A New Method in User-Centered Design: Collaborative Prototype Design Process (CPDP)

Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Apr 2012

A New Method in User-Centered Design: Collaborative Prototype Design Process (CPDP)

Christopher Andrews Texas Tech University ; Debra Burleson Texas Tech University ; Kristi Dunks Texas Tech University ; Kimberly Elmore Texas Tech University ; Carie S. Lambert Texas Tech University ; Brett Oppegaard Texas Tech University ; Elizabeth E. Pohland Texas Tech University ; Danielle Saad Texas Tech University ; Jon S. Scharer Texas Tech University ; Ronda L. Wery Texas Tech University ; Monica Wesley Texas Tech University ; Gregory Zobel Texas Tech University

Abstract

To build upon user-centered design methods, we used a collaborative and multi-modal approach to involve users early in the design process for a website. This article presents our methods and results and addresses the benefits and limitations of the Collaborative Prototype Design Process (CPDP), including ways in which this new method can be implemented. The CPDP is an innovative approach to user-centered website design that emphasizes collaboration, iterative testing, and data-driven design. The CPDP balances the power and needs of users with those of designers and, thus, enables design teams to test more tasks and involve more users. We divided our initial team into three independent design teams to separately profile users, test usability of low-fidelity paper prototypes, and then create and test usability of resulting wireframes. After completing the user-centered design and usability testing, the three teams merged to analyze their diverse findings and create a final prototype.

Journal: Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published: 2012-04-01
DOI: 10.2190/tw.42.2.c
Open Access: Closed
Topics: multimodality technical communication

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (7)

Madson (2023)

You Shall Not Pass? The Design of Age Gates in an Emerging Cannabis Market

Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
McDaniel et al. (2021)

Game Design Tactics for Teaching Technical Communication in Online Courses

Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Getto (2020)

The Story/Test/Story Method: A Combined Approach to Usability Testing and Conte…

Computers and Composition
Acharya (2019)

Usability for Social Justice: Exploring the Implementation of Localization Usab…

Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Bacha (2018)

Mapping Use, Storytelling, and Experience Design

Journal of Business and Technical Communication

Show all 7 →

Sánchez (2017)

The Roles of Technical Communication Researchers in Design Scholarship

Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Getto et al. (2017)

Mapping Personas: Designing UX Relationships for an Online Coastal Atlas

Computers and Composition

Cites in this index (1)

Flynt (1994)

Iteration and Prototyping in Creating Technical Specifications

Journal of Technical Writing and Communication

Also cites 12 works outside this index ↓

10.1162/074793604772933748

↗
10.1145/175276.175288

↗
10.1145/634067.634127

↗
10.7551/mitpress/6814.001.0001

↗
10.1080/0144929032000173951

↗
10.1006/ijhc.2001.0478

↗
10.3233/IKS-1999-00011

↗
10.1080/0144929021000025245

↗
10.1386/jvap.7.2.153_1

↗
10.1145/1028014.1028060

↗
10.1109/TPC.2010.2046100

↗
10.1109/47.867942

↗

CrossRef global citation count: 33 View in citation network →