Social and cognitive effects of professional communication on software usability

Technical Communication Quarterly Mar 1998

Social and cognitive effects of professional communication on software usability

Barbara Mirel University of Michigan–Ann Arbor ; Leslie A. Olsen University of Michigan–Ann Arbor

Abstract

We designed and piloted a technical communication course for software engineering majors to take concurrently with their capstone project course in software design. In the pilot, one third of the capstone design course students jointly enrolled in the writing class. One goal of the collaborative courses was to use writing to improve the usability of students’ software. We studied the effects of writing on students’ user‐centered beliefs and design practices and on the usability of their product, using surveys, document analyses, expert reviews, and user test results. When possible, we compared the usability processes and products of teams who did and did not take the writing class. Our findings suggest that the synergy of this interdisciplinary approach effectively sensitized students to user‐centered design, instilled in them a commitment to it, and helped them develop usable products.

Journal: Technical Communication Quarterly
Published: 1998-03-01
DOI: 10.1080/10572259809364624
Open Access: Closed
Topics: technical communication professional writing

Citation Context

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CrossRef global citation count: 13 View in citation network →