Know and understand planning ICT solutions that are responsive to and respectful of the needs of an audience

ICT 0417 – Topic 9: Audience

Objective

Know and understand how to plan ICT solutions that are responsive to and respectful of the needs of an audience.

1. What is an Audience?

An audience is the group of people who will use, view or be affected by an ICT solution. Understanding the audience helps to create solutions that are useful, usable and appropriate.

2. Why Consider the Audience?

• Ensures the solution meets real user needs.
• Improves usability and satisfaction.
• Reduces the risk of errors, misunderstandings and negative reactions.
• Supports legal and ethical requirements (e.g., accessibility, privacy).

3. Key Audience Characteristics

When analysing an audience, consider the following factors:

• Age and life stage – influences language, design style, and device preferences.
• Education and ICT skill level – determines the complexity of instructions and navigation.
• Cultural background – affects colour choices, symbols, and content relevance.
• Physical abilities – impacts accessibility needs such as screen‑reader support or alternative input methods.
• Goals and tasks – what the audience wants to achieve with the solution.
• Context of use – location, device, time constraints, and environment.
• Legal and ethical considerations – data protection, copyright, and inclusivity.

4. Planning an ICT Solution – Audience‑Centred Steps

1. Identify the primary and secondary audiences.
2. Gather information (surveys, interviews, focus groups, observations).
3. Develop audience personas or user profiles.
4. Define audience‑specific objectives and success criteria.
5. Design with audience needs in mind (layout, language, navigation, accessibility).
6. Prototype and test with representative users.
7. Collect feedback, refine and repeat testing as needed.
8. Document how the final solution meets audience requirements.

5. Respecting the Audience

Respectful ICT solutions consider the following:

• Privacy: Collect only necessary personal data and store it securely.
• Copyright: Use only authorised content and give proper attribution.
• Cultural sensitivity: Avoid stereotypes, offensive symbols, or language.
• Accessibility: Follow WCAG guidelines – provide alt‑text, captions, colour contrast, keyboard navigation.
• Inclusivity: Offer options for different languages, reading levels, and abilities.

6. Tools & Techniques for Audience Analysis

• Questionnaires and online surveys.
• One‑to‑one interviews.
• Focus groups.
• Observation of users in their natural environment.
• Usability testing with prototypes.
• Analytics from existing systems (e.g., page views, device types).

7. Example: Planning a School Homework Portal

Below is a brief illustration of how audience analysis influences design decisions.

8. Checklist for Audience‑Responsive Planning

• Have all audience groups been identified?
• Is there documented evidence of audience needs (survey results, personas)?
• Do the design mock‑ups reflect language, colour, and layout appropriate to each group?
• Are accessibility standards met (text alternatives, contrast, navigation)?
• Has privacy and data protection been built into the solution?
• Has the solution been tested with real users from each audience group?
• Is there a plan for gathering post‑deployment feedback?

9. Suggested Diagram

10. Summary

Effective ICT solutions start with a clear understanding of who will use them. By analysing audience characteristics, respecting cultural and legal requirements, and involving users throughout the design process, solutions become more usable, inclusive and successful.