Islam’s Influence on the Egyptian Business Environment: Tips for a Technical Communicator

While disjointed communication may characterize the communication that occurs between Arabs and westerners, technical communicators should work to resolve conflicts and avoid misunderstandings.

Abolrous, Sally. University of Washington-Seattle (2002). Articles>TC>Regional>Middle East

Probing and its Effects on the Validity and Reliability of Verbal Reports

Eliciting verbal reports from participants in usability studies is a commonly used method used to collect performance and preference data. By asking users to 'think-aloud,' usability practitioners can observe users interact with an interface and listen to their concurrent thoughts at the same time. Verbal data is helpful because it allows observers to know how users think—what they look for, how they expect to accomplish tasks, and what elements of the interface they find confusing or helpful.

Abolrous, Sally. University of Washington-Seattle (2001). Articles>Usability>Methods

The Readers and Writers Behind Electronic Mail

As electronic mail replaces face-to-face communication in many work environments, a thorough analysis of this evolving medium and its impact on communication is necessary. In many workplaces, telephone calls and knocks on doors have dramatically decreased in frequency, but the number of emails that circulate through one’s inbox is continuing to increase. Yet, our understanding of this new medium and how it is being used is limited. Some scholars argue that email has many of the characteristics of speech; some argue that it has the same characteristics as writing, while others argue that it is a completely new genre of communication.

Abolrous, Sally. University of Washington-Seattle (2002). Articles>Communication>Online>Email