The Recommendation Report Assignment includes several kinds of writing, which we will explore one-by-one. This process will help your group assemble the full report over the rest of the term (rather than trying to write the whole thing all at once).
Length: 10–15 single-spaced pages, including images, appendices, and appropriate formatting. There is not a minimum or maximum page length, but be sure to include all of the required information and sections.
Example Report: See this general recommendation report for an idea of the requirements for the project.
General Project Description
In this report you and your group will analyze a website and make recommendations for improving its usability. Your group’s recommendations will focus on the information on the site, how it is presented (the words and phrases), and what it looks like (the visual display).
Your Recommendation Report should focus on readability, the use of plain language, and various aspects of document design. Overall, you want the website’s readers to have a positive user experience.
Your analysis does NOT include technical aspects of web design and functionality. In other words, do not worry about coding your changes. You do not need any technical knowledge of HTML, CSS, or scripting to complete your analysis.
- You can mock up visual representations of the pages if you like in an image editor or word processor.
- Slide presentation software also works well for mocking up changes.
- If you work with web design, you can mention technical capabilities, but the focus of your work should be on the words, images, and layout/design of the site and pages.
This project directly relates to our course because technical writing focuses strongly on the best way to phrase ideas, strategies to organize information, and the layout and design that work best for different situations. Regardless of your intended career, you will need these skills to write effectively. As your group works on analyzing the website you choose, you are practicing strategies that you can use to analyze any document that you and your colleagues write in the workplace.
Additional information on the report is listed in the Recommendation Report Criteria.
Requirements for the Website You Choose
- Pick a website that focuses on technical content. You can choose a site that someone who graduates from Virginia Tech with a degree in a technical field (e.g., engineering, science, information technology) would use in the workplace, OR pick a Virginia Tech website that a student would use to complete tasks for an in-major course or that many students use regularly. If you’re unsure, you can always ask me.
- Choose a website that uses English. I can’t read anything else well enough to follow your analysis. If appropriate, the site can use other languages. For instance, a Japanese company website might list information in both English and Japanese. As long as there are enough pages in English, the site will still work. If you’re unsure, ask me.
- Find a website that fits with the expectations of Virginia Tech’s Principles of Community.
- Identify a website that includes at least 8–12 webpages of content that you can navigate and observe without a login. In other words, the website should include at least 8–12 hyperlinks. Alternately, choose a website that following your recommendations would be reorganized into at least eight webpages.
- For our purposes, a page of content fills about ⅔ or more of the space in a browser window on a laptop or computer monitor.
- The content on a page can include images, videos, text, and form fields.
- Choose a website that allows you to address a specific person (the owner, the department head, the CEO, the manager, for example). You will need to identify the name(s) of whomever you will address in your report.
- Do not choose any website that I (Traci) have written. That gets awkward.
Requirement for Primary Research
As you decide on your website, keep in mind that you must be able to observe the site fully and gather relevant data to use in your report. You need to test and explore the website thoroughly.
Not only will you need personal observations, you will also need visual and/or audio evidence. You should take photos or record videos that you can use to illustrate your report. I strongly urge you to take screenshots and/or screencasts of the website so that you have details on it even if the site changes or is unavailable.
Requirement for Secondary Research
You should rely on support from books, articles, and webpages that address website design and usability. Resources that discuss writing for online sites will also be useful.
Your report should include a bibliography that provides documentation for all of the resources you have consulted. If you find resources as you are choosing your website, save them and be sure to note the information necessary for bibliographical citations.
You may use the bibliographical format that is appropriate for your field (for instance, and electrical engineer would use IEEE format). Since your group will likely include multiple career fields, your group can choose whatever is most familiar. Here are some tools you can use to track your sources:
- EasyBib online citation builder creates MLA-format for free.
- MyBib creates MLA, APA, IEEE, ACM, and Chicago citations for free.
- Zotero Bib creates APA, MLA, Turabian, and Chicago for free.
You can also use the bibliography tools that are built into Google Docs and Microsoft Word:
- “Add a citation and create a bibliography,” from Microsoft Word
- “Add citations and a bibliography,” from Google Docs
Requirement for Originality
Your report must be an original project, written by your group, not copied from another source. Consider this the requirement not to plagiarize.
Photo Credit: Website template design on a laptop screen by RawPixel Ltd on Flickr, used under a CC-BY 2.0 license.