You will write a description of 100 to 200 words indicating to the instructor how your instructions accommodate the personas you wrote in writing assignment #1. For this assignment, it is acceptable to write a set of instructions on how to accomplish a task on a mobile device. An example of this approach would be a set of instructions on how to download an app to borrow library books from your local library.
Follow the attach instructions to complete the work
2023_rubric_WA2:instructions for a
website/description of persona Course: WRTG 393 6363 Advanced Technical Writing (2248)
number of
total steps
(main steps
and nested
steps)
8 or more 5 4 3 1 or 2 Criterion Score
number of
steps
/ 1010 points 8 points 7 points 6 points 0 points
List of Steps Complete Incomplete Absent Criterion Score
instructions
begin with an
imperative verb,
or with a phrase
followed by an
imperative verb
/ 10
steps are
numbered
/ 5
10 points 5 points 0 points
5 points 2.5 points 0 points
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List of Steps Complete Incomplete Absent Criterion Score
the list of steps
provide clear
instructions on
how to
complete the
task
/ 1515 points
A new user can
complete the task
by following the
instructions.
Clickable
elements are are
clearly indicated
for the user. The
user does not
have to figure out
steps or actions.
7.5 points
A new user can
possibly complete
the task by
following the
instructions, but
some level of
ambiguity exists.
Clickable
elements might
not be clearly
indicated for the
user. The user has
to figure out steps
or actions.
0 points
Notes Complete Incomplete Absent Criterion Score
Notes are
provided as
mentioned in
the assignment
requirements
/ 1010 points
At least two notes
are indicated to
the user. The
notes are not
numbered as
steps, but rather
are separate from
the steps.
5 points
Only one note is
indicated to the
user.
OR
The notes are
numbered as
steps, rather than
separate from the
steps.
0 points
No notes are
provided to the
user.
Overview or
Introduction Complete Incomplete Absent Criterion Score
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Overview or
Introduction Complete Incomplete Absent Criterion Score
Provides
background
information
about why the
user would want
to accomplish
the task.
/ 55 points
The introduction
explains what the
set of instructions
will show and why
a user would want
to complete the
set of
instructions.
2.5 points
One of the
following is
omitted:
-what the set of
instructions will
show
-why a user would
want to complete
the set of
instructions.
0 points
The document has
no introduction,
OR
the introduction
does not actually
introduce the set
of instructions.
Number of
Graphics 8 or more 7 6 5 4 or fewer
Criterion Score
number of
graphics
/ 1010 points 8 points 7 points 6 points 0 points
Clarity and
originality of
graphics
Complete Incomplete Absent Criterion Score
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Clarity and
originality of
graphics
Complete Incomplete Absent Criterion Score
Graphics are
clear and
aligned.
/ 10
Graphics are
original screen
captures.
/ 5
Graphics are
labelled with
"figure," a
number, and a
title.
/ 3
10 points
Graphics are
aligned with each
other, whether
left-aligned or
right-aligned. In
addition, the
labels to the
graphics are
aligned with the
graphics.
5 points
Graphics are
occasionally
aligned with each
other, whether
left-aligned or
right-aligned.
Or
The labels to the
graphics are not
aligned with the
graphics.
0 points
Graphics are not
aligned with each
other
AND
The labels to the
graphics are not
aligned with the
graphics.
5 points 2.5 points 0 points
3 points 1.5 points 0 points
Document
Design Complete Incomplete Absent Criterion Score
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Document
Design Complete Incomplete Absent Criterion Score
has a sufficient
amount of white
space to allow
for easy
navigation
/ 22 points
The set of
instructions
feature enough
white space so
that the user is
not confused
about how the
different steps are
sequenced. In
addition, any text
that explains a
part of a step is
clearly associated
with that step.
The document
does not add
stress to the user
by asking that the
user figure out
how the
document is
organized.
1 point
The set of
instructions
occasionally
seems "cluttered,"
with insufficient
white space in
some areas. The
user might be
occasionally
confused about
how the different
steps are
sequenced. Text
that explains a
part of a step may
not clearly be
associated with
that step. The
document might
require the user
to figure out how
the document is
organized.
0 points
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Document
Design Complete Incomplete Absent Criterion Score
Proximity is
demonstrated,
with each step
close to the
graphic it
represents
/ 33 points
The graphic for
each step is next
to the step that
the graphic
corresponds to. In
addition, graphics
and other material
that are not
associated with a
step are
sufficiently far
away from that
step to avoid any
confusion for the
user.
1.5 points
For some steps,
the graphic for
each step is not
next to the step
that the graphic
corresponds to.
OR
Graphics and
other material
that are not
associated with a
step are too close
to the step with
which they are
not related,
potentially
causing confusion
for the user.
0 points
The graphics for
the steps are
never close to the
steps that they
correspond to.
OR
For all steps,
graphics and
other material
that are not
associated with a
step are too close
to the step.
Language
Choices Complete Incomplete Absent Criterion Score
Language
Choices for Set
of Instructions
with
Description of
How Personas
were
Accommodated
/ 1818 points
Language has only
minor
grammar/readabili
ty problems.
9 points
Language has
major
grammar/readabili
ty problems.
0 points
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Total / 120
Overall Score
Description of
how the
instructions
accommodate
the persona
Complete Incomplete Absent Criterion Score
The description
indicates how
the instructions
accommodate
the three
personas,
including
specific
references to
parts of the
instructions.
