Technical Communication Graduate Applied Projects

The primary goal of this research was to identify the elements of members' website usage stories (including plot points and story scope), and which brand principles of Free Range CrossFit, like personal development (among others), can be identified in those storytelling elements. To accomplish this, I designed the interview questions to uncover these patterns in the various plot points of their journey as users, and developed a coding manual with the elements of "Brand" and "User Story" to code the transcripts. I then coded the transcribed results using Atlas.ti program, and identified occurrences and co-occurrences between the two concepts. The results showed that the website is being used to track members' personal development, which aligns with Brand principles from mainstream CrossFit, and the gym's mission and value statements. The data also suggests that members identified their usage stories through various scopes. While the beginning of story outlined by members was clear, the data suggests that there is room for improvement towards the end of the members' journey as users of the website, and recommendations are provided.

This project compiled findings from both primary and secondary applied research on the design and content structure on the current knowledge bases (KB) of product related documentation for the accesso Siriusware product suite. The findings from the research and study improved understanding surrounding our end-user perceptions of knowledge base functionality and usability. In addition, the findings became the framework for building an implementation strategy to improve knowledge base design and development. The implementation strategy is included in the report, and these findings will be used to update documentation and develop the KB.