How will you ensure it provides what the audience need?

It doesn't matter how much you are in touch with your audience, you can never see something exactly as somebody else will see it.

The best way to help ensure that you meet their needs is by asking users what they think of your material during the production process. This is generally referred to as 'piloting' your information.

Schedule in time to pilot a draft with a group of end users

You might do this by asking users for their views via a questionnaire or by hosting a focus group.

Usually you will primarily want to discover if your information is understood by your users, or if there is anything you have missed that would be helpful. A piloting exercise can also provide guidance on your approach, or answer specific questions which have arisen during the production process.

As far as possible, you should take account of all the responses you get. If you just go with the consensus of the group, you may exclude the views of those in your audience with the least understanding and capability.

Be aware that it is usually difficult to create a pilot group that is representative of all your users. People who volunteer to take part may well be more confident and have a better understanding of the issue than many people you are trying to reach. You may be able to get a more representative group by inviting particular individuals to take part. What method you use is also likely to make a difference. Experiment!

It is often useful to pilot a version with advisers as well. They may be able to add to the practical advice you give.

Be aware that participants are likely to influence each other in a group setting.

For guidance on how to design a self-completion questionnaire see pXX.

ASA Advicenow/Ministry of Justice

The Ministry of Justice asked ASA Advicenow to produce a leaflet for advisers and solicitors on the new Mental Capacity Act. The timescale for producing the leaflet was tight and it was difficult to justify the time a pilot would take, but it paid dividends.

Simple questionnaires were sent to 20 potential users. When the questionnaire responses were gathered together, it was striking how diverse the replies were. Some were asking for references to detailed legal information, whilst others wanted greater emphasis and explanation of basic themes. This confirmed anxieties during the production process that advisers and solicitors needed different information.

Following the pilot, it was decided that advisers and solicitors should be catered for separately, and the original leaflet was refocused to meet the needs of advisers.