Matters of Form: Questions of Race, Identity, Design, and the U.S. Census

Deborah Balzhiser Texas State University ; Charise Pimentel Texas State University ; Amanda Scott Texas State University

Abstract

This case examines how functionalist approaches manifest culturally based on users’ contexts. The authors conduct a critical visual semiotic analysis of the race and Hispanic origin questions on the 2010 U.S. Census form, demonstrating how incongruities in design potentially harm people. This demonstrates a need for adding critical analyses to design and research and it refocuses the Society for Technical Communication’s value of promoting the public good on to design and documentation in order to fight injustice.

Journal
Technical Communication Quarterly
Published
2019-01-02
DOI
10.1080/10572252.2018.1539192
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Citation Context

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