In Paul M. Dombrowski’s (2000) article, “Ethics and Technical Communication: The Past Quarter Century” he indicated that “Though the transmission of concrete technical information lies at the core of technical communication, we now realize that there are successive layers to the functions and purposes of technical discourse rippling well beyond this core” (p. 3). Dombrowski evaluated the important role ethics plays, the responsibility of technical writers and communicators to be ethical, and provided an overview of opinions and perspectives on the subject (professional, academic, and systematic). Dombrowski’s purpose was to showcase “an annotated bibliography of ethics and technical communication journal articles over the past twenty-five years” to illustrate how the complex and inclusive nature of technical communication has changed (p. 5). Dombrowski’s intended audience was scholars needing an overview of the previous opinions on upholding ethics in technical communication. Dombrowski provided an in-depth analysis of research already conducted, but he could have enhanced his arguments by providing more personal opinions into the mix.
Tag: Change
Redish J. (2010). Technical Communication and Usability: Intertwined Strands and Mutual Influences. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 53(3), (pp. 191-201). doi: 10.1109/TPC.2010.2052861
In Janice Redish’s (2010) article, “Technical Communication and Usability: Intertwined Strands and Mutual Influences” she acknowledged that “Before we consider how technical communicators can contribute to the future of usability, we need to understand how the fields of technical communication and usability have influenced each other in the past” (p. 191). Redish explored the history of UX, the development of practice and techniques, the extensive research on usability, the importance of teamwork and collaboration, the emphasis on communication, the complexity of both the process and the products, and the need to adapt to new changes. Redish’s purpose was to propose that “Perhaps being reminded of how deeply and how long technical communication and usability have been intertwined will increase mutual respect and collaboration in future work on the entire UX—interfaces, architecture, content, and more” (p. 199). Redish’s intended audience was technical communicators and researchers of user experience. Redish offered an extensive analysis of the history of UX, which effectively promoted reflection and appreciation for how much the field has developed.
ENG 591 Tech. Comm. 