/ 1414 points
For each of the
three personas,
the writer reviews
what the pain
point or unique
situation was for
that persona,
reviews how the
set of instructions
accommodated
the pain point or
unique situation
for each persona,
and refers
specifically to
areas of the
document that
accommodated
each persona. A
brief description
is written for each
of the three
personas.
7 points
For at least one of
the three
personas, the
writer does not
explain how the
set of instructions
accommodated
the pain point or
unique situation
for each persona,
OR
the writer does
not refer
specifically to
areas of the
document that
accommodated
each persona.
0 points
The writer does
not explain how
the set of
instructions
accommodated
the pain point or
unique situation
for any of the
three personas.
Level 3 96 points minimum
Level 2 60 points minimum
Level 1 0 points minimum
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,
Writing Assignment #2
Set of Instructions for a Local Website and
Description of Accommodating Your Personas
Summary of the Assignment:
• Task: In this assignment, you will write a set of instructions that explain how to
accomplish a task on a website at a local institution. You will also write a brief
description of how the personas that you wrote for writing assignment #1 informed this
assignment.
• Length: There is no minimum or maximum word count on the set of instructions.
However, your instructions must have eight or more steps. More information on the
number of steps is provided below. In addition, your instructions will have at least two
notes written to point out items to the user. These requirements are explained in more
detail below.
• Graphics: You must include at least one graphic for each step.
o At least 8 graphics should be integrated into your set of instructions.
o All graphics should be screen captures of the website you are demonstrating.
o All graphics should be labeled.
• Incorporating the personas into this assignment: You will write a description of 100
to 200 words indicating to the instructor how your instructions accommodate the
personas you wrote in writing assignment #1.
For this assignment, it is acceptable to write a set of instructions on how to accomplish a
task on a mobile device. An example of this approach would be a set of instructions on
how to download an app to borrow library books from your local library.
Please continue to the next page.
Brief Description and Strategies to Follow:
Please keep in mind the following principles when writing this assignment:
• You must provide instructions on how to accomplish a task on a website. The website
must be for a regional or local organization or company in your area. For example,
you could write about how to order a pizza from a local pizza shop in your town. You
could write about how to purchase an item from a local shop in your area (not from
Amazon).
• National chains are not allowed for this assignment. The instructions must be written
for a local company or organization. For example, you cannot write instructions on how
to rent a power saw online from Home Depot. However, you could write instructions on
how to rent a power saw online from a local hardware store in your area.
If you have questions about whether your topic will work, please contact your instructor
for approval or for suggestions on the topic.
• The set of instructions must be written on how to accomplish one overall task on the
website.
For example, if the website you have chosen is the Maryland Zoo
(https://www.marylandzoo.org/), you can write a set of instructions on how to purchase
tickets online for the zoo. All three of your personas will then want to purchase tickets
online.
But you could not write about how to purchase tickets online, how to donate to the zoo
online, and how to become a corporate partner of the zoo online. Those are three separate
and unrelated tasks that can be done on the zoo’s website. You must choose one task that
involves various pain points or unique situations for your personas.
• The important features of your set of instructions will be that they are written to a general
audience but also accommodate the specific personas that you wrote for writing
assignment #1.
Some examples of topics are the following. (Keep in mind that you may select your own
topic. These are just examples to help you consider various topics.)
o how to check your balance in your checking account online at your local bank or
credit union
o how to find and borrow a book on your local public library’s website
o how to order a chabchae dish from the local Korean restaurant in your area
o how to locate a product on your local Craigslist site and contact the seller to
arrange for purchase and pickup
o how to order a large pizza online from a local pizzeria in your neighborhood
o how to pay a fee on the website for the Motor Vehicle Association in Maryland
(or the equivalent for your state)
• You must have at least eight steps.
• Each step is to be numbered and is to begin with an imperative verb, as the resources in
the class indicate.
• Every step will include a picture or graphic to help the reader follow the instructions.
• You must have at least two notes written to the user. Last (2019) writes, “…instructions
must often emphasize key points or exceptions. For these situations, you use special
notices—note, warning, caution, and danger notices.” You will incorporate at least two
notes to point out key points or exceptions to the user.
An example of a Note is shown below:
Sections to Include in Your Set of Instructions:
The set of instructions will include the following sections:
• Title
• Overview or Introduction with background information about why a user would want to
accomplish the task you are describing.
• Instructions
o number all of the main steps, as the resources for the class indicate
o do not number the notes. Rather, indicate a note to the reader by using the marker
Note:
o provide a graphic for each step of the instructions
▪ all graphics will be screen captures of the website.
▪ all graphics should be labeled, as demonstrated in the samples posted to
the class.
• A description of how the instructions accommodate the personas. Remember, each one
of your personas had at least one pain point or one unique situation that needs
attention in your set of instructions. Your instructions for this assignment will
accommodate each persona’s pain points or unique situation. It is in this section of the
assignment that you describe how you accommodated them.
Helpful Guides and Resources:
• The Tech Writing Handbook by Dozuki, which is one of the resources listed in our class,
has an appendix that provides tips in writing instructions and incorporating graphics into
instructions.
• The Mayfield Handbook, which is also one of the resources listed in our class, features
excellent tips on writing instructions.
o Section 2.8.3 of the handbook, Instructions and Procedures, will be particularly
helpful.
• Two sample sets of instructions are provided in our class in LEO.
Due Date: Your instructor will notify you of the due date. You will write a first draft, your instructor will
comment on the first draft, and you will submit a second draft using the comments as your guide.
