Glossary · 3 · Tasks and minimalism
Target audience analysis
Also known as: Audience analysis, Target group analysis
German: Zielgruppenanalyse
In technical communication, target audience analysis identifies who will use the information for a product — their tasks and goals, skills and qualifications, terminology, tools, language and working environment — so that the information for use can be made usable and relevant for each target audience.
- Technical documentation
- Standards
- Human factors
In one sentence
Target audience analysis identifies who uses product information — tasks, skills, terminology, tools, environment — so it fits each audience.
Example
For a packaging machine, the analysis separates operators (daily start, stop, format change), maintenance technicians (inspections, part replacement) and the purchaser, who reads the specification but never runs the machine.
How it applies
- Standard basis: IEC/IEEE 82079-1:2019 requires information for use to provide what its target audiences need for safe, efficient and effective use of a product, which presupposes knowing those audiences. Product standards build on it, for example ISO 20607 for the instruction handbook of machinery.
- What is analyzed: Tasks and goals, prior knowledge and qualifications (skilled or lay persons), terminology, language, tools and media available, and the working environment — noise, gloves, light, time pressure.
- Tasks: Target audience analysis and task analysis belong together: an audience is defined by the tasks it performs with the product. A hierarchical task analysis per audience shows which instructions for use each one needs.
- Buyer vs. user: The buyer is not necessarily the target audience. Purchasing decides; operators, maintenance staff and service technicians use the information.
- Limits: An audience analysis supports usability of the information; it does not show compliance by itself.