IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication Sep 2010

Technical Communication and Usability: Intertwined Strands and Mutual Influences

Janice Redish

Abstract

Technical communication and usability (user experience, or UX) have a long, intertwined history, dating back at least to the 1970s. The author, who has been active in both fields for the last three decades, gives many examples of how technical communicators have influenced UX practice and how usability specialists have influenced technical communication. The author also explores how technical communicators can continue to contribute to future UX theory, research, and practice through collaboration, through their communication skills, dealing with the reality of ever-increasing complexity in products and processes and dealing with the need to adapt to more rapid change.

Journal
IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
Published
2010-09-01
DOI
10.1109/tpc.2010.2052861
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Open Access
Closed
Topics
collaborative writing technical communication
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (9)

  1. Jiang et al. (2026)
    User experience in composition: Rethinking the past and mapping the future of w…
    Computers and Composition
  2. Shivener et al. (2025)
    Capturing the Experiences of Simulated Writing for Novice Virtual Reality Users
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  3. Cosgrove (2023)
    Finding the Gap: A Comparison of UX Industry Practices and UX Course Outcomes i…
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  4. Zhou et al. (2023)
    What Can Technical and Professional Communication Do for UX Education: A Case S…
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  5. Friess et al. (2023)
    Longitudinal Study of Usability and User Experience in Technical and Profession…
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
Show all 9 →
  1. Haaksma et al. (2018)
    Users’ Personal Conceptions of Usability and User Experience of Electronic and …
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  2. Rose et al. (2017)
    Community-Based User Experience: Evaluating the Usability of Health Insurance I…
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  3. Cleary (2016)
    Community of Practice and Professionalization Perspectives on Technical Communi…
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  4. Shachak et al. (2013)
    User Manuals for a Primary Care Electronic Medical Record System: A Mixed-Metho…
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication

Cites in this index (5)

  1. Kase et al. (2010)
    Synthesizing IT Case Studies of Nonprofits Using a Multiple-Level Patterns-Base…
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  2. Cooke (2010)
    Assessing Concurrent Think-Aloud Protocol as a Usability Test Method: A Technic…
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  3. Boren et al. (2000)
    Thinking aloud: reconciling theory and practice
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  4. Redish et al. (1993)
    Measuring the value added by professional technical communicators
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  5. Atlas (1981)
    The user edit: Making manuals easier to use
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
Also cites 9 works outside this index ↓
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  2. 10.1145/223904.223921
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  3. ericsson (1993)
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    Protocol Analysis Verbal Aspects as Data  ↗
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  6. 10.1007/978-1-84628-941-5_15
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CrossRef global citation count: 79 View in citation network → Build reading path →

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