UMGC Personas Writing Assignment
UMGC Personas Writing Assignment
Writing Assignment #1 Writing Three Personas Summary of the Assignment: • • • Task: In this assignment, you will write three personas to prepare for writing assignment #2, the set of instructions that explain how to accomplish a task on a website. You want to read the instructions for writing assignment #2 before writing your personas. Length: 120-250 words for each persona. Graphics: You are not required to use any graphics. If you would like to include a photo for each persona, you may. Brief Description and Strategies to Follow: In week 1, you listened to a podcast interview with Giuseppe Getto and Keith Amant about personas. You also read two articles by Geoff Hart on the use of personas in technical writing and one article by Matt Eland. In this assignment, you will write three personas for the set of instructions you will write for writing assignment #2. Please include the following information for each persona: • • • a summary of the persona, including the persona’s name, occupation, and age goals for the persona: why the persona would want to accomplish the task on the web that you will be describing in writing assignment #2 potential problems or unique situations: for the task that you are describing for writing assignment #2, describe what frustrations, challenges, pain points, or unique needs that the person might have in completing the task. For each persona, you must list o at least one pain point that the person experiences when navigating a website or o at least one special situation that requires attention in your set of instructions. Getto and Amant mentioned pain points in their interview. UMGC Personas Writing Assignment
Perhaps the persona is nervous about putting credit card information in a website, has vision problems when navigating the web, or simply has never used the web before. Perhaps the persona is not particularly nervous about completing your task but has a unique need. Perhaps she must use the PayPal option because she does not want to use her credit card. Perhaps she will use a gift card for the site when paying (if your set of instructions involves paying for something online). Perhaps she needs to create a gmail account because she does not want to use his work email in filling out the interface to complete the task (if your set of instructions involves inputting an email address). The sample assignments provided in the class for writing assignment #1 demonstrate some pain points or special needs that personas can have. Make sure to look at the sample assignments. Ideally, your three personas will not be experts at attempting the task you are describing. For each one, you should list at least one pain point or at least one unique characteristic that will need to be accommodated in writing assignment #2. Due Date: Your instructor will notify you of the due date. Writing Assignment #2 Set of Instructions for a Local Website and Description of Accommodating Your Personas Summary of the Assignment: • • • • Task: In this assignment, you will write a set of instructions that explain how to accomplish a task on a website at a local institution. You will also write a brief description of how the personas that you wrote for writing assignment #1 informed this assignment. Length: There is no minimum or maximum word count on the set of instructions. However, your instructions must have 8 or more steps. More information on the number of steps is provided below. Graphics: You must include at least one graphic for each step. o At least 8 graphics should be integrated into your set of instructions. o All graphics should be screen captures of the website you are demonstrating. o All graphics should be labeled. Incorporating the personas into this assignment: You will write a description of 100 to 200 words indicating to the instructor how your instructions accommodate the personas you wrote in writing assignment #1. For this assignment, it is acceptable to write a set of instructions on how to accomplish a task on a mobile device. An example of this approach would be a set of instructions on how to download an app to borrow library books from your local library. Brief Description and Strategies to Follow: Please keep in mind the following principles when writing this assignment: • • • You must provide instructions on how to accomplish a task on a website. The website should be for a regional or local organization or company in your area. For example, you could write about how to order a pizza from a local pizza shop in your town. You could write about how to purchase an item from a local shop in your area (not from Amazon). The organization or company can be national.UMGC Personas Writing Assignment
However, the set of instructions you write must involve a local or regional location for that national organization. For example, you can write about how to arrange a rental tool online at Home Depot, provided that you are arranging the rental at a local Home Depot location. If you have questions about whether your topic will work, please contact your instructor for approval or for suggestions on the topic. • Whether you choose a local establishment or a national organization with regional locations, the important features of your set of instructions will be that they are written to a general audience but also accommodate the specific personas that you wrote for writing assignment #1. Some examples of topics are the following. (Keep in mind that you may select your own topic. These are just examples to help you consider various topics.) o how to check your balance in your checking account online at your local bank or credit union o how to find and borrow a book on your local public library’s website o how to order a chabchae dish from the local Korean restaurant in your area o how to locate a product on your local Craigslist site and contact the seller to arrange for purchase and pickup o how to order a large pizza online from a local pizzeria in your neighborhood o how to pay a fee on the website for the Motor Vehicle Association in Maryland (or the equivalent for your state) • • • You must have at least 8 steps. Each step is to be numbered and is to begin with an imperative verb, as the resources in the class indicate. Every step will include a picture or graphic to help the reader follow the instructions. Sections to Include in Your Set of Instructions: The set of instructions will include the following sections: • • • • Title Overview or Introduction with background information about why a user would want to accomplish the task you are describing. Instructions o number all of the main steps, as the resources for the class indicate o provide a graphic for steps of the instructions ▪ all graphics will be screen captures of the website. ▪ all graphics should be labeled A description of how the instructions accommodate the personas. Remember, each one of your personas had at least one pain point or one unique situation that needs attention in your set of instructions. Your instructions for this assignment will accommodate each persona’s pain points or unique situation. It is in this section of the assignment that you describe how you accommodated them. Helpful Guides and Resources: • • • • Chapter 10 from Tebeaux and Dragga, which is available in the e-reserves section of the class, is a helpful document to review as you begin this assignment. The Tech Writing Handbook by Dozuki, which is one of the resources listed in our class, has an appendix that provides tips in writing instructions and incorporating graphics into instructions. The Mayfield Handbook, which is also one of the resources listed in our class, features excellent tips on writing instructions. o Section 2.8.3 of the handbook, Instructions and Procedures, will be particularly helpful. Two sample sets of instructions are provided in our class in LEO. Due Date UMGC Personas Writing Assignment
