WordPress Blog 2
Mechanics can mean a lot more than just the literal and technical ‘mechanics’ of how something ‘works’. Mechanics mean the functionality of any interactional piece and this also means the functionality of the user usability. Just as document design is a job that attends to the design of any document to create the most user friendly and useful layout and setup, document design is a job that attends to the technical mechanics of that document to ensure that the document runs skillfully and smoothly. Linked here is the Google Folder containing the files of grammar mechanic exercises.
In completing the exercises by downloading and then re-uploading the files, I tested the usability to my own experience and found that many of them were sorely lacking. The pdf file was particularly difficult to work with as every line and question required the insertion of a new text box and underlining and circling the parts parts of sentences was difficult. Obviously, if this were printed out and used, it would be more useful and easy to use but for a world where things are primarily online, it would be best if the document was able to be used in either electronic or paper form.
The pdf file did however have the advantage of not allowing the formatting to shift depending on where it was opened. The Word docs were more likely to shift and I had to adjust the margins in Google Drive in order to make the line spacing and alignment correct and legible to complete the exercises.
This exercise highlights how important it is to be aware not just of the activities and exercises to be completed but also the user experience. That is, how it feels and moves to actually use and complete the exercises first hand.