ARCO Mapping the Cognitive Dynamics of Communication Expectations: An Approach to Designing Usable Content Based on Audience Expectations

Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Apr 2024

ARCO Mapping the Cognitive Dynamics of Communication Expectations: An Approach to Designing Usable Content Based on Audience Expectations

Kirk St.Amant

Abstract

The usability of items is connected to cognition, or how the brain processes information. Many of the related processes occur subconsciously and are guided by the mental models individuals have created based on their experiences. The better communication professional and communication students understand such dynamics, the more effectively they can create usable content for an audience. This article presents an approach, the Actualization, Recognition, Categorization, Operationalization (ARCO) method, for identifying the mental models that influence usability expectations. Individuals can use the results of this process to create content that better addresses an audience’s usability expectations.

Journal: Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published: 2024-04-01
DOI: 10.1177/00472816231187354
Open Access: Closed
Topics: multimodality technical communication

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (1)

St.Amant et al. (2025)

Expanding Communication Expectations: Examining Audience Understanding of Scrip…

Journal of Technical Writing and Communication

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