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Dissertation Information for Kathleen Jean Mavourneen Haynes

NAME:
- Kathleen Jean Mavourneen Haynes

DEGREE:
- Ph.D.

DISCIPLINE:
- Library and Information Science

SCHOOL:
- Texas Woman's University (USA) (1986)

ADVISORS:
- Keith Swigger

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
- None

MPACT Status: Incomplete - Not_Inspected

Title: A STUDY OF THE ECOLOGICAL VALIDITY OF PROCEDURES IN STAGING, T-UNIT ROLES, AND DISCOURSE MATRIX DIAGRAMMING AND AN EXAMINATION OF THE CRITERIA FOR USABILITY FOR USER DOCUMENTATION FOR MICROCOMPUTERS

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to evaluate procedures for evaluating the usability of user documentation. The primary research questions is: Do the findings of individual studies using discourse analysis procedures have ecological validity when used to evaluate the usability of user documentation? Four descriptive procedures were selected which can be applied reasonably to user documentation for microcomputers. The procedures used are: staging, t-unit roles, discourse matrix diagramming, and criteria for usability. The problems related to document design and the contribution of the research on usability are reviewed. The interrelation of the prior knowledge of the user and the organization of the text to good user documentation cannot be denied. Discourse chunks from one user manual are analyzed using each of these procedures. Each of these is a different procedure for characterizing a text and they are used to predict sources of difficulty to be expected in a real-world observation of the natural use of the manual. Fifteen subjects with varying levels of microcomputer experience were observed using the analyzed chunks in the manual. Both experienced and novice users encountered a variety of difficulties when performing specific tasks. The staging procedure revealed that implied coordination and new information low in the staging hierarchy tend to produce errors. The t-unit role analysis indicated that poor placement of rhetorical or sequencing roles may be related to difficulty. It is also concluded that using many development t-units together (those which explain, define, or describe) does not allow the user time to assimilate the information. The discourse matrix diagrams supported predictions of ill-formed writing and identified important generalizations in the text. The questions examined for the criterion of usability indicated that the interpretation of the text is influenced by many contextual factors; legibility and layout of examples are primary concerns. The rereading of text was common for both experienced and novice users of computers, as was ignoring instructions and skipping over topics. The subjects were eager to learn, and they tried to find solutions to their problems, even when there was no explicit guidance from the manual. There is enough support to state that the discourse analysis procedures have ecological validity if they are combined with criteria for usability that are based on research.

MPACT Scores for Kathleen Jean Mavourneen Haynes

A = 0
C = 0
A+C = 0
T = 0
G = 0
W = 0
TD = 0
TA = 0
calculated 2008-12-04 14:31:56

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