Audience Analysis

Usability:
"measure of how well [a] document fulfills the informational needs of its audience"

[Five] steps to usability:

• Analyze document's audience and determine purpose
• Create a task analysis for the document
• Consider setting, potential problems, length, format, timing, & budget
• Develop an information plan for the document
• Write, test, and revise the document

Analyze audience:

• Who is the main audience for this document? 
• Who else is likely to read it? 
• What is your relationship with the audience?
• How familiar is the audience with technical details?
• What culture(s) does your audience represent?

primary audience:
geared to immediate reader

secondary:
outside immediate circle; interested in or affected by the document

Relationship with the reader:

• Are they superiors, colleagues, or subordinates?
• Inside or outside of your organization?
• Do you know your readers personally? 
• Combination of the above? 
• How can you speak to the needs of the secondary reader?

Technical background:

• Technical level targets primary audience
• Larger the audience, the more expertise and language matters
• Consider language, content, organization, illustrations, & design

Culture:

• Information needs and preferences, determined by culture
• How can cultural differences create misunderstanding?