References
Last, S. (2019). Technical writing essentials. https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/technicalwriting/
,
1
How to Order Food Online for Pickup from Banana Blossom Bistro
Banana Blossom Bistro is a new, trendy, and exciting eatery in Riverdale, Maryland. It features
excellent Asian cuisine at a reasonable price. The service is fast and efficient. The mission is
people-centered. You cannot go wrong in ordering a meal from Banana Blossom Bistro. You
will be supporting the local community, guarding your wallet, and honoring your appetite.
Moreover, Banana Blossom is convenient for online ordering and pickup. The restaurant is
accessible from main roads in Hyattsville and Riverdale. It is 20 minutes from the District of
Columbia. It is the perfect place to order online, pick up your food, and proceed on your way.
Banana Blossom respects your privacy. If you order online, they promise not to text you, email
you, or contact you in any way to promote any specials or entrées. They value you as a
customer. They don’t manipulate you as a statistic.
1. From your preferred web browser, access bananablossombistro.com.
Figure 1
Home Page of Banana Blossom Bistro
2. Select ORDER ONLINE from the menu options.
Figure 2
2
3. If you would like to create an account to make future ordering easier, select Create
Account in the upper right-hand corner of our home page. If not, please move on to step
#5.
Figure 3
4. Fill in your email address and password and select Login to log in with your newly
created account.
Figure 4
M enu I tem to Order Online
Option to Create an Account
3
Email and Password for the Option to Create an Account
.
5. Select the edit button for Pickup for now.
Figure 5
6. Select your desired pick-up time.
a. If you desire to pick up your food in 30 minutes, keep the Order now button
selected.
Figure 6
Edit B utton for the Option to Pickup for N ow
4
Option to Order Now
b. If you desire to order your pickup for later, select Schedule for later and select a
time from the drop-down menu.
Figure 7
Option to Schedule Pickup for L ater
5
7. Select your desired dish.
Figure 8
Menu Options
Note: If you prefer one of our specials as an entrée, select Entrée Specials.
If you want to order just a beverage, scroll down to our Tea, Coffee, or other selections.
Figure 10
Figure 9
Various S pecials
6
Tea, Coffee, and Smoothies
For the purposes of this set of instructions, we have chosen the entrée special named
Brisket Pho Tacos.
Figure 11
Brisket Pho Tacos
7
8. Add any selections you desire. In this case, we have added Pico de Gallo and avocado as
options.
9. Adjust the quantity as desired by clicking the plus sign. In this case, we will add one
more entrée to order two dishes.
Figure 1 2
Option to Adjust the Q uantity
8
10. Select Add to Cart.
11. If you are finished adding items to your cart, select Checkout.
Figure 14
12. Fill out your name, address, email address, and phone number.
Figure 15
Figure 1 3
Add to Cart
Checkout
9
Personal Information for Checkout
13. Choose your payment method.
a. If you are paying with a gift card, select Pay with a Gift Card and enter the gift
card number and select Apply.
Figure 16
b. If you are paying with a credit card, fill in your card number, expiration date,
CVV code, and zip code.
Figure 17
Option to Pay with a Gift Card
10
Credit card Information
14. Select your tip amount, if you would like to leave a tip.
Figure 18
Option for Adding a Tip
15. Review your total, and click Submit.
Figure 19
11
You can pick up your meal or beverage at the scheduled time. And rest assured, your information
is safe. Banana Blossom will not contact you in the future with special deals, and they won’t give
your information to others.
Submit Order
12
References
Banana Blossom Bistro. (n.d.-a). Banana Blossom Bistro home page [screenshot].
https://www.bananablossombistro.com/.
Banana Blossom Bistro. (n.d.-b). Banana Blossom – Order Online [screenshot].
https://www.toasttab.com/banana-blossom-bistro/v3/?mode=fulfillment
Banana Blossom Bistro. (n.d.-c). Banana Blossom – Create an Account [screenshot].
https://www.toasttab.com/banana-blossom-bistro/v3/?mode=fulfillment
Banana Blossom Bistro. (n.d.-d. Banana Blossom – Email and Password [screenshot].
https://www.toasttab.com/banana-blossom-bistro/v3/?mode=create
Banana Blossom Bistro. (n.d.-e). Banana Blossom – Edit Button [screenshot].
https://www.toasttab.com/banana-blossom-bistro/v3/?mode=fulfillment
Banana Blossom Bistro. (n.d.-f). Banana Blossom – Order Now [screenshot]. URL.
Banana Blossom Bistro. (n.d.-g). Banana Blossom – Schedule for Pickup Later [screenshot].
URL.
Banana Blossom Bistro. (n.d.-h). Banana Blossom – Menu Options [screenshot]. URL.
Banana Blossom Bistro. (n.d.-i). Banana Blossom – Various Specials [screenshot].
https://www.toasttab.com/banana-blossom-bistro/v3/#d413ebe9f-3800-4f7c-
b7c9f9df7df74ab8d6bf8269b-e199-4d2d-a27e-115faedf1b8b
Banana Blossom Bistro. (n.d.-j). Banana Blossom – Tea, Coffee, and Smoothies [screenshot].
https://www.toasttab.com/banana-blossom-bistro/v3/#d413ebe9f-3800-4f7c-
b7c9f9df7df74ab8d6bf8269b-e199-4d2d-a27e-115faedf1b8b
Banana Blossom Bistro. (n.d.-k). Banana Blossom – Brisket Pho Tacos [screenshot].
https://www.toasttab.com/banana-blossom-bistro/v3/add/07eae8f2-a7bb-4d05-
af3a3e17571170bd/6bf8269b-e199-4d2d-a27e-115faedf1b8b
Banana Blossom Bistro. (n.d.-l). Banana Blossom – Option to Adjust Quantity [screenshot].
