A USER-DRIVEN EVALUATION AND RE-DESIGN OF TECHNICAL INFORMATION

TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE SPACE ENVIRONMENT SERVICES CENTER (SESSC) TO HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THEIR USERS USE SESC INFORMATION PRODUCTS, WE PROPOSE A USER-DRIVEN EVALUATION PROCESS BASED ON NATURALISTIC INQUIRY METHODS. AT THE END OF THIS PROCESS, WE WILL RECOMMEND SPECIFIC CHANGES TO THE SESC PRODUCTS AND THEIR DELIVERY FORMAT. PHASE I RESEARCH WILL INVOLVE DEVELOPING AN INTERVIEW PROTOCOL, GATHERING A VOLUME OF INFORMATION FROM THE INTERVIEWS AND ANALYZING IT FOR SCENARIOS OF SUCCESS/FAILURE (SATISFACTION/DISSATISFACTION), ESTABLISHING DESIGN AND COMMUNICATION CRITERIA BASED ON RESEARCH FINDINGS AND GUIDELINES, AND RECOMMENDING CHANGES IN PRODUCT FORMAT AND DELIVERY TO BETTER SERVE SPECIFIC USER GROUPS. THE PHASE II EFFORT WILL TEST DESIGN RECOMMENDATIONS OBTAINED FROM PHASE II EFFORT WILL TEST DESIGN RECOMMENDATIONS OBTAINED FROM PHASE I WITH FORMAL USABILITY TESTING. THE REDESIGNED PRODUCTS, AND THE RESEARCH PROCESS THAT GENERATES THEM, WILL ALSO SERVE AS PROTOTYPES FOR OTHER DOC PROBABILITY-BASED PRODUCTS THAT SERVE DIVERSE USER GROUPS.