What is document testing?

Document testing is a process that tests the clarity of a document on a sample of your intended audience.

Document testing analyses a document from a typical reader’s perspective and asks:

Does the reader understand the message?

Does the reader know how to respond appropriately to the information?

Document testing is best carried out when a document is being designed, particularly if the document contains completely new information.

Why should we test our documents?

The time, effort and expense that goes into producing brochures and forms is a significant investment. You need to be sure it will work.

By testing your document on a sample of typical readers, you gain valuable feedback about ambiguities and misunderstandings that you may never have detected.

Making changes to your document will help you to avoid costly mistakes before it goes to print. Document testing helps you get it right – the first time.

Which documents should we test?

You should test documents that are critical for communicating important information to your customers and staff.

Typically these include brochures, notices, instructions, forms and letters.

Forms are commonly tested as they require accurate, precise responses from the reader. Letters requiring a response from the reader also need to be tested.

We can help you to prioritise your documents and work on the most important ones first.

How do we get our documents tested?

There is a variety of research methods used to test a document. The methods we choose depend on the type of document and your target audience.

These methods can be used:

Mail out and follow-up phone interviews
This method is cost-effective and suited to testing documents with an audience in rural and remote areas.

On-site testing
Documents designed for a specific audience can be tested on-site with a typical audience. For example, a health insurance claim form may be tested at a medical claims centre.

Focus groups
A focus group is a gathering of people who represent a typical audience of your document. Three or four focus groups of eight to 10 people will provide enough useful information about a document.

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