Activity theory is a psychological meta-theory, paradigm, or framework, with its roots in the Soviet psychologist Vygotsky's cultural-historical psychology. It seeks to understand human activities as complex, socially-situated phenomena and go beyond paradigms of psychoanalysis and behaviorism.