English 730: User-­‐Centered Research for Technical Communicators University of Wisconsin-Stout | Offered Spring
Dr. John M. Spartz | Callahan 309
Office Hours: Variable
(via e-mail: spartzj@uwstout.edu | Skype: drspartz)
planning and culmination of our larger course project
and—for some of you—future activities in the oncampus User Experience Center (UXC).
During the second phase of the course, Practice, we’ll
be engaging a real-world client, assessing their
product(s) (different clients each semester), and
designing and conducting various user-experience
tests. We’ll then contextualize, analyze, synthesize,
archive, and report the gathered results to the client.
Course Outcomes “Moreover, there are some arts whose products are not
judged of solely, or best, by artists themselves, namely
those arts whose products are recognized by those who do
not possess the art; for example, the knowledge of the
house is not limited to the builder only; the user, or, in
other words, the master, of the house will be even a better
judge than the builder, just as the pilot will judge better of
a rudder than the carpenter, and the guest will judge
better of a feast than the cook.”
- Aristotle, (Politica, 1282a 16-19)
User-Centered Research for Technical Communicators
is designed for all students in the MSTPC Program and
those enrolled in the Improving the User Experience
Professional Development Certificate. Ultimately, it
endeavors to precipitate a greater understanding of
and facility with user-experience (UX) research/testing
for documents—documents being used in the broadest
sense of the word to include everything from print to
electronic documents—from instructions to brochures
to books to websites to interfaces.
Being comprised of a balance between user-experience
testing theory and the practice of formally conducting
user-experience tests, English 730 aims to inculcate
competence in two distinct, but associated phases:
Theory and Practice. Theory, the first course phase,
engages and synthesizes the theoretical and pragmatic
conceptions of UX research and its various
counterparts as accepted and supported by the fields of
professional and technical communication. This phase
will require that you engage with the assigned readings
and participate in online and class discussions. You’ll
be expected to ask questions, correlate ideas from
various readings, and connect these theories to the
This course, its professor, and your classmates
endeavor to inculcate and actualize the following
official course objectives—what you should be able to
“do” at the end of this course:
• articulate the scope of the UX field by creating
a working definition (and term) for userexperience research and testing;
•
articulate the role of UX research and testing
in professional communication;
•
understand and employ terminology
associated with UX research and testing
concepts and methods;
•
analyze a document’s UX issues and prioritize
those that merit investigation in formal userexperience testing;
•
employ professional communication skills to
work effectively with a client, users, and
colleagues in designing and developing
effective UX testing; •
design and conduct effective UX research—
including field methods for gathering and
analyzing task and user information;
•
analyze and interpret UX test results, and
prepare those results for reporting, employing
professional communication skills. Course Projects* This course is centered on a semester-long project of
contextualizing, designing, and conducting a userexperience research study on a specific product for a
real-world client. The course components follow: English 730: User-­‐Centered Research | 1 Engaging the Theory Discussions:
Each student will contribute to and evidence their
critical engagement with UX theory/readings,
associated material, and UX colleagues in English 730.
To do so, you will be both asking and answering one
well thought out, sophisticated, and in-depth question
per set of readings to extend the conversation. Your
questions and answers call on you to make specific
connections between the assigned readings, our
online discussions, any supplemental articles, book
chapters, etc., and your experiences in the real world.
results, and reporting those results for dissemination
to the client.
*Detailed project descriptions will be provided as we
proceed throughout the semester.
Course Texts Johnson, R.B. (1998). User-centered
technology: Rhetorical theory for
computers and other mundane artifacts.
Albany, NY: State University of New
York Press.
User-Centered/User-Experience Definition: Each
student will write a ~500-1000 word definition and
justification for a chosen term to represent the
concept of “User-Centered/User-Experience
Research.” The definition and justification must be
comprehensive, incorporating both readings from the
course and individual research. Ultimately, this
definition will serve to illustrate your broader
historical understanding of these concepts, while also
detailing your particular conception of the
contemporary and real-world import of your chosen
term and its related application(s).
