tekom - Europe

tekom.eu Technical Writing Education and Training Professional Competences in Technical Communication Environment analysis Target groups

Environment analysis

Target groups

Target group descriptions characterize the users of the information product in a given usage situation. Every information product should be understandable and usable for the target group. To achieve this, the technical writer must know the target group of the information product and its requirements. Based on this, the characteristics of the information product can be determined.

Relevant characteristics describe the target groups and usage situations. Various methodological approaches enable a systematic approach to analyzing the target groups and their usage situation.

As a result of the target group analysis, there are concrete indications for concept development.

Documentation-relevant target group characteristics
  • Target group characteristics that affect the use of the information product and have consequences for the creation of an information product (e.g. age, level of expertise, experience with similar technology, knowledge of technology, level of education, culture, language skills, media skills, physical and cognitive characteristics, technical equipment of users, user rights, distribution channels)
  • Target group's usage environment (e.g. to determine the most suitable publication medium)
  • Awareness of technologies among the target group
Characterization of target groups
  • Objectives of target group characterization and target group analysis
  • Classification and characterization of target groups
  • Target group-related data collection, acquisition of empirical or other data about the target group (e.g. from studies, from customer contacts of the company (e.g. from service, support) or from usability studies)
  • Methods for characterizing target groups (e.g. scenario technique, persona method, who-does-what matrix)
Target group analysis
  • Planning, implementation and evaluation of a target group analysis; principles and systematic problems
  • Gaining information through the various methods of target group analysis (e.g. determining the customer journey, methods aimed at describing the target group characteristics versus methods aimed at the use of the product/application situation, design thinking)
  • Use of results from target group analyses, user profiles and empirical or other data for the concept of the information product
  • Interlocking target group analyses with other methods (e.g. analysis of product use, such as use cases, task analysis)
  • Developments and trends in media use, expectations and requirements of media and presentations