Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Oct 2018

Agency in Action: Exploring User Responses and Rhetorical Choices in Interactive Data Displays

Gregory D. Wilson Texas Tech University ; Jacob D. Rawlins Brigham Young University ; Kate Crane Eastern Washington University

Abstract

In 2014, Rawlins and Wilson proposed a typology of agential interactions between users and designers of interactive data displays. This article tests that typology by studying 20 users working with three different types of interactive data displays and answering questions, which were coded by verb and actor and analyzed for themes. The authors show that rhetorical agency is marked by thoughts, actions, and language. Affordances by the designer open a shared rhetorical space where user and designer are coparticipants. As interactivity increases, participants see themselves as rhetorical agents in a community of rhetorical agents rather than as conduits of information.

Journal
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published
2018-10-01
DOI
10.1177/0047281617732046
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Open Access
Closed
Topics
modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (4)

  1. Johnson (2026)
    What Video Games Can Tell Us About Interactive Technical Communication
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  2. Kong (2025)
    Visualizing Flint Lead Contamination Risks: Building a Critical Rhetorical Risk…
    Communication Design Quarterly
  3. Stephens et al. (2019)
    A Framework for User Agency during Development of Interactive Risk Visualizatio…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  4. Thominet (2018)
    How to be open: user experience and technical communication in an emerging game…
    Communication Design Quarterly

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CrossRef global citation count: 6 View in citation network → Build reading path →

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