Personas

Using Personas in the TCBOK

From Wikipedia.com:  Personas are fictitious characters that are created to represent the different user types within a targeted demographic that might use a site or product. more

We have created personas that represent some of the people who might use TCBOK. Our community is diverse, but these personas represent a wide cross-section of different technical communication needs. For example, there is a persona who represents working technical writers wanting to keep skills current. That persona represents a number of people who visit the site.

Each story includes specific examples of how the person might use TCBOK.  For example, the persona for working technical writers may use TCBOK to learn more about DITA.

The Personas

Click a persona to find out about that persona and how they might use TCBOK. Follow their information search, with links to pages they would read.

Alicia Madison College Dean Learning about Technical Communication and Technical Communication Programs

Anu Patel: Academic Program Director Preparing for Institutional Program Review

Caroline Landry: Lead Writer in a Company Moving into International Markets

Carrie Watson: Academic Practitioner Designing a Curriculum

Consuela Roehl: Technical Communicator Whose Responsibilities are Being Outsourced

Eric Hernandez: High School Student Planning Technical Communication Career

James Ventura: IT Project Manager Wanting Effective Communication Practices for Team

Jimmy Chin: College Student Planning Technical Communication Career

Kate Watkins: Information Development Manager Creating a Technical Communication Department for the Company

Linda Etesh: IT Practitioner Wanting to Change to a Technical Writer Career

Maarten van Gelten: Translation Manager who Wants Less English Text

Marcia Houston: Practitioner Wanting to Do More Web and Usability Work

Margy Statler: Technical Communicator with Accessibility Needs

Randy Green: Technical Writer Wanting to Stay Current

Robert Haines: Engineering Supervisor Wanting Information About Mentoring and Technical Communication

Sudha Gupta: Human Resources Manager Needing to Hire Technical Communicators

Rick Sanchez: Technical Communication Student

Jennifer Bennett: Technical Communication Student

Stephen Bakke: Technical Communication Teacher

Ashley Konrad: Technical Communication Teacher

The Persona Matrix: Comparing Information Needs

A recent graduate level class of the Mercer University MSTCO program under the direction of Dr. Marjorie Davis created a matrix of the personas created by the TCBOK Committee and personas created by the class.  In this matrix, the needs of the various users of TCBOK are identified using a card-sorting approach and result in links between the needs of the user and the information available on TCBOK.

Suggestions for More Personas

We have had some suggestions for more personas, and will be thinking about their needs as well:

From Lea Galanter: The Technical Editor. The technical editor role is quite a unique one and should not be lumped in with other roles. Please consider adding that persona.

Comments

Posted by John Sgammato [64.196.253.34] on Oct 05, 2010

I think it would be good to include two types of Lone Writers, both of whom are responsible for all the technical documentation needs of their employer:

  • The Beleaguered Lone Writer - gets no respect, has to struggle for resources, employer probably won't pay STC dues. Because the employer has no respect for the profession (and little expectation of quality) the employer is likely to go bottom-fishing for talent, hiring the most desperate, least skilled, and most in need of STC support.
  • The Respected Lone Writer - gets plenty of respect, software, STC dues are paid as a matter of course. Sees STC as a career-builder more than a lifeline, but still needs the community to help fill in spaces.

 

Both of these people are generalists. Specialization is for consultants and for writers in big departments. Single-sourcing is key for them. Once they work out a bullet-proof workflow they lack the time to research changes to it because there's no back-up when you're a Lone Writer.

Lone Writers also need STC for a social component. They often feel isolated and not understood. This is especially so for the Beleaguered Lone Writer, but the phenomenon is real for the Respected Lone Writer as well. 

 

Posted by Lea Galanter [24.16.35.173] on May 16, 2009

Where is the technical editor persona? The technical editor role is quite a unique one and should not be lumped in with other roles. Please consider adding that persona.
 
Last modified May 6, 2013