Yesterday, we blogged about using AI to simulate users of software to gain insights into how different types of users react to a user guide or online help.
We have also developed a similar app for evaluating policy and procedure documents. This is an important issue because some organisations spend considerable time creating policies that might not be working for their intended audiences.
The tool helps policy and procedure writers, and UX researchers, evaluate policies and procedures from different user perspectives. By defining user personas with varying levels of expertise, backgrounds and preferences, it enables you to simulate how different staff members (and the public) would interact with your documentation.
About the personas
It currently has three personas:
- Mike is new to the organisation. He has high levels of patience and low technical expertise.
- Sarah is a busy staff member. She has low levels of patience and high technical expertise.
- Elena is a manager. She has medium levels of patience and high technical expertise.
This range of personas helps identify issues that might be missed when reviewing documents from a single perspective, revealing problems that affect new starters, time-poor staff, or senior decision-makers.
Each persona has additional traits, all of which are editable. It’s also possible to add more personas, if required.
The analysis in action
You can upload a document or provide a link to a web page, and the app will analyse the document using the different personas. It produces a summary of each user’s impressions, the document’s pros and cons from their perspective, and the friction points.
We asked it to review Birmingham City Council’s comments, compliments and complaints policy document. This is a 12-page document available on the council’s website.
The analysis revealed:
- Sarah found the document moderately useful because she could quickly locate contact
information and some bulleted lists of processes. However, the overall length and
narrative heavy sections made it frustrating to skim for immediate, concise answers to
‘how do I complain about X’. She appreciated the direct links but found the distinction
between various complaint types and exceptions to be overly detailed for her needs. - Mike appreciated the detailed explanations and the stated commitment to clear, plain
English. He took his time to read through the policy to understand the different types of
feedback and the process. While he found some sections a bit overwhelming, the overall
detail helped him feel more confident about understanding how to proceed without
making mistakes. He would have preferred more visual aids to break up the text.
Below is a screenshot showing the feedback from two of the three personas.
Best used as part of your documentation process
It can be a useful tool for gaining initial insights. You might also need to do some proper user research, check your procedures are accurate, and verify your policies conform to the organisation’s legal requirements.
How to use the policy and procedures evalulator
If you’re an organisation with policies and procedures and you’re not certain they meet the needs of your target audience, contact us. Send us a few documents and we’ll analyse them using the app and send you the results – completely free, with no obligation.
It’s a quick way to identify potential issues before they affect your staff or service users.
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