Technical Writing - Results Technical

Technical Writing - Results

TECHNICAL INSTRUCTIONS for SALVAGING AUDIO CASSETTES AFTER the MAGNETIC TAPE HAS BEEN TORN or PARTIALLY DESTROYED

USABILITY TESTING MEMORANDUM

The design of the instructions was fundamentally sound, enabling most of the test subjects to achieve the objective of salvaging the cassette tapes so that it was capable of being played after repair. Those test subjects who failed to achieve the objective experienced two categories of difficulty, one of which is capable of redress in a revision to the instructions and the other of which is capable of improvement with the experience of additional trials and repetition only but not by any technical revisions to the original instructions.

Significantly more test subjects who failed by virtue of the technical aspect also failed the apparent experience-related operational element more often.

Additionally, most technical failures were resolved on a second trial, while fewer than half the operational failures were resolved on a second trial suggests that individual competence and concentration on task execution played some role in the technical aspect of failures as well. Definitions:

Success in the tested task was defined as restoring the damaged cassette cartridge to playable condition. Technical Failure was defined as malfunction upon playback as a result of deficiencies identified in the technical instructions. Operational Failure was defined as malfunction upon playback as a result of failure to follow the instructions and/or failure resulting from the subject's inability to successfully execute the instructions for reasons related to difficulty manipulating the tape cartridge components in a manner conducive to its successful repair.

Chart #1- Results of First Trial:

Total # Test Subjects in Testing Group: 18

Successful Completions: 9

Technical Failures: 4

Operational Failures: 5

Combined Technical and Operational Failures: 3

Chart #2- Results of Second Trial:

Successful Completions on 2nd Trial after Technical Failure: 3 of 4

Successful Completions on 2nd Trial after Operational Failure: 3 of 5

Successful Completions on 2nd Trial after Combined Failure: 1 of 3

Successful Completions on 2nd Trial after Initial Success: 9 of 11

Detailed Analysis:

Technical failures occurred when subjects successfully completed all the individual steps detailed in the technical instructions but experienced failure related to secondary magnetic tape breakage on the playback attempt. Failures of this type were universally attributable to failure of the technical instructions to provide more precise instructions for splicing the magnetic tape.

Operational failures occurred in two specific types: (1) where subjects reassembled the cassette cartridge but experienced failure on playback attributable forensically to specific inability or failure to follow any element of the technical instructions; and (2) where subjects experienced catastrophic failure during the repair or reassembly procedure that precluded completion of the trial.

Type 1 operational failures were forensically diagnosed as improper reproduction of the original tape tracking pathway. These failures likely reflected a degree of natural ability in visualizing the tape position necessary to restore function. This type of failure identified a missing component of the technical instructions capable of being redressed by the addition of another instructional step.

Type 2 operational failures were forensically diagnosed as insufficient physical dexterity in manipulating the components of the cassette cartridge resulting in dropping the disassembled cartridge or in mutilation of the magnetic tape after reassembly while attempting to rewind loose tape onto the tape spools.

Recommendations for Revisions to Technical Instructions:

Forensic analysis of technical failures indicated that the technical instructions lacked sufficient detail with regard to ensuring that the adhesive tape splicing the magnetic tape was secure in effecting a seal sufficient to withstand the stress of playback. The technical instructions require the addition of a step detailing that at least 1/8-inch of magnetic tape be covered by the adhesive tape on each end and that the repaired section be tested by gently pulling both sides before reassembly. Repeated trials after inclusion of this instructional element successfully resolved most of the technical failures related to tape rupture on replay attempts.

Forensic analysis indicated that Type 1 operational failures were attributable to a missing step in the technical instructions. Specifically, once the magnetic tape was already ruptured, successful reassembly was dependent on the subject's intuitive ability to predict the correct tracking path of the magnetic tape through the cartridge mechanism components. These failures suggested the need to add another step to the technical instructions: namely, the observation of another (intact) cassette tape cartridge to note the correct tracking path before initiating a repair attempt on a damaged cartridge. The addition of this step successfully resolved all Type 1 operational failures on subsequent trials.