https://www.toasttab.com/banana-blossom-bistro/v3/
Banana Blossom Bistro. (n.d.-m). Banana Blossom – Add to Cart [screenshot].
https://www.toasttab.com/banana-blossom-bistro/v3/
Banana Blossom Bistro. (n.d.-n). Banana Blossom — Checkout [screenshot].
https://www.toasttab.com/banana-blossom-bistro/v3/
Banana Blossom Bistro. (n.d.-o). Banana Blossom – Personal Information [screenshot].
https://www.toasttab.com/banana-blossom-bistro/v3/checkout
13
Banana Blossom Bistro. (n.d.-p). Banana Blossom – Gift Card Option [screenshot].
https://www.toasttab.com/banana-blossom-bistro/v3/checkout
Banana Blossom Bistro. (n.d.-q). Banana Blossom – Credit Card Option [screenshot].
https://www.toasttab.com/banana-blossom-bistro/v3/checkout
Banana Blossom Bistro. (n.d.-r). Banana Blossom – Adding a Tip [screenshot].
https://www.toasttab.com/banana-blossom-bistro/v3/checkout
Banana Blossom Bistro. (n.d.-s). Banana Blossom – Submit Order [screenshot].
https://www.toasttab.com/banana-blossom-bistro/v3/checkout
14
How the Personas Were Accommodated
In the introduction, I mentioned that Banana Blossom respects its customers’ privacy and that it will not
contact customers for future specials or promotions. This message eases Jarod’s concern about the
possibility of receiving such messages in the future.
In step #1, I give the exact url and note that any browser can be used. This information accommodates
Jarod, who seems to be less experienced than most about ordering online.
In step #3, I give the steps of creating an account. I also give the option of skipping to step #5 if the
customer does not want to create an account. This accommodates Melanie, who want so create an
account, and it accommodates Steve, who does not want to create an account. The user is given different
options, depending on his or her needs.
In step #6, I show both how to order for pickup in 30 minutes and how to order for pickup at a later time.
This information accommodates Steve, who wants to pick his beveage up in 30 minutes. It also
accommodates Melanie, who wants to set a time for pickup in three-and-a-half hours.
In step #7, I highlight entrée specials and various beverages. This helps Melanie, who is specifically going
to order an entrée special. It also appeals to Steve, who wants a quick beverage.
In step #13, both the gift card option and the credit card option are provided. The gift card option
accommodates Jarod, while the credit card option accommodates Steve and Melanie.
The final note about the restaurant not contacting customers with special deals serves to reassure Jarod,
again, that he will not be contacted with such information.
I might add that clear arrows and circles are used to point out the items on the interface that should be
selected. A person who has limited experience in ordering online, such as Jarod, will benefit from these
clear markings.
,
Assignment 2
you will complete the following:
· examine an article by Matt Eland about personas
· read through several resources on how to write instructions.
· watch a video tutorial on tips for writing instructions for a website.
· watch some video tutorials on proximity, alignment, repetition, and contrast (PARC).
You will respond to two discussion topics:
· The first discussion topic asks you to examine a website for PARC principles.
· The second discussion topic asks you complete some library exercises.
You will also submit writing assignment #1, three personas.
you will write three personas to prepare for writing assignment #2, the set of instructions that explain how to accomplish a task on a website. You want to read the instructions for writing assignment #2 before writing your personas.
Follow the attach instructions to complete this work.
2024_rubric_WA1:personas Course: WRTG 393 6363 Advanced Technical Writing (2248)
Criteria Complete 5 points
Incomplete 2.5 points
Absent 0 points
Criterion Score
The three
personas
feature a
summary,
including the
persona's name,
occupation,
location, and
age.
/ 5
Criteria Complete 4 points
Incomplete 2 points
Absent 0 points
Criterion Score
The website for
which writing
assignment #2
will be written is
provided.
/ 4
Criteria Complete 10 points
Incomplete 5 points
Absent 0 points
Criterion Score
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Total / 50
Criteria Complete 10 points
Incomplete 5 points
Absent 0 points
Criterion Score
The three
personas
feature the
goals for each
persona–why
the persona
would want to
accomplish the
task.
/ 10
Criteria Complete 16 points
Incomplete 8 points
Absent 0 points
Criterion Score
The three
personas show
appropriate pain
points or unique
situations that
each persona
might face in
following the
instructions.
/ 16
Criteria Complete 15 points
Incomplete 7.5 points
Absent 0 points
Criterion Score
Language
choices for the
personas
feature the
following:
/ 15Language has only
minor
grammar/readabili
ty problems
Language has
major
grammar/readabili
ty problems
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Overall Score
Level 3 40 points minimum
Level 2 20 points minimum
Level 1 0 points minimum
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,
Writing Assignment Report to Your Supervisor
Summary of the Assignment: • Task: In this assignment, you will write a short report to the owner of a company to which you
have just been hired.
• Length: 1500-2000 words.
• Graphics: You must integrate at least one graphic
• Sources: You will integrate at least three sources into the report.
The Situation and Your Role In It You have been hired for the position of Manager for Customer Service at Forrest Lawn Services, a
landscaping company.
Forrest Lawn maintains a robust business in landscaping both residential and business properties. The
company has many clients in the local DC-Maryland-Virginia (DMV) area.
The landscaping staff that services residential and business properties comprises 75 individuals. In
addition, the company has several staff working in its office in Landover, Maryland. Included among
these office staff members is the IT Department, which consists of 10 employees.
