailed feedback to other groups on their projects/drafts.
  • Conduct oneself in a professional manner in all group communication and when giving feedback to other groups.

Grading

Your individual grade for this project will be based the work produced by your team and the quality of your contribution to the project, as determined by your project evaluation forms and project logs. Project 3 is worth 25% of your overall course grade.

Supporting Readings from the Thomson Handbook

  • Chapter 7, "Understanding Academic Genres" (123)
  • Chapter 10, "Reading Images Critically" (175)
  • Chapter 12, "Writing for Business and the Workplace" (217)
  • Chapters 19 and 20 (MLA and APA style) (377 and 443)
  • Chapter 24, "Using Visuals to Inform and Persuade" (557)
  • Chapter 29, "Writing and Rhetoric on the Web" (641)
  • Chapter 30, "Designing Simple Web Pages" (659)
  • Chapter 31, "Designing Complex Websites" (681)
  • Chapter 32, "Multimedia Composing" (705)