Have you ever wondered:

• What do my users need to do their jobs?
• What is my best strategy for providing my users with the best user experience?
• What are my cost limitations?

If so, then this New Heights workshop is perfect for you. We are bringing in Judy Glick-Smith to guide us through audience analysis, and she will help us answer these questions and more.

About the Workshop

Recently, the university where I teach changed to a new online system, touting its “usability”. Even the “help,” which you have to use because the system is NOT usable, states, “The intuitive content manager…guides you through the process.” Number one, I couldn’t even find the words “content manager” on the screen. Number two, if it’s so intuitive, why does the help developer need to tell me that? It obviously isn’t if I had to use the help to figure out how to set up a simple file structure for the course I am teaching.

This is an example of a software product development effort that either had no preliminary audience analysis (for the system or the help) or the audience analysis was not done very rigorously – definitely not user- or goal-centered.

In technical communication, if we want our communication to be useful to our readers and users, we must do audience analysis for the content that we are developing. And, sometimes, we are asked to do audience analysis for the people who are developing products and systems. The process is the same.

This workshop will teach you the process of audience analysis using a readers’ and users’ goal-centered approach. You’ll learn each step of the process and then apply what you learned to real-life examples.

Workshop Objectives:

At the end of this workshop, you will be able to:

• Develop a plan for conducting user-centered, goal-directed audience analysis.
• Execute and adjust the plan, based on your findings.
• Create an audience-task analysis document that can be used by content, product, and system developers.

About the Presenter, Judith L. Glick-Smith, MSCM, Ph.D

Judy Glick-Smith is a Fellow and Past President of STC. She is STC’s 2006 recipient of the President’s Award and she is the original architect of STC’s Leadership Community Resource (LCR). She currently serves as a member of STC’s Nominating Committee. She has been a technical communicator, entrepreneur, and business consultant since 1983. She has been involved with many other professional societies, including the American Society for Training and Development and Toastmasters International.

Judy is President of MentorFactor, Inc. MentorFactor focuses on technical communication services, organizational development consulting, business analysis, change management, conflict management, and transformative strategic planning for both organizations and individuals. Judy especially enjoys teaching people the art of flow-based decision making.

Judy also teaches in the Department of Communication at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, GA.

Judy has a Ph.D. in Transformative Studies from the California Institute of Integral Studies. She has a Master’s of Science in Conflict Management from Kennesaw State University and a BBA in Accounting with a minor in Information Systems from Georgia State University.  She is trained in the Zachman Framework for Enterprise Architecture.

Workshop Details

• Date: Friday, April 12, 2013
• Time:
  • 8:00 a.m. Registration and breakfast
  • 8:30 a.m. Workshop starts
  • Break (snacks)
  • 12:00 p.m. Lunch
  • 1:00 p.m. Workshop resumes
  • Break (snacks)
  • 4:30 p.m. Workshop finishes

Note: If you have any dietary restrictions, please email Jeanne Gonnason when you register.

• Location: Innovate Calgary (formerly CTI), 3553 31 Street Northwest, Calgary, AB (Interactive Map)
• Directions: Innovate Calgary is in University Research Park just north of the University of Calgary
• Public Transportation: From Brentwood LRT station walk across the parking lot to Innovate Calgary
• Parking: Free visitor parking is available in front of the building.
• Prerequisites: None: This workshop is aimed at all levels of experience. If you are bringing your laptop, don’t forget the power cord! Wireless internet access is available.
• Cost: See Registration Rates below.

Registration Rates

Register online for Alberta STC’s workshop now! Our rate is well below comparable daily workshop fees.

Regular rate: $325* for STC and affiliate members; $375 for non-members

* If you are a student in a communication program, you MUST present your student ID at the workshop to receive a $50 rebate.

* If you live more than 50 km from Calgary, please pay the full fee and email the Treasurer for $50 reimbursement.

The workshop includes breakfast, lunch, and snacks at the breaks. If you have any dietary restrictions, please email them to Jeanne Gonnason.

Questions?