The growth of the company has led to some problems that concern you as a new employee.
The History of Forrest Lawn Services
Some history on the company will help to explain the problems Forrest Lawn has now.
Forrest Lawn started off in 2010 as a small outfit, owned and operated by Richard Smith. Richard grew
up in Prince George’s County, Maryland. He graduated from high school and took a few courses at a local
community college. He never graduated from the community college but instead, after completing 18
credits, decided to leave school to start a landscaping business.
Richard started off the business with one truck, three lawn mowers, and a few helpers. He operated the
business out of his house. Eventually, as the number of clients grew, so did the number of trucks, lawn
mowers, and pieces of equipment. He added new employees to assist with the landscaping.
Richard eventually leased office space in Landover in order to have a more professional and scalable base
from which to operate the company. In addition, as the company grew and its office staff grew, so did the
technology and IT needs.
For the IT needs of the company, Richard took several steps. He hired a web developer, Sandra Davidson,
to develop a website for Forrest Lawn. Sandra used WordPress as the platform. Richard later hired Jack
Johnson to develop and maintain a database of customers, past and present. The database includes
personal information on the customers, such as physical addresses, email addresses, and, for some, credit
card information.
Eventually, Richard hired a few more IT employees, all of whom persuaded Richard to put the company’s
database on the cloud instead of purchasing an expensive server to maintain in the office. Richard agreed.
The company then contracted with CloudCorps, a local cloud company.
The IT Department grew as the company grew. Marsha Nolton was later hired. She maintains the
company blog, also on WordPress, but with a different account from that of the website. The blog is an
effective marketing tool. It provides weekly updates on services, deals, and other information on the
company. In addition, other functions began to involve IT. Jared Stone was hired to run payroll for
Forrest Lawn. With Jared’s input, the payroll information was put on the cloud. CloudCorps maintains all
payroll information on its servers.
Problems That Have Developed
Richard, in hiring the IT staff and organizing the department, was not privy to best practices in security in
the area of IT. As a result, some problems have developed.
For example, only Jack has access to the database of past and present clients. Jack logs into the system
with an ID and password that CloudCorps has provided him. This is not an ideal situation. If Jack were to
experience a medical emergency and become unavailable for a period of time, no one else at Forrest
Services would have access to the database. If Jack were to leave the company, no one else at Forrest
Services would be able to perform his duties. In addition, CloudCorps has a company policy that forbids
it to provide login or password information to anyone other than approved individuals. The only approved
individual now is Jack.
Moreover, Sandra maintains the website through WordPress. She uses her personal email and password to
log into the system. But she is the only individual in the office who has access to or is able to update
anything on the website. Again, if anything were to happen to Sandra, Forrest Lawn would be stuck. No
one else in the company can update its website.
Marsha manages the company’s blog, also on WordPress. The blog is an excellent marketing tool, with
weekly updates on services, deals, and other information on the company posted weekly. However,
Marsha is the sole maintainer of the blog. No one else at Forrest Glenn has access to the blog to update it.
Jared runs payroll. Like the others, he is the only individual with any access to the payroll records.
Because the records are also on CloudCorps, if something were to happen to Jack, no options are
available for anyone else in the company to access the payroll records.
Overall, Forrest Lawn grew at a rapid pace. Richard Smith applied excellent management skills in
growing the landscaping business. However, Richard needs help in establishing responsible IT personnel
policies for the company. Richard has no background in this area.
Richard is not aware of the problem the current arrangement poses.
Your Concern About the Situation
As a new hire at Forrest Lawn, you have observed this situation, and you are concerned. The current
arrangement leaves the company in a very vulnerable situation if one of these individuals experiences a
medical emergency or has to leave the company for any reason.
In addition, the current arrangement poses a cybersecurity danger to the company. Any one individual, if
he or she is dissatisfied with the company or becomes disgruntled for any reason, can take advantage of
Forrest Lawn and do great damage with the IT function the individual controls.
For example, personal data on customers resides with CloudCorps’ servers, which only Jack Johnson can
access. If Jack were to develop a toxic relationship with the company, Jack could use his sole access to
customer records and wreak havoc with them, possibly manipulating the company with his control or
simply compromising the privacy of the customers. Forrest Lawn, not Jack, would be liable in such a
situation.
As Manager for Customer Service, you realize that many of the potential problems that could arise at
Forrest Lawn will have an impact on your area. Customers will not have records updated, will not be
billed on time, will not receive blog updates, and will be impacted in other ways if any of the situations
described above occur.
Moreover, if customers’ records are compromised, you will have a customer service crisis on your hands.
Your Task You are to write a short report to Richard Smith, the owner, and point out the problem with the current
personnel policies at Forrest Lawn. You also want to suggest some basic steps the company take take to
address the situation before a problem arises.
Some concepts and strategies you might want to point out to Richard include the following:
• separation of duties
• mandatory vacations
• job rotation policies
• agreements with vendors, including password and other login information
• IT confidentiality agreements
Your report will
• be 1500-2000 words in length.
• incorporate at least three references.
o Integrate more than three references if you would like.
o Cite and list them in APA 7th edition style.
• include at least one graphic. The graphic should demonstrate either the current personnel arrangement
(and the problems it poses) or your proposed personnel arrangement (and how it addresses the current
problems) or both. Of course, if you would like to include more than one graphic, you may do so.
