Published on June 28, 2013

Check out this article from the archives of the IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication.

J. Redish. “Technical Communication and Usability: Intertwined strands and mutual influences—Commentary.” IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 53: 191-201, 2010.

Recommended by former Transactions editor Jo Mackiewicz and former IEEE Professional Communication Society President, George Hayhoe.

Mackiewicz notes:

“Redish traces the history of user experience (UX) and details how technical communicators have influenced UX practice. In this elegantly written article, Redish explains how technical communicators can contribute to the field through their collaboration and communication skills, their ability to adapt to change, and their ability to clarify complex information.”

Hayhoe comments that:

“This article is a remarkably clear and cogent summary of the interrelationships between technical communication and usability/user experience studies. It traces the connections back to the 1970s and looks ahead to ways that these disciplines can continue to collaborate and enrich one another. The article won the Rudy Joenk Award for bestTransactions paper for 2010.”

To see the article, visit: http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/login.jsp?tp=&arnumber=5556477&url=http%3A%2F%2Fieeexplore.ieee.org%2Fxpls%2Fabs_all.jsp%3Farnumber%3D5556477.  (Note that you will need an IEEExplore userid and password to see the entire article without incurring a fee.)

Do you have an article to recommend from the archives of the IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication?  If so, please send your recommendation along with a paragraph explaining why it’s of value to Transactions Editor Saul Carliner, saulcarliner@hotmail.com.