IGCSE ICT 0417 - Topic 9 Audience

Objective: Know and understand analysing the needs of an audience when creating ICT solutions

What is an Audience?

An audience is the group of people who will use or be affected by an ICT solution. Understanding your audience is crucial for designing effective and user-friendly systems.

Why is Audience Analysis Important?

Analyzing the audience helps ensure that the ICT solution meets their needs, is easy to use, and is relevant to them. Ignoring the audience can lead to a solution that is difficult to use, doesn't solve their problems, or is simply not adopted.

Key Factors to Consider When Analysing an Audience

To effectively analyse an audience, consider the following factors:

• Demographics: Age, gender, location, education, occupation.
• Technical Skills: Experience with technology, familiarity with specific software or devices.
• Needs and Requirements: What tasks do they need to accomplish? What problems are they trying to solve?
• Context of Use: Where and how will they be using the ICT solution? (e.g., at home, at work, on the go)
• Accessibility Requirements: Do any users have disabilities that need to be considered? (e.g., visual impairments, hearing impairments)
• Cultural Factors: Cultural background and language preferences.

Methods for Gathering Audience Information

There are several ways to gather information about the target audience:

1. Surveys: Questionnaires to collect information from a large group of people.
2. Interviews: One-on-one conversations to gain in-depth understanding.
3. Focus Groups: Group discussions to gather feedback and insights.
4. Observation: Watching people use existing systems or perform tasks.
5. User Testing: Asking representative users to try out prototypes or early versions of the solution.
6. Reviewing Existing Data: Analyzing data from previous projects or user databases.

Creating User Personas

A user persona is a fictional representation of a typical user based on research and data. It helps to humanize the audience and make design decisions more focused. A persona typically includes a name, a photo, a brief biography, their goals, and their frustrations.

Designing for Accessibility

Accessibility ensures that ICT solutions can be used by people with disabilities. This includes considering:

• Screen readers: Ensuring content is compatible with screen readers.
• Keyboard navigation: Allowing users to navigate without a mouse.
• Alternative text for images: Providing descriptions for images.
• Colour contrast: Ensuring sufficient contrast between text and background.
• Adjustable font sizes: Allowing users to increase or decrease font size.

Table: Audience Analysis Checklist

Aspect	Questions to Ask	Methods
Demographics	What is the age range? What are the common occupations?	Surveys, Interviews
Technical Skills	What is their level of experience with computers?	Surveys, Interviews, Observation
Needs	What tasks do they need to perform? What are their pain points?	Interviews, Focus Groups
Context of Use	Where will they be using the solution?	Observation, Interviews
Accessibility	Are there any users with disabilities? What are their specific needs?	Interviews, User Testing

Conclusion

Thorough audience analysis is a fundamental step in creating successful ICT solutions. By understanding the needs, skills, and context of use of the target audience, designers can create systems that are effective, user-friendly, and meet their requirements.