You will need to apply the following Golden Rules of Technical Communication:
• Rule #1: Paper is Permanent. Make sure your word forms are accurate and your grammar and mechanics
are correct. Others in the company in addition to Richard might see your memo. It is not only Richard who
might be judging your message based on the quality of your writing.
• Rule #2: Know your Audience.
o Keep in mind that you are writing to Richard Smith. He is your primary audience. He is not an IT
expert, nor is he a human resources professional. In addition, consider his education level and his
lack of acumen for IT-related matters.
o Note that Richard is your boss. You are writing to a superior about a problem that he does not
realize is a problem.
o Understand that, while Richard is your primary audience, other members of the IT team are
secondary audiences. They might see your memo eventually.
▪ Consider their level of education. Some of them have bachelor’s or master’s degrees.
▪ Don’t offend them. You don’t want to write anything that would cause a problem
between you and members of the IT Department if they see your memo.
• Rule #4: Break It Out. Instead of writing long, thick, dense paragraphs, you want to write readable text.
o Bullet information in places if necessary
o Write short, crisp sentences that are readable.
o Write short paragraphs rather than long ones, as you deem necessary.
Use your judgment about how to break out your text as you consider the rhetorical situation.
• Rule #7: Signpost. Use headings to help Richard navigate your document. Provide a table of contents to
help Richard see the different sections of your report and help him to find them easily.
• Rule #9: Contemplate Before You Illustrate. As you construct your graphic, make sure it adds to your
document and does not simply dress up the document. Consider how best to illustrate the current problem
or the possible solution with your graphic(s).
• Rule #10. Cut the Fluff. Richard is a busy business owner. He is not expecting your report. He has not
budgeted time in his schedule to read it. You will need to communicate the current problem and suggest an
alternative to it without getting wordy or including information that is not helpful to your purpose.
How the Report Should Be Organized
Your short report will have the following sections:
• Memo (written to Richard Smith) – no more than 150 words
• Executive Summary – no more than 300 words
• The Problem
• Suggested Solution
• Conclusion – no more than 200 words
• References
The bulk of the report will be The Problem and Suggested Solution. These two
sections together should compose half or more of the length of the report.
,
Writing Assignment #1
Writing Three Personas
Summary of the Assignment:
• Task: In this assignment, you will write three personas to prepare for writing assignment #2,
the set of instructions that explain how to accomplish a task on a website. You want to read the
instructions for writing assignment #2 before writing your personas.
• Sample papers
o You should access the sample papers for writing assignments #1 and #2 for helpful
models.
o You can watch a video that reviews sample papers for writing assignments #1 and #2.
• Length: Each persona should be 120-250 words in length.
• Graphics: You are not required to use any graphics. If you would like to include a photo for
each persona, you may.
• Tip: The best approach for this assignment is to become familiar with the website on which
you will write writing assignment #2 and then create your personas. For example, if the
website has special steps to take for bulk orders, perhaps one of your personas will be a person
who wants to place a bulk order. If the website takes gift cards, perhaps one of your personas will
be a person who has a gift card and wants to pay with it. You want to become very familiar with
the website in order to create effective personas.
Please see the next page.
Brief Description and Strategies for this Assignment:
In this assignment, you will write three personas for the set of instructions you will write for writing
assignment #2. Please include the following information for each persona:
• a summary of the persona, including the persona’s name, occupation, location, and age
• the website for which you will write instructions for writing assignment #2.
• goals for the persona: why the persona would want to accomplish the task on the web that you
will be describing in writing assignment #2
• at least one unique situation or pain point. For the task that you are describing for writing
assignment #2, describe what unique situations or pain points that the person might encounter in
completing the task online.
o The unique needs or pain points should be clear and focused. You will accommodate
the unique needs or pain points in your set of instructions that you write for writing
assignment #2.
The unique needs or pain points should not be general (e.g., “Stan is not comfortable
with computers”). Rather, they should be specific (e.g., “Stan wants to pay three days in
advance for a party of 10 people”).
A persona who is “not comfortable with computers” cannot clearly be accommodated in
a set of instructions. But if a persona wants to pay three days in advance for a party of 10
people, then the instructions can include steps on how to pay in advance and arrange for a
large party.
o The unique needs or pain points have to be accommodated in your set of
instructions for writing assignment #2. For example, you don’t want to describe a
persona who wants to pay in cash if the website you are writing about does not take cash.
You want to describe a persona whose needs can be accommodated on the website for
which you are writing instructions.
o The unique situations or pain points have to be related to completing the task on the
website. For example, you don’t want to write, “Mark has a fear of ordering online, so he
will call the restaurant to complete his order.” All personas have to complete the task on
the web, and they cannot complete the task by phone or through any other means.
As stated above, the best strategy is to become familiar with the website and then create personas
from there. You want to become very familiar with the website in order to create effective personas.
The sample assignment on Banana Blossom provided in the class for writing assignment #1
demonstrates some unique situations or pain points that personas can have. Make sure to look at
the sample assignments. In addition, please make sure to watch the video that reviews the
sample assignments.
Due Date:
Your instructor will notify you of the due date.
,
Resources to help you do the work
Personas and the five W’s: Developing Content that Meets Reader Needs, Pt. 1
Geoff Hart - Technical Writing - Creating Great Content
Part I: What’s a persona?
