Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Jan 2001

Grappling with Distributed Usability: A Cultural-Historical Examination of Documentation Genres over Four Decades

Clay Spinuzzi Texas Tech University

Abstract

Traditional models of usability assume that usability is a quality that can be designed into a particular artifact. Yet constructivist theory implies that usability cannot be located in a single artifact; rather, it must be conceived as a quality of the entire activity in which the artifact is used. This article describes a distributed approach to usability, based on activity theory and genre theory. It then illustrates the approach with a four-decade examination of a traffic accident location and analysis system (ALAS). Using the theoretical framework of genre ecologies, the article demonstrates how usability is distributed across the many official and unofficial (ad hoc) genres employed by ALAS users.

Journal
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published
2001-01-01
DOI
10.2190/8gbc-j04r-vkcf-njjp
Open Access
Closed
Topics
genre theory multimodality technical communication

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (5)

  1. Campbell (2023)
    Identifying Digital Rhetoric in the Telemedicine User Interface
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  2. Gouge (2017)
    Improving Patient Discharge Communication
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  3. Rivers et al. (2016)
    Speculative Usability
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  4. Selber (2004)
    Technological dramas: A meta-discourse heuristic for critical literacy
    Computers and Composition
  5. Durack (2003)
    Observations on Entrepreneurship, Instructional Texts, and Personal Interaction
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication

Cites in this index (4)

  1. MIREL (1998)
    “Applied Constructivism” for User Documentation
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  2. RUSSELL (1997)
    Rethinking Genre in School and Society
    Written Communication
  3. Dorazio et al. (1997)
    Research in Context: Ethnographic Usability
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  4. Spinuzzi (1996)
    Pseudotransactionality, Activity Theory, and Professional Writing Instruction
    Technical Communication Quarterly
Also cites 11 works outside this index ↓
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  2. 10.1145/163430.164050
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CrossRef global citation count: 12 View in citation network →

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