Tec-Ed, Inc.

Tec-Ed

    Insights            

                                                     Improving customer satisfaction through
                                                     user research and information design

Happy New Year! We wish you a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2004—a year that is not only successful but also stimulating. Toward that end, here’s the latest issue of Tec-Ed Insights.

In this issue:

• Do customers ignore your help system? Join Tec-Ed’s CHI 2004 workshop to brainstorm solutions.

• Compare your experiences of working with elderly computer/Internet users with those of people who coach them.

• Microsoft Business Solutions recognizes Tec-Ed with the 2003 Excellence in Customer Service award.

• Inside Tec-Ed: Jacie Wedberg marks 20 years with Tec-Ed, Kathy Giszczak joins us.

• Upcoming events: CHI and STC conferences.

Helping users to use help. The help system for your product is rather sparse—but no one complains. Or your product has a comprehensive, up–to–date help system—but users still call customer service to ask questions that are answered in Help. Why?

People may not see help, be unwilling or afraid to leave their current task, or avoid help in favor of other user support aids. Getting users to access help systems is thus an issue of interaction and interface design, not just one of content and information architecture. Tec-Ed’s workshop at CHI 2004 will connect the domains of interaction and information to investigate the problem of connecting users with help systems.

Please join us to explore users’ initial interactions with help systems. But hurry—position papers are due soon! For details, see Helping Users to Use Help: Improving Interaction with Help Systems.

Coaching elderly computer users. Senior citizens are a growing percentage of the U.S. population. Many have the time, energy, and resources to become competent computer users. But are computers and the Internet easy for seniors to learn?

Tec-Ed conducted a pilot research study of individuals who coach the elderly on computer and Internet use. We hypothesized that coaches comprise a large community of unique observers. As such, coaches know what problems elderly users encounter and what techniques and explanations work to build their competence.

The results of our research are in Usable Computers for the Elderly: Applying Coaching Experiences. Read it for insight into the special problems of elderly users, as well as ideas and challenges for improving user interfaces, documentation, and training for this audience.

Excellence in customer service. “It often seems like they’re not a vendor at all, but just members of our extended team. They&’re careful, thorough, flexible, and very, very efficient.”

That’s only one of the comments that persuaded Microsoft Business Solutions to choose Tec-Ed for a 2003 Excellence in Customer Service award. We’ve supported Microsoft Business Solutions with user manuals and online help for its Solomon product line since 1998. Recognizing the important role of good user documentation in ensuring customer satisfaction, Microsoft Business Solutions recently engaged Tec-Ed to support its Great Plains product line as well.

Learn more about Tec-Ed’s partnership with Microsoft Business Solutions in excerpts from the award announcement.

Inside Tec-Ed: We’re launching this occasional feature to highlight recent staff accomplishments and additions.

• Jacie Wedberg celebrated 20 years with Tec-Ed in October. Our lead production specialist, Jacie has added illustrator/designer, MIS coordinator, and co-webmaster to her responsibilities over the years. Her extensive knowledge of software, attention to detail, enthusiasm for excellence, and dedication to Tec-Ed make her an invaluable asset. Congratulations!

• Kathy A. Giszczak joined Tec-Ed in September as Accounting and Human Resources Manager. Kathy has 20 years of experience in accounting and auditing–related positions, most recently for small companies. She holds a B.S. in accounting from Oakland University.

Upcoming events:

• CHI 2004, April 24 to 29 in Vienna, Austria. Tec-Ed will lead a workshop on Helping Users to Use Help: Improving Interaction with Help Systems. Advance registration is required.

• STC’s 51st Annual Conference, May 9 to 12 in Baltimore. Tec-Ed will present a paper on “Career Paths Less Taken” and participate in “A Marketplace of Ideas on Usability.”

To comment or for more information on Tec-Ed, please feel free to contact Stephanie Rosenbaum (just reply to this e–mail).

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