Technical Communication Quarterly Jul 2012

Productive Usability: Fostering Civic Engagement and Creating More Useful Online Spaces for Public Deliberation

W. Michele Simmons Miami University ; Meredith W. Zoetewey University of South Florida

Abstract

This article offers productive usability as a usability approach that focuses on the usefulness of civic Web sites. Although some sites meet traditional usability standards, civic sites might fail to support technical literacy, productive inquiry, collaboration, and a multidimensional perspective—all essential ingredients for citizen-initiated change online. In this article, we map productive usability onto broader philosophies of usability and offer a framework for rethinking usability in civic settings and for teaching productive usability.

Journal
Technical Communication Quarterly
Published
2012-07-01
DOI
10.1080/10572252.2012.673953
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Topics
service learning teacher development collaborative writing technical communication literacy studies
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