atw: Re: Should we always give users what they ask for?
- From: "John Catania" <jcatania@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 10 Mar 2009 18:13:42 +1000
Hi Geoff,
Thanks for providing me with some context regarding the traditional scientific
method of measuring comprehension; that helps to inform my understanding. I
still think that the age issue (which seemingly has not had adequate scientific
study) is very relevant. There may still be a generational disjunction in the
workforce; an increasing number of younger workers, raised in the so-called
'digital age', comprehend things differently to their older counterparts. I'm
not intending to sound ageist, but we live in an ageing population; this
current 'digital age' generation of workers will determine how information
needs to be delivered. It may be inevitable: yes, we should consider the
desires of the 'digital age' workers; they will soon be the majority.
----- Original Message -----
From: Geoffrey Marnell
To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Monday, March 09, 2009 1:07 PM
Subject: atw: Re: Should we always give users what they ask for?
Hi John,
No, it's not "that users might make the wrong choice regarding what media
they use". The issue is that they may believe they understand something without
actually understanding it. The way comprehension levels are usually measured is
you get the readers to answer questions about what they have just read. The
results I mentioned in my first posting result from giving two groups of people
the same text to read (one delivered online and the other delivered on paper)
and then asking them questions about the text to see how well they understood
it. Almost every result I have seen shows that those who get the text online
can answer fewer questions correctly than those who read the same text on
paper. So a power-plant operator, relying on online instructions, may
misunderstand the instructions (or be more likely to misunderstand the
instructions) if they were only available online (or even if they were allowed
to read them in preference to identical paper instructions).
And hence the concern I raised, which I shall repeat (if only to keep the
debate on track):
1.. Some want us to pay special attention to the media preferences of our
readers. Give them what they want, in other words.
2.. Many of the same folk suggest that younger readers prefer digital
media, and that soon the younger reader will become all readers.
3.. Can we reconcile these two claims: if we give readers want they want
and they all want online, will there be problems.
4.. In the injury-and-death situations I mentioned, there may well be
problems.
5.. In the call-centre example I gave, there may be business reasons to
prefer one medium over another (and not necessarily the one that readers
prefer).
6.. Thus we should not, perhaps, accept that reader preferences carry the
day: yes or no? That was the question I asked, and not too many correspondents
have actually answered it directly.
Cheers
Geoffrey Marnell
Principal Consultant
Abelard Consulting Pty Ltd
T: +61 3 9596 3456
F: +61 3 9596 3625
W: www.abelard.com.au
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of John Catania
Sent: Monday, March 09, 2009 1:00 PM
To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: atw: Re: Should we always give users what they ask for?
Hi Geoffrey,
Are you suggesting that users might make the wrong choice regarding what
media they use to read the information? Perhaps in some cases, such as a
nuclear power plant crisis, online delivery of information may not be
appropriate; in a crisis, access to power would clearly be a problem. However,
in times when the plant is running smoothly, it may be more efficient to
provide online documents, given that most users prefer online. I think the
question is: why do they prefer online? Perhaps they believe that they
comprehend materials better in that format?
Providing a range of formats (online, print, video etc), where appropriate
(i.e. not when life may be endangered by using a computer, such as in a nuclear
crisis), seems reasonable to ensure users access information in the most
meaningful way. One caveat, though: it may not be cost-effective to provide a
range of formats for documentation; that would be at the company's discretion.
----- Original Message -----
From: Geoffrey Marnell
To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Monday, March 09, 2009 10:52 AM
Subject: atw: Re: Should we always give users what they ask for?
Hi John,
Some good points, but .
Imagine you are the manager of a nuclear-power plant. You have provided all
the control room workers with a wide variety of instructional documents in many
formats: some printed, some online. You know that they all prefer online. So,
in a crisis requiring the workers to quickly ascertain what to do, you suspect
that they will opt for the online materials. But you also know that
comprehension of online materials is poorer than printed materials. You know,
too, that if a crisis is not immediately countered, the plant may blow up and
hundreds may die. Would you still be happy for the workers to discover what to
do in a crisis from online sources? And if not, doesn't this mean tat you might
want to ensure that critical procedures are only made available in the control
room in printed form (or in whatever form provides maximum comprehension)?
BTW, this doesn't mean that I am not a fan of online delivery. Online help,
video, wikis and all the rest are great for learning and for training. All I'm
saying is that in some situations, you might not want to offer a particular
medium, regardless of users' preferences.
Cheers
Geoffrey Marnell
Principal Consultant
Abelard Consulting Pty Ltd
T: +61 3 9596 3456
F: +61 3 9596 3625
W: www.abelard.com.au
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of John Catania
Sent: Monday, March 09, 2009 11:39 AM
To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: atw: Re: Should we always give users what they ask for?
Hi everyone,
I think it's appropriate to provide required materials in a variety of
media: available in print and online; or online as a video link, where
appropriate. I think the key here is choice, to maximize the meaning of
information for consumers.
