Creating Content That Influences People: Considering User Experience and Behavioral Design in Technical Communication

Gustav Verhulsdonck Central Michigan University ; Nadya Shalamova Milwaukee School of Engineering

Abstract

As people today use information products in contexts with distractions, we need to design for people’s attention. User experience design routinely relies on behavioral design to engage distracted users and nudge them toward specific behavior. Although practiced in user experience design, behavioral design is less known in technical communication. In this article, we use the CHOICES (Context, Habits, Other people, Incentives, Congruence, Emotions, and Salience) framework developed by McKinsey’s Behavioral Lab to introduce students to learn about behavioral design principles that make use of cognitive biases to influence people. We maintain that behavioral design is useful for technical communicators because they create digital assets that are part of the user experience.

Journal
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published
2020-10-01
DOI
10.1177/0047281619880286
CompPile
Search in CompPile ↗
Open Access
Closed
Topics
Export

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (13)

  1. Computers and Composition
  2. Technical Communication Quarterly
  3. Computers and Composition
  4. Computers and Composition
  5. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Show all 13 →
  1. Technical Communication Quarterly
  2. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  3. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  4. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  5. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  6. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  7. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  8. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication

References (70) · 9 in this index

  1. Benson B. (2016). Cognitive bias cheat sheet . Retrieved from htt…
  2. Bhattacharjee D., Gilson K., Yeon H. (2016). Putting behavioral psychology to work to i…
  3. Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  4. Brignull H. (2018). Types of dark patterns . Retrieved from https…
  5. Christensen D. M., Cootey J. L., Moeller R. M. (2007). Playing in genre fields: A play theory perspective on …
Show all 70 →
  1. Digital behavioral design
  2. 10.1145/375348.376626
  3. 10.4324/9781315573243
  4. Anxiety: The cognitive perspective
  5. Fessenden T. (2018). The anchoring principle . Retrieved from htt…
  6. Persuasive technology: Using computers to change what we think and do
  7. Fogg B. J. (2009). A behavior model for persuasive design. In Proceedings of the 4th In…
  8. 10.1177/2050157912474811
  9. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  10. Gray C. M., Kou Y., Battles B., Hoggatt J., Toombs A. L. (2018). The dark (patterns) side of UX design. In …
  11. Still life with rhetoric: A new materialist approach for visual rhetorics
  12. 10.2307/j.ctt21668mb
  13. House R., Livingston J. (2013). Fast and slow: Technical communicators, rational agents, and behavioral econo…
  14. Why fonts matter
  15. International Organization for Standardization. (2018). ISO 9241-11:2018: Ergonomics of…
  16. 10.1257/000282803322655392
  17. Thinking, fast and slow
  18. 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198567523.003.0011
  19. Karabinus A., Atherton R. (2018). Games, UX, and the gaps: Technical communication practices in an amateur ga…
  20. Knudson P. (2017). Gamification in 2017: Top 5 key principles . R…
  21. Journal of Usability Studies
  22. Technical Communication
  23. Journal of Usability Studies
  24. Lippincott. (2019). The happiness halo: The unexpected benefits of applying behavioral …
  25. 10.4324/9781410603739
  26. 10.1016/B978-0-12-382094-5.00016-2
  27. Nice B. (2018). Technical writing as a part of user experience . …
  28. Nielsen J. (2017). A 100-year view of user experience . Retrieved…
  29. Evil by design: Interaction design to lead us into temptation
  30. Emotional design: Why we love (or hate) everyday things
  31. The design of everyday things
  32. Emotionally intelligent design: Rethinking how we create products
  33. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  34. Journal of Usability Studies
  35. Journal of Usability Studies
  36. 10.2307/j.ctt5hjqwx
  37. Salvino A. (2017, June 17). The importance of cognitive bias in experience design …
  38. Technical Communication Quarterly
  39. 10.1145/3213765
  40. Addiction by design: Machine gambling in Las Vegas
  41. 10.1109/IPCC.2016.7740493
  42. Six J. M. (2015). Is technical writing part of UX? Retrieved from…
  43. 10.7551/mitpress/6875.001.0001
  44. 10.7208/chicago/9780226237015.001.0001
  45. Proceeding of the International Conference on Design of Communication
  46. Communication Design Quarterly
  47. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  48. 10.1007/s10603-014-9273-1
  49. 10.1017/CBO9780511809477.014
  50. Nudge: Improving decisions about health, wealth, and user experience basics
  51. 10.1080/07370024.2017.1298038
  52. Present Tense: A Journal of Rhetoric in Society
  53. 10.1126/science.185.4157.1124
  54. Designing for emotion
  55. Computers and Composition
  56. Communication Design Quarterly
  57. Technical Communication Quarterly
  58. Designing for emotion
  59. 100 things every designer needs to know about people
  60. Designing for behavior changes: Applying psychology and behavioral economics
  61. Whetenton K. (2013). Minimize cognitive load to maximize usability …
  62. World Usability Congress. (2019). Trends report: UI & UX 2019 . G…
  63. Technical Communication
  64. Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  65. Journal of Usability Studies