Persona & Cognitive Walkthrough: Based on your
research into our project’s impetus, your engagement
with our client, and your analysis of potential user
profiles, each student will create a persona that
represents a target user of the website. After analyzing
the persona’s information needs and navigation
behaviors, you’ll then conduct a cognitive
walkthrough and identify preliminary user-experience
issues that might merit further examination.
User-Experience Testing Plan & Proposal: Each
student (or group of students) will write a proposal to
be presented to the client for conducting userexperience testing on their product. These plans will
be vetted and used to generate your individual (or
group) testing plan for the User-Experience Research
& Results Project and will include the methods and
procedures (and materials) for the various tests you
propose to employ.
User-Experience Research & Results Project: Each
student will participate in a suite of user-experience
tests of the client’s product. The User-Experience
Research & Results Project involves preparing and
conducting the test, analyzing and interpreting the
Norman, D. (2013). The design of
everyday things (revised & expanded
ed.). NY, NY: Basic Books.
Barnum, C.M. (2011). Usability testing
essentials: Ready, set…Test! Burlington,
MA: Morgan Kaufmann.
Tullis, T., & Albert, B. (2013).
Measuring the user experience:
Collecting, analyzing, and presenting
usability metrics (2nd ed.). Waltham,
MA: Morgan Kaufmann.
Various articles available via Learn@UW-Stout
Additional Course Materials •
Access to your chosen writing handbook,
website, resource (a reference for writing,
documentation, plagiarism, etc.)\
•
Supplemental readings, examples, and
exercises (typically provided on Learn@UWStout or via e-mail)
•
A reliable means of accessing, reading, and
annotating course materials
•
Something on which to save your work (e.g., a
thumb-drive)
English 730: User-­‐Centered Research | 2 Technology Requirements In order to participate fully in the course, you should
already be proficient in the following and have signed
the Online Learning Agreement:
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•
Learn@UW-Stout (D2L)
Usability Testing Equipment (Noldus, EyeTracker, etc.) as appropriate
Updated versions of Mac OSX or Windows
Office for Mac or PC (Word, PowerPoint,
Excel)
Web Browser (e.g., Crome, Firefox, Safari)
E-mail Program: UW-Stout E-mail1
Adobe Acrobat
Technology Expectations Familiarity and facility with certain technologies is
crucial for participation and success in the course. If
you need any assistance now or at any point during
the semester, please do not hesitate to ask. Seeking out
the proper resources to solve your problems is an
ongoing theme in any course, but especially one in a
graduate program like ours. During the semester,
you'll need regular, daily access to the Internet and email. Because the course home page (Learn@UWStout) is the main locus of the class community, you
are responsible for reading and keeping current with
all content posted there, including that which has
been submitted by both Dr. Spartz and your fellow
classmates. You'll be responsible for configuring your
personal system(s) to access course materials, to read
course e-mail, participate in online discussions, and to
submit your work when asked.
If at any time you have problems accessing the
Internet from home or work, you'll need to find a
public lab or connection point as an alternative.
Problems with computers or other technologies will
not be an excuse for falling behind or failing to
complete required assignments. If your Internet
1
I will only respond to and send e-mails from UWStout E-mail: “@my.uwstout.edu” e-mail addresses!
service goes down, use another computer. If your
computer breaks, use another computer. If you can’t
read or create PDF files on your computer, use
another computer. In other words, find a way to
complete the assignments on time. Because computer
problems are a fact of life, always work to complete
your assignments early and make frequent backups to
multiple media.
ENGL 730 Course Policies Because success in this course relies heavily on
discussion of readings, drafts, peer discussions, and
myriad resources, your participation,
attendance/presence, and promptness are essential.
To help all class members be successful, the following
policies will be strictly enforced.
Engagement and Presence English 730 is a participatory environment involving
group discussion, group work, online writing, and
peer engagement as a significant part of the learning
process. Therefore, regular engagement, consistent
presence, and active participation are paramount to
your success in the course. Although there is no
separate “attendance” component of the course grade,
attendance is required for all scheduled activities,
meetings, and interactions unless otherwise noted.
