Company: Confidential
Year: 2009
Challenge
The primary purpose for this study was to identify how much training and support would be needed for several thousand users transitioning to Office 2007 from an earlier version of the product. By studying how first time upgraders learn to use new features and work with old ones, the client wanted to learn what type of documentation works best for employees.
Research Methods
Month-long diary study
Web survey
Heuristic evaluation of training materials
Usability testing in user's native environment
Solution
Because most employees were very familiar with the Office suite and comfortable using integrated Help, as well as searching the web for guidance, the need for supplementary materials was reduced. Users shied away from support documentation and preferred to hunt-and-peck, exploring the application to learn about new features and find the old ones because they felt it was an enjoyable experience.
Result
- Identified major issue as installation procedure and time, not application usability
- Documented potential financial risk to deploying as-is
- Cost-savings in reduced need for training and support materials
- Participating employees enjoyed having a real impact on an IT project
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