Johnson, Robert R. Michael J. Salvo and Meredith Zotewey

CERIAS TR 2007-95

article

Twenty years after the publication of Patricia Sullivan's ldquoBeyond a narrow conception of usability testingrdquo in the IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, three scholars - all Sullivan's students - reflect on the history and development of usability testing and research. Following Sullivan, this article argues that usability bridges the divide between science and rhetoric and asserts that usability is most effective when it respects the knowledge-making practices of a variety of disciplines. By interrogating trends in usability method, the authors argue for a definition of usability that relies on multiple epistemologies to triangulate knowledge-making. The article opens with a brief history of the development of usability methods and argues that usability requires a balance between empirical observation and rhetoric. Usability interprets human action and is enriched by articulating context and accepting contingency. Usability relies on effective collaboration and cooperation among stakeholders in the design of technology. Ultimately, professional and technical communication scholars are best prepared to coin new knowledge with a long and wide view of usability.

PDF

2007 – 12

Editor-in-Chief Kim Sydow Campbell Management & Marketing Dept. University of Alabama Box 870225 Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0225, USA Phone: +1 205 348 8921 Fax: +1 205 348 6695 Email: k.s.campbell@ieee.org

IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication

Empirical research, history, methodology, participatory design, rhetoric, science, usability,

IEEE 10.1109/TPC.2007.908730 0361-1434/$25.00 © 2007 IEEE

#50 v4

320-332

IEEE

4

Michigan Tech, Purdue University, University of South Florida

2007-12-01

IEEE 2007

0361-1434

Empirical research, history, methodology, participatory design, rhetoric, science, usability,

English

Twenty years after the publication of Patricia Sullivan’s “Beyond a narrow conception of usability testing” in the IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION, three scholars—all Sullivan’s students—reflect on the history and development of usability testing and research. Following Sullivan, this article argues that usability bridges the divide between science and rhetoric and asserts that usability is most effective when it respects the knowledge-making practices of a variety of disciplines.