Ultimately, the course abides by the maxim that all
members of the class should show respect to one
another by meeting at designated times and places,
and complete assigned activities in a timely manner.
Late Work Participation in a timely fashion is essential in this
class. Begin reading early in the week so that you have
adequate time to think through the readings and
contribute meaningfully. It is important that we stay
on the same page and proceed at the same pace. For
the materials assigned for a given week, complete
everything within that week. Don’t create backlogs for
yourself as you will get overwhelmed, which will lead
to limited success in the course.
English 730: User-­‐Centered Research | 3 Further, because all assignments and discussion board
messages are submitted to our Learn@UW-Stout site,
they will be automatically time-stamped. Late work,
for the most part (see the “Extension Policy” below),
will receive no credit in this class. That is to say that,
when it comes to late work, there is no such thing;
missed assignments or activities cannot be made up
and will result in a zero if not completed on time.
Extension Policy Should a serious and unavoidable problem arise,
PRIOR to not turning your work in on time, you will
need to obtain an extension from me, your professor,
to receive any credit. The policy for extension is as
follows and requires that you:
•
contact me prior to the deadline (at least 48
hours in advance, asking for an extension on
your assignment/project;
•
in writing, provide a detailed explanation of
the status of the assignment/project and
reasons you feel you deserve an extension;
•
propose an extension timeline, which includes
the new deadline (when you will turn it in);
•
wait to hear from me whether or not the
extension has been granted before
determining you will not turn your work in on
time.
Classroom Atmosphere Despite these seemingly Draconian policies,
essentially, I like to run an open class—one that
encourages productive discussion, questions, and
student interaction. Further, I expect each student to
contribute to a safe and pleasant environment for our
class discussions and activities online (Learn@UWStout). I encourage you to ask questions, share,
debate, and evaluate ideas regarding course topics and
issues. However, please be respectful of your
classmates and professor. Harassment of any kind—
racial, religious, cultural, homo- or heterophobic,
socioeconomic, etc.—will not be tolerated. See the
student code of conduct for any questions about your
obligations as a University of Wisconsin student:
Student Conduct Process
Students who violate Residence Life Policy,
University, UWS, and/or laws will be referred to the
Student Conduct Process and may face Student
Conduct sanctions, which will be administered
through the Office of Residence Life. A complete
reference to UWS policies and procedures can be
found in UWS Chapters 14, 17, and 18 of the
University of Wisconsin Administrative Code, which
can be found on the following web sites:
UWS Chapter 14:
http://www.legis.state.wi.us/rsb/code/uws/uws014.pdf
UWS Chapter 17:
http://www.legis.state.wi.us/rsb/code/uws/uws017.pdf
UWS Chapter 18:
http://www.legis.state.wi.us/rsb/code/uws/uws018.pdf
Any questions regarding students’ rights and
responsibilities should be directed to the Dean of
Students Office at (715) 232-1181. General questions
about the grievance and complaint procedures may
also be directed to the Dean of Students Office at
(715) 232-1181.
Academic Integrity While I certainly encourage working collaboratively
on many assignments and projects, all work done for
this course must be your own, unless otherwise
instructed. When using someone else’s ideas, words,
or examples, you must give that person credit to avoid
PLAGIARISM. We will discuss appropriate
documentation in class, and there are innumerable
resources on campus to help you in this regard. Please
be aware that plagiarism, either accidental or
intentional, could result in failing the class as well as
being subject to further disciplinary action by the
University, including expulsion from UW-Stout. Read
the University’s Student Academic Disciplinary
English 730: User-­‐Centered Research | 4 Policy for further details:
http://legis.wisconsin.gov/rsb/code/uws/uws014.pdf
Students with Disabilities UW-Stout strives for an inclusive learning
environment. It is the policy of the University of
Wisconsin-Stout to provide, on a flexible and
individual basis, reasonable accommodations to
students who have documented disabilities that may
affect their ability to participate in course activities or
to meet course requirements. If you anticipate or
experience any barriers related to the format or
requirements of this course, please meet with me so
that we can discuss ways to ensure full access. If you
determine that additional disability-related
accommodations are necessary, please contact the
Disability Services Office located in 206 Bowman Hall
and can be reached at 232-2995 or
http://www.uwstout.edu/disability.
