Question 1

When is the appropriate time to monitor documents remotely?

Accepted Answer

A)  during the planning stage 
B)  during the design phase 
C)  when the document is in prototype form 
D)  after documents are published or "go live" 
A)  during the planning stage 
B)  during the design phase 
C)  when the document is in prototype form 
D)  after documents are published or "go live"

Question 2

Chapter 13 discusses eight categories of usability problems. Two of them are maintainability and support. Name three more categories.

Accepted Answer

Chapter 13, which presumably refers to a

Question 3

Who usually serve as the participants in a guided evaluation?

Accepted Answer

A)  real-world users of the document 
B)  people who match the profile of potential users of the document 
C)  volunteers 
D)  experts in usability, technical communication, or the subject matter of the document 
A)  real-world users of the document 
B)  people who match the profile of potential users of the document 
C)  volunteers 
D)  experts in usability, technical communication, or the subject matter of the document

Question 4

A heuristic evaluation is usually performed by a focus group.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

Chapter 13 discusses five usability study settings. One of these settings is focus groups. What are three more?

Accepted Answer

Chapter 13, which discusses usability st

Question 6

Who are the best participants to include when you are testing documents in a controlled setting or lab setting?

Accepted Answer

A)  subject-matter experts 
B)  usability experts 
C)  representative users of the document 
D)  company employees 
A)  subject-matter experts 
B)  usability experts 
C)  representative users of the document 
D)  company employees

Question 7

One factor affecting the usability of a document or website is its efficiency of use. What does efficiency of use measure?

Accepted Answer

A)  the time it takes a person to carry out a task after learning how to do it 
B)  the time it takes a person to learn to use the item 
C)  a person's ability to remember how to carry out a task 
D)  the ease with which a person recovers from errors made in carrying out a task. 
A)  the time it takes a person to carry out a task after learning how to do it 
B)  the time it takes a person to learn to use the item 
C)  a person's ability to remember how to carry out a task 
D)  the ease with which a person recovers from errors made in carrying out a task.

Question 8

Which of the following is an example of a cognitive walk-through?

Accepted Answer

A)  An evaluator is asked to carry out a set of tasks using a document or website. 
B)  A test participant is asked to think aloud while using a document or website. 
C)  A test participant is interviewed after a usability test and asked to describe what he or she was thinking during the test. 
D)  A test participant fills out a post-test questionnaire. 
A)  An evaluator is asked to carry out a set of tasks using a document or website. 
B)  A test participant is asked to think aloud while using a document or website. 
C)  A test participant is interviewed after a usability test and asked to describe what he or she was thinking during the test. 
D)  A test participant fills out a post-test questionnaire.

Question 9

What is an SME?

Accepted Answer

An SME, or Small and Medium-sized Enterp

Question 10

Test administrators must obtain informed consent from test participants in writing.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

Which of the following kinds of problems would a usability study be LEAST likely to uncover?

Accepted Answer

A)  problems with navigation 
B)  confusing icons or design elements 
C)  information that does not interest the reader 
D)  problems with the organization of information 
A)  problems with navigation 
B)  confusing icons or design elements 
C)  information that does not interest the reader 
D)  problems with the organization of information

Question 12

One factor affecting whether you decide to review, evaluate, or test a draft of a document is the document's relative importance. What are the other two factors?

Accepted Answer

When deciding whether to review, evaluat

Question 13

To save money, it is a good idea to use company employees as participants in a usability test.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

Which of the following is NOT an example of a setting for a usability study?

Accepted Answer

A)  a guided evaluation 
B)  your own review of a document that you created 
C)  user testing in context 
D)  remote monitoring 
A)  a guided evaluation 
B)  your own review of a document that you created 
C)  user testing in context 
D)  remote monitoring

Question 15

What are some advantages and disadvantages of testing documents in real-world contexts?

Accepted Answer

Testing documents in real-world contexts

Question 16

Testing documents in a lab provides richer feedback than can be gathered by testing them in a working context.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

Post-test interviews and questionnaires are best conducted and completed several weeks after the test, when participants have had time to think further about their experiences.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

How does money affect the decision to conduct a usability test?

Accepted Answer

A)  Participants in a usability test need to be compensated for their time. 
B)  You must pay to file a copy of the usability report with your company's central office. 
C)  Each test must be reviewed by a lawyer or board-certified specialist. 
D)  You must purchase special software for recording participants' comments. 
A)  Participants in a usability test need to be compensated for their time. 
B)  You must pay to file a copy of the usability report with your company's central office. 
C)  Each test must be reviewed by a lawyer or board-certified specialist. 
D)  You must purchase special software for recording participants' comments.

Question 19

What kinds of questions should a test administrator ask of a participant in a usability test who is unable to complete a task?

Accepted Answer

A)  closed questions 
B)  demographic questions 
C)  biased questions 
D)  leading questions 
A)  closed questions 
B)  demographic questions 
C)  biased questions 
D)  leading questions

Question 20

One factor affecting a decision about whether to evaluate or test a document is that document's relative importance. What are two other factors?

Accepted Answer

A)  subjective satisfaction and ease of learning 
B)  time and money 
C)  error frequency and subjective satisfaction 
D)  time and memorability 
A)  subjective satisfaction and ease of learning 
B)  time and money 
C)  error frequency and subjective satisfaction 
D)  time and memorability

Exam 13: Evaluating and Testing Technical Documents

When is the appropriate time to monitor documents remotely?

Chapter 13 discusses eight categories of usability problems. Two of them are maintainability and support. Name three more categories.

Who usually serve as the participants in a guided evaluation?

A heuristic evaluation is usually performed by a focus group.

Chapter 13 discusses five usability study settings. One of these settings is focus groups. What are three more?

Who are the best participants to include when you are testing documents in a controlled setting or lab setting?

One factor affecting the usability of a document or website is its efficiency of use. What does efficiency of use measure?

Which of the following is an example of a cognitive walk-through?

What is an SME?

Test administrators must obtain informed consent from test participants in writing.

Which of the following kinds of problems would a usability study be LEAST likely to uncover?

One factor affecting whether you decide to review, evaluate, or test a draft of a document is the document's relative importance. What are the other two factors?

To save money, it is a good idea to use company employees as participants in a usability test.

Which of the following is NOT an example of a setting for a usability study?

What are some advantages and disadvantages of testing documents in real-world contexts?

Testing documents in a lab provides richer feedback than can be gathered by testing them in a working context.

Post-test interviews and questionnaires are best conducted and completed several weeks after the test, when participants have had time to think further about their experiences.

How does money affect the decision to conduct a usability test?

What kinds of questions should a test administrator ask of a participant in a usability test who is unable to complete a task?

One factor affecting a decision about whether to evaluate or test a document is that document's relative importance. What are two other factors?

Introduction to Technical Communication

Understanding Ethical and Legal Considerations

Writing Technical Documents

Writing Collaboratively

Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose

Researching Your Subject

Organizing Your Information

Communicating Persuasively

Emphasizing Important Information

Writing Correct and Effective Sentences

Designing Print and Online Documents

Creating Graphics

Corresponding in Print and Online

Applying for a Job

Writing Proposals

Writing Informational Reports

Writing Recommendation Reports

Writing Lab Reports

Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions

Making Oral Presentations

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