Design for Effective Support of User Intentions in Information-Rich Interactions

Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Apr 2009

Design for Effective Support of User Intentions in Information-Rich Interactions

Michael J. Albers East Carolina University

Abstract

With the rise of Web pages providing interactive support for problem-solving or providing large amounts of information on which a person is expected to act, designers and writers need to consider how a person interacts with increasingly complex information-rich environments and how they intend to use the information. This article examines some of the theory underlying why people make errors early in the problem-solving process when they form an intention. Since these errors are cognitively-based and occur before any physical action, it is harder to analyze their cause or incorporate changes to reduce them in a design. It examines factors which contribute to user errors and which designers and writers must consider to produce documents which reduce user errors in forming intentions.

Journal: Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published: 2009-04-01
DOI: 10.2190/tw.39.2.d
Open Access: Closed
Topics: multimodality

Citation Context

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Cites in this index (2)

Albers (2003)

Multidimensional Audience Analysis for Dynamic Information

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MIREL (1998)

“Applied Constructivism” for User Documentation

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