Introduction. Date: February 23, 2014 To: Kailee Kobe From: Mary Mardis. Subject: Report on the Target Audience for Plato s Closet Buying Guide

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1 Date: February 23, 2014 To: Kailee Kobe From: Mary Mardis Subject: Report on the Target Audience for Plato s Closet Buying Guide Introduction The primary audience members of the Plato s Closet Buying Guide are the customers selling their items to Plato s Closet. The secondary audience members of the manual are the Sales Associates of Plato s Closet that are completing the buys. In this report, I will identify some specific characteristics of the primary and secondary audiences. I will also analyze and describe how they will use the document being produced. Research on my target audiences will provide the proper information to create an effective design for the Plato s Closet Buyers Guide. Specific Characteristics of the Target Audiences Below, I will identify and describe the specific characteristics of my primary and secondary audiences. I will describe their basic job skills and traits. Later in this memo, I will discuss how these characteristics will influence the design on the Plato s Closet Buying Guide. Primary Audience There are many characteristics of the primary audience oft his guide. The primary audience is the customers selling clothes to Plato s Closet. Returning sellers will use this guide to review the buying process and to answer any questions they may have. First time sellers will use this guide to compliment the verbal explanation of the buy process given by the Certified Buyers. Based on my field observations, working as a Certified Buyer and Sales Associate from June 2013 to present, customers selling items to Plato s Closet often have many questions about the buying process at Plato s Closet. The customers also like to see visual examples of what Plato s Closet buys and how the pricing works. Also, based on my field observations, customers selling to Plato s Closet vary greatly in age and economic status. The customers also vary in their motives for selling with Plato s Closet. These motives range from needing gas money to customers who merely cleaned out their closet and are looking for some spare money. The customers also range in their experience selling and shopping at Plato s Closet. The varying traits of the primary audience Secondary Audience There are any characteristics of the secondary audience. The secondary audience is made up of the Certified Buyers and Sales Associates of Plato s Closet. The secondary audience will use the Plato s Closet Buyers guide to aid while informing customers about the buying process of Plato s Closet. The Certified Buyers at Plato s Closet are responsible for many tasks. Tessa Radomski, a Certified Buyer at Plato s Closet, states the job of a buyer reaches beyond simply purchasing 1

2 in the clothing items. They must be able to satisfy customers in many ways. The Buyers are responsible for checking in customers who would like to sell their items as well as explaining the buy process. They also inspect and price all of the items of the customers selling to Plato s Closet. When they are finished inspecting and pricing the items they also present the buy to the customers. While conducting the buy process, the certified buyers are responsible for operating the cash registers, opening and maintaining fitting rooms and insuring that all customers are satisfied. There are many similarities among the buyers of Plato s Closet. All of the certified buyers are female and between the ages of 16 and 24. The similarities among the buyers extended beyond the age and sex. All of the buyers are extremely skilled in multi-tasking because there are often multiple tasks that need to be completed simultaneously. Each buyer is also well versed in proper store policy and customer service. The buyers often have to explain store policy and deal with unhappy customers. Document Usage by the Target Audiences In this section, I will discuss how my audiences read and use documents within a retail environment. Because I am creating a manual for these two groups to read and use, I will later explain how those characteristics contribute to the design of the document. Document Usage by the Primary Audience The primary audience will use this guide an informative document. Research-Based Web Design and Usability states the audiences prefer information that is easy to scan and written in order of importance. The document will also be used to as a visual cue to verify the verbal information stated by the buyers explaining the process. It is difficult to classify the usage styles of the primary audience because their traits, abilities and preferences range greatly. Document Usage by the Secondary Audience Work, Employment & Society explains how retail employees partake in aesthetic labor, or a type of labor that involves presentation and positive imagery in order to enhance the experience of the customer. It also explains how most of the information recited by retail employees is not read, but rather memorized and recited regularly. Retail employees often use written documents to supplement their verbal communication. They also memorize the information on documents allowing them to focus on customer interactions. Design Strategies Based on the Target Audiences There will be several design techniques implemented into the Plato s Closet Buying Guide, which are based on the target audiences specific characteristics and how they use documents. I will design my manual for my target audiences based on those traits. 2

3 Design Strategies Based on Specific Characteristics The primary and secondary audiences will use the document in different ways. The primary audience as a guide to selling their clothing where as the secondary audience will use the document as a promotional supplement. The traits of the primary audience very greatly and therefore the document will be created to work inclusively for all of the ranges of age and economic status. The document will use simple language and multiple charts and graphs. The documents will also include bold headings and bright colors. The secondary audience will already know the information on the guide, therefore will be reading the information upside down as they present it to the customer of the counter. Allowing for large writing and images will help them identify information quickly and graphics will help them point to example easily (Research- Based 153). Design Strategies Based on Document Use Below, I will describe the design strategies that will be implemented based how on my target audiences use documents. My audiences will use this document as a guide to supplement verbal instructions. I will design my guide using mainly visuals with small amounts writing. The sections, which do include writing, will be a large font size to allow simple reading by both audiences. Since the document will be used as a supplement it will need to be easily scanned and quickly understood. Since many people will use the document, it will need to be durable. The document will be bound rather then simply folded. The pages of the document will also be laminated. This will allow both the primary and secondary audience to use the document with ease, without worrying about damaging the document. Tessa Radomski acknowledges that while presenting a buy or checking in a customer, the guide would be used to help visually explain the styles and conditions that Plato s Closet buys. The visuals will be clear and up-to-date. The colors used in this document will complement the bright colors of the store. Price guiding charts will also be included to help the customers understand the pricing guidelines of the store. The document will also be formatted so that the document can easily be updated. Styles change with each season and allowing a simply designed document, images and price charts can be interchanged with ease. 3

4 Conclusion The design of my guide will be created to meet the needs and fit the characteristics of my primary and secondary audience. Knowledge of my audiences will help me design a transportable, durable, colorful, easy to understand, and useful guide. If you have any questions about this report, please contact me at mdm11@live.missouristate.edu. 4

5 Reference U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2006). Research-Based Web Design & Usability Guidelines. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office. Online. Radomski, Tessa. Personal Interview. 18 Feb Schriver, K. A. (1997). Dynamics in document design: creating text for readers. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.. Warhurst, C., & Nickson, D. (2007). Employee experience of aesthetic labour in retail and hospitality. Work, Employment & Society, 21(1),