![Batman]()
Most documentation written by professional writers, whether printed or online, is well written and easy to navigate, but in my experience, an unfortunately high proportion omits important content or provides inadequate depth of content. Worse yet, the information may seem perfectly acceptable from a textbook perspective, yet fails to reflect the conditions under which the information will be used. These problems often arise from a lack of understanding of the audience for whom we’re writing, in many cases because we have done an audience analysis that:
· focused on demographics rather than a realistic portrayal of the audience
· ignored the physical and emotional context in which the audience works
· emphasized product features rather than audience goals and needs
· ignored factors that arise from interactions among audience, context, and goals
The solution is as easy to state as it is difficult to implement: we must understand our audience sufficiently well, before we begin writing, that we can determine the information they require, any context-related constraints that will interfere with their use of the information we create, and any context-related success factors that can help them use that information more successfully. There have been many different approaches to solving this problem, ranging from task analysis to “ use cases “, and each has its merits and demerits. But a relatively recent approach called “personas”, designed originally to support product development and subsequently expanded for use in usability testing, potentially produces a superior analysis because it is more focused on real people and their real needs. The concept of personas was first codified by Alan Cooper, and is described in his book The Inmates are Running the Asylum.
So what is a persona?
The persona approach to developing documentation is a form of audience analysis that focuses on describing real people, rather than defining useless demographic categories that only hint at who these people are, their needs, and how their work environment affects those needs. You can see the power of a persona compared with a stereotype through a simple example:
· Useless stereotype: Our typical audience member is a university-educated, physically fit, single white male, 30 years old, who works as a wealthy industrialist. He drives a luxury car by day to support his work life, and a Hummer-type “urban assault vehicle” at night to support a second career as a crime fighter.
· Useful persona: Bruce Wayne is a wealthy industrialist, orphaned at a young age, who pretends to be a gentleman of leisure by day, but by night, he is a master martial artist, detective, and scientist–engineer who fights crime and invents and uses complex weaponry. A chronic lack of sleep plus the distraction of having to ponder the future actions of a range of exceptionally intelligent and highly dangerous supervillains means that he is usually sleep-deprived and mentally distracted during the day. At night, in his Batman role, he has little time to think, and must rely on his wits and his superhuman reflexes: conflict with his many enemies forces him to rely extensively on computer support for his crime-fighting supervehicle, the Batmobile, and on “smart” weaponry. In this situation, he faces many distractions simultaneously, and must often overcome them while badly injured.
Which of the two gives you a better understanding of your target audience? Which gives you a clearer idea of what the person’s documentation needs will be? Clearly, the persona approach works better. It is more detailed and focuses on the person’s needs rather than on socioeconomic and other characteristics that only indirectly hint at those needs. But that’s not all: pretty much any member of a Western culture knows and understands both Batman’ s personality and his “work” environment. Because the persona is so familiar, albeit unrealistic, it’s a helpful way to dramatize the example and illustrate the approach to constructing and using a persona.
A good persona has several key characteristics:
· It names the character, thereby personifying a fictional character and making it seem human. In so doing, it allows us to ask the following question with a reasonable expectation of coming up with the right answer: “What would Bruce do?”
· A collection of relevant personas lets us contrast Bruce with the personas of others who might potentially use our product: “How would Geoff behave differently?”
· It emphasizes details of the person’s personality and context that will affect their use of the product we’re documenting—and of our documentation.
· It offers a narrative, not a series of bullet points. The narrative structure “connects the dots” (the bullets) in such a way that the persona becomes an actor, not a lifeless collection of statistics.
· It provides enough detail that we gradually come to understand the person and how they will behave.
The Bruce persona I’ve provided is more terse than a real persona should be, but we’ll flesh it out progressively during the remainder of this article. I’ve included several references by Kim Goodwin, one of Alan Cooper’s senior designers, to fill in the details that I can’t provide in the space of a short article. ![A person holding a glass of ice and a person talking to him Description automatically generated]()
The result of creating a persona is a vivid image that is instantly recognizable as a human being. Over time, our familiarity with a real persona would increase sufficiently that the person “behind the mask” becomes as familiar to us as Bruce’s Batman persona. Each of us spends many years learning to understand and interact with our fellow humans before we ever encounter the concept of written communication, and we then spend a great many more hours learning to interact successfully with our fellow humans than we ever spend learning to write or polishing our writing. Thus, the use of personas takes advantage of well-honed social skills, both conscious and subconscious, that let us interact successfully with friends, family, and co-workers. Because these skills are so strong, the persona approach can provide unparalleled insights into audiences, thereby letting us empathize with and understand the real people for whom we’re creating information. It also provides a clear understanding of their context: the conditions (physical, emotional, and other) under which they work, and the problems we must solve for them within that context so they can accomplish their various tasks. Personas also help us focus on the tasks, but always from the perspective of the aforementioned aspects of their character and context.
Using the five W’s to flesh out the “Bruce” persona
In real-world documentation situations, we would create a detailed description of people who stand in for broadly representative categories of audience member. Typically, it’s only necessary to create a handful of personas to account for the majority of a product’s users. Indeed, creating more than half a dozen or so personas for anything other than the most complicated product may be counterproductive because it complicates the task of analysis beyond what we may be able to handle with the limited resources typically available to most technical communicators. In this article, I’ll describe only a single persona (Bruce, acting in his Batman persona) to avoid complicating the discussion unnecessarily and to help you focus on key details. To further narrow the scope of that discussion, I’ll only consider Bruce’s use of his evening vehicle (the Batmobile) while he interacts with his foes. Don’t forget that if we were doing this analysis for real, we’d also need to consider Batman’s sidekick, Robin, and any other colleagues such as his faithful butler, Alfred, who might want to use the vehicle.
In the short time you’re likely to devote to reading this article, you’re unlikely to become intimately familiar with any new persona that present. To provide enough familiarity that you can explore the power of this approach on your own, I’ve chosen Bruce for my example: the strength and familiarity of his persona compensate for its unrealistic nature and the limited description that I’ve provided.
How do we get to know our persona and use that knowledge to develop better documentation? As I’ve written in previous articles (see the bibliography), the journalistic technique of the five W’s (asking who, what, where, when, and why) is a powerful tool for analyzing a situation. Journalists have been taught a codified version of this approach for nearly a century to ensure that they will capture all the important details in a newspaper article or TV interview, and recognizable forms of the approach go back far longer. Thus, it’s an approach that is proven to work. For more details on the five W ‘s, see the Wikipedia article and the bibliography at the end of this article.
In the case of personas, it’s a great tool to guide us in fleshing out a persona in sufficient detail that we can directly meet the needs of the real people it represents. In the specific and clearly limited context of Bruce’s use of the Batmobile, our goal is to:
· Answer the “who” question by defining a persona. I’ve already done this earlier in this article in my description of Bruce.
· Answer the “when” and “where” questions by defining the context in which the persona works.
· Answer the “why” and “what” questions by defining the tasks the persona must accomplish, the reasons for those tasks, and details of those tasks.
In Part II of this article, I’ll answer those final four questions to show you how they can guide our writing efforts.
Further reading
Brechin, E. 2002. Reconciling market segments and personas .
Calde, S. 2004. Using personas to create user documentation .
Cooper, A. 2004. The inmates are running the asylum: why high tech products drive us crazy and how to restore the sanity. Pearson Publishing. 288 p.
Cooper, A. 2003. The origin of personas .
Cooper, A.; Reimann, R.; Cronin, D. 2007. About face 3: the essentials of interaction design. Wiley. 648 p.
Goodwin, K. 2001. Perfecting your personas .
Goodwin, K. 2002. Getting from research to personas: harnessing the power of data .
Goodwin, K. 2006. Taking personas too far .
Goodwin, K. 2009. Designing for the digital age: how to create human-centered products and services. Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, IN. 739 p., including index.
Hart, G.J. 1996. The five W’s: an old tool for the new task of audience analysis . Technical Communication 43(2):139–145.
Hart, G. 2002. The five W’s of online help .
Noessel, C. 2006. Ignore that designer behind the persona .
Schriver, K. 1996. Dynamics in document design: creating text for readers. Wiley. 592 p.
Category: Technical Writing - Tag (s): Creating Great Content
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Geoff Hart
13 years ago
Bruce Byfield notes ( https://brucebyfield.wordpress.com/2011/09/10/why-personae-are-a-waste-of-time-in-technical-writing/ ): “I haven’t written a manual for over seven years, so perhaps my opinions about technical writing don’t count for anything.”
Far too easy, so I’ll let that one pass. The important point in this article and in your blog post is the following statement you made: “Admittedly, the exercise of creating a persona can help a writer fix audience segments in mind.”
That’s the whole point of my article: a great many technical writers, including many with years of experience, don’t make even a token effort to do this. They assume that audiences are monolithic and irrelevant so long as they do a good job describing the interface. As a result, they produce the kind of crappy documentation that does a perfect job of describing the product, but is completely useless to anyone who doesn’t already know the product. (Are you listening Adobe and Microsoft?) This is the main reason why publishers such as O’Reilly get rich publishing large series of third-party manuals for commercial software.
Bruce notes: “My impression is that personae are favored by those who stress the writing in their job title at the expense of the technical.”
Very true, because writing = communication, and technical = the product. Writers who remember that the goal is communication still write; those who think it’s all about the technology don’t care about the audience, and are more focused on their own technical needs. Which do you think produces better documentation?
Bruce then provides statistics [sic]: “Nine times out of ten, however, such efforts fail, because they are usually made at the expense of actually learning the subject matter, and of writing and editing.”
90%? Oh really? Let’s see your statistics: name the 10 projects you are considering in this analysis, and tell me which of them worked, and how it differed from the other 9. Or is this merely cherished notion masquerading as fact?
Bruce: “The result? You’re left looking pretentious and turn in a finished manual that only reinforces everybody’s impression that you are a lightweight poseur.”
The only data I have completely contradicts this notion. I’ve written manuals for half a dozen products (MultiDat software and hardware manuals, Harvesting and Silviculture decision support tools, GPS tool, and an in-house document tracking system) using the basic principles behind personas. I succeeded in each case because I understood who I was writing for. The manuals were very well received; for the first four products, the corporate trainers came to personally thank me for what I’d done because the docs cut their efforts to a fraction of the former level—because the manuals met the needs of their audience. Can’t speak to the last two, since I was gone by the time they were implemented.
It’s important to note that I never wrote a Batman persona description. I chose that example specifically because every time I use it in teaching, I can see the light go on in the minds of the audience. An effective persona focuses you on what’s important. An ineffective persona focuses you on a trivial exercise in creative writing. Understand the difference?
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![A white circle on a grey background Description automatically generated]()
Personas and the five W's: Meeting Reader Needs, Pt. 2 | Tech Writer Today Magazine by TechWhirl
13 years ago
[…] the first part of this article, I introduced the concept of personas, a tool for creating a detailed description of […]
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![A white circle on a grey background Description automatically generated]()
Why personae are a waste of time in technical-writing « Off the Wall
12 years ago
[…] count for anything. All the same, I’m disappointed to see that writers are still being steered towards distractions such as writing personae I can think of little that could do more to waste a writer’s limited time or cause them to be […]
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