I understand that many organisations also have an imperative to comply with
disability communication standards; providing a variety of formats takes this
into account.
It seems reasonable, then, to provide as many feasible options to
consumers, to maximize their understanding of the information.
John
----- Original Message -----
From: Michelle Hallett
To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Monday, March 09, 2009 8:59 AM
Subject: atw: Re: Should we always give users what they ask for?
Interesting question, my thought:
Do we provide information in the most comprehensible format or the format
which will actually be consulted and read? Which is more likely to prevent
death or injury, comprehensive instruction materials no one reads, or less
easily comprehended materials that people are reading?
Best regards
Michelle
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Geoffrey Marnell
Sent: Monday, 9 March 2009 9:51 AM
To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: atw: Should we always give users what they ask for?
Hello austechies,
The digital age has changed the way we gather information. Where once we
had only printed texts, we now have printed texts and a vast range of digital
media. There is some evidence to suggest that some readers (especially younger
readers) now prefer to source information from digital media and that some are
shunning printed texts altogether. Some commentators suggest that this requires
a radical rethink about how technical writers deliver information. There is
good reason to think that the younger generation will carry their preferences
with them as they become the middle generation and then the old generation;
thus all readers will eventually prefer digital media. Best to get ready, then,
and start leaving behind old technologies, such as printed texts.
But hang on a minute. Should user preferences be the sole determiner of
the media we choose for delivering technical documentation?
Consider this case:
a.. We are writing instructional materials to accompany a product whose
misuse might lead to death or injury (say, a lathe, the control system of a
nuclear-power plant, a dialysis machine, or the like).
b.. We have an option to deliver the material in printed form or in
digital form (via a visual display unit attached to, or near, the product).
c.. We discover that the majority (even all) our intended audience
prefers to gather information online rather than from printed texts.
d.. We know from research that the comprehension of online material is
poorer than that of printed material. That is, our understanding of material
read online is poorer than of the same material read offline, as judged by our
ability to correctly answer questions about it. (Cognitive psychologist and web
usability expert Jakob Neilsen reports that comprehension can be up to 25%
lower; other studies suggest as much as 60% lower: see "Effects of online
reading" by M. Macedo-Rouet et al., Science Communication, vol. 25. no. 2, Dec.
2003, pp. 99-128. Also see "Online v. print reading: which one makes us
smarter?", Scientific American, December 2008).
In these circumstances, would we accept our audience's preference for
online delivery knowing that comprehension of material read online can be as
low as 60% of the comprehension of the same material read in printed form? Is
there not, in such cases, a moral dimension to the choice of delivery media? In
cases where death or injury might result from misuse, are we not morally
obliged to produce documentation in whatever medium minimises the risk of
misunderstanding, regardless of user preferences?
Even in cases where misunderstanding is unlikely to lead to death or
injury, there may be good reasons to override user preferences. Suppose, for
example, that you manage a call centre. You have to decide whether the printed
knowledgebase that your support staff now relies on should be converted to
online and then decommissioned. You poll the staff and they all say that they
prefer online reading. But if comprehension of online instructions is markedly
less than of printed materials, the risk of customers getting poor advice from
support staff is higher if support staff have only online references to rely
on. Hence online delivery would potentially lead to greater customer
dissatisfaction, and possibly even more support calls (as disgruntled callers
call back for further assistance). Online might be cheaper, easier to maintain
and preferred by your staff - and yet possibly a poor business decision in the
long run.
By all means let's explore new ways to deliver instructional material.
But we need to temper our enthusiasm for new media with the realisation that
not all media is be equally effective in transmitting understanding. Readers'
preferences for particular media are important and need to be considered. But
there are cases where considerations of effectiveness, and perhaps ethics, are
of equal, if not greater, importance.
Some questions for young readers (and others who prefer to read online)
1.. Suppose you are studying for an exam. If you are like most
students, you will want to get as high a mark as possible. Suppose you need to
master the contents of a particular textbook to do well in the exam, and
suppose further that the textbook is available for loan from the library and
available online. Like all young readers, you prefer digital to paper media (or
so we are told). But you happen to discover that comprehension of online
material is poorer than that of printed material (up to 60% poorer in fact).
Will you now study the textbook online or borrow it from the library?
2.. Suppose, now, that you have got your degree and have started your
first job. You want to get on quickly in the company, be seen as bright and
enthusiastic, and not goof up. Your job requires you to consult lots of
policies, procedures and work instructions. If you misunderstand these
policies, procedures and work instructions, you may goof up. The policies,
procedures and work instructions are available online and in print. You know
that comprehension of online material is poorer than that of printed material.
Will you opt to read the policies, procedures and work instructions online?
Let the arguments begin.
Geoffrey Marnell
Principal Consultant
Abelard Consulting Pty Ltd
T: +61 3 9596 3456
F: +61 3 9596 3625
W: www.abelard.com.au
Other related posts:
