Theory and Practice of Community-Based Usability: Reports from the Field
Presentation 5
Jeff Grabill, Writing, Rhetoric, & American Cultures (WRAC) and Writing in Digital Environments (WIDE) Research Center, Michigan State University

Observers of community computing initiatives note that they are plagued by problems of usability and productivity. One reason is that the computer interfaces and tools used in community contexts were designed for use in other contexts (e.g., business settings). Additionally, there is often very little support in community settings for people who want to be productive with advanced information technologies—to write, to create media, to design their own interfaces and tools. One method of intervention in this situation is to conduct community-situated inquiries of computer interfaces. But what does this research look like? This presentation will lay out theories and approaches that inform community usability inquiries, and use cases of past research projects to illustrate the necessity (and limitations) of this type of usability research.

Speaker:

Jeff Grabill teaches Rhetoric and Professional Writing at Michigan State University, where he is Director of Professional Writing and Co-Director of the Writing in Digital Enviornments Research Center. His research focuses on the literate and technological practices of citizens, users, workers, students, and other such people within complex institutions, including examinations of how advanced information technologies can be useful in community contexts.

 

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