To: Prof. Carolyn Stice
From: Nick Russell
Subject: GrillWizard Usability Report
Date: October 19, 2019
Dear Professor Stice,
The purpose of this document is to inform the audience or the recent owners that have purchased the GrillWizard. In this document, it covers information that is necessary to safely operate the appliance and inform the reader why the GrillWizard was created. We redesigned the document to attract and make it easier to read. Using feedback from our classmates and help from the writing center we gained helpful insights on how to better the redesign document.
Summary
The initial Grillwizard document contained many problems. As a team we decided to edit the entire document after reviewing the comments from our cohort to make it easy to follow and user-friendly. Our original draft was presented as a pamphlet but to provide a more creative option we designed a brochure as our final document. The brochure we have created provides important information that is exciting to read and easy to follow.
Initial Document
The original document would be considered hard to read and follow, so we decided to completely redesign it for the audience. The original GrillWizard document did not have any structure, as it would state facts regarding the product and would start stating what not to do with the grill. The formatting of the initial document was almost non-existent so we decided that the number one priority of the report would revolve around creating subsections that would help aid the reader to understand what they would like to know about the GrillWizard and better format the entire document. Without the use of a logo, it adds to the difficulty of following the information provided throughout the document. Logos help the audience associate the product with a company causing even more confusion outside of the document. Warnings of what not to do were spread throughout the document, operating instructions would be misplaced and not necessarily in order, and the uses of the GrillWizard were hard to read and follow. Restructuring the information and correcting confusing word choice was the main task for this document.
Design Choices
For our original draft we decided to create a document with an easier to read structure and some graphics to make the document more appealing. We noticed the original document had all the warnings throughout the document. Instead of spreading them we moved all the warnings to the end and moved positive product information to the beginning. As a team we wanted a positive message while still providing important safety information. Adding graphics such as a caution symbol to the document gave it a more appealing and creative look.
Feedback from our cohort members and a tip from you Dr. Stice, helped us choose a brochure as our final formatting choice. The brochure would provide the reader clear insight into the product’s features and warnings as well as how to use the product. Information from the writing center helped us to create a better design and fix grammatical errors as well as researching brochure formats. The front and first flaps of the brochure were designed to tell the reader about the product. Information such as how to locate and contact the business and what is the GrillWizard are important for the customer to know from the start. The center of the brochure is designed to be creative and draw attention to key elements of the GrillWizard. Since the brochure opens to reveal the whole page, we thought it would be unique and interesting to spread the information across all three sections. The back section of the brochure holds warning information for proper use and cleaning of the GrillWizard. This warning is important but can be read after all previous information has been read.
Conclusion
Working as a team we developed a brochure that is eye catching while also provides all the necessary information to the buyers. Looking back at the original document, we made many changes that makes it more appealing and attractive to the audience that would be reading it. The goal of the brochure is to format all pertinent information in a way that is clear and easy to follow. Through our experience, research, and feedback our document accomplishes those goals.
Nick's Blog 