Course Participation Learning in a graduate course relies on rigorous
exchanges of ideas, challenges to those ideas, and
connection of those ideas to real-world experiences.
Since this is a 100% online course, active participation
is critically important. You must complete your
Friday and Sundays postings on time. If your Friday
posting is late, your peers will not have enough time
to read and respond to your contribution. Please
carefully read your colleagues’ contribution and make
a meaningful and insightful response to a minimum
of two of those you are interested in. After Sunday,
you should read all colleagues’ responses, and you are
encouraged to respond back.
Project Submission Friday and Sunday postings should be submitted to
the weekly discussion board on Learn@UW-Stout.
Please do not attach Word or PDF files to the
discussion board because it is inconvenient to have
everyone download files. Simply craft your text
elsewhere (or do it all right there) and paste it in.
Other projects must be submitted as PDF files to the
corresponding Dropbox folder on Learn@UW-Stout.
You will find your grade and my feedback to your
papers in the same Dropbox folder to which you
submitted your projects. All papers should also use
the APA (American Psychological Association) style.
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
Required IRB Training Federal law requires that any activity (involving
human subjects) that constitutes “research” must be
approved by the Institutional Review Board before the
research can be carried out. Because we are dealing
with an external client with whom the data we gather
will be shared, each of you must be IRB-certified.
Early in the semester, we’ll navigate the IRB process
together and submit a protocol for our study with
MinuteBids. This will also put you in good standing
with the IRB office for your independent research as
part of the MS degree. A win-win, really!
Communication Stay in touch. As we progress throughout the
semester, I may incorporate supplemental materials
and adjust activities based on student learning. Please
check your e-mail and our Learn@UW-Stout course
site regularly. All announcements will be made
through e-mail. Please always refer to the electronic
syllabus and weekly calendars on Learn@UW-Stout
(Content page) for the most up-to-date schedule
information.
When you email me, please include “ENGL 730” in
the subject line of your email and your name at the
end of your email. And, remember, this is a
professional communication course. Please adhere to
standard e-mail communication practices. Should you
need a refresher on what those are, ask immediately.
Course Grading For each project, you will receive explicit instructions
that detail the expectations for that particular course
English 730: User-­‐Centered Research | 5 requirement. In general, your work will be graded
based on its development, organization, style, format,
and mechanical correctness, as well as its potential for
public or professional use or consumption and
attention to rhetorical exigencies. To receive an “A” in
this course, your work—including online Q & As,
discussions, and other course-related
communication—must be consistently exceptional.
Finally, while your final grade is at Dr. Spartz’s
discretion, the grading scale is as follows:
ENGL 730 Graduate School Grading Scale 100-94 = A (Exceptional)
90-93 = A87-89 = B+
84-86 = B (Satisfactory)
80-83 = B77-79 = C+
74-76 = C (Marginal)
70-73 = C67-69 = D+
60-66 = D (Unsatisfactory)
< 60 = F (Failing)
The course breaks down in the following percentages
for your final grade:
Engaging the Theory Discussions = 20%
User-Experience Definition = 10%
Persona & Cognitive Walkthrough = 10%
User-Experience Research Plan & Proposal = 25%
User-Experience Research & Results = 35%
Schedule The schedule of readings, projects, and required
assignments, will be posted weekly on our course site,
but it is subject to change at any time. I will give you
as much notice as possible about changes and
additions to the schedule. You are responsible for
changes announced on the course Learn@UW-Stout
site or transmitted by e-mail. Check your e-mail and
the course site regularly! Weekly assignments and
exercises will be added to the course Learn@UWStout site as we proceed, but you’ll find a skeletal
outline with preliminary themes, readings, and project
deadlines in the Course Resources section of our
Learn@UW-Stout site.
English 730: User-­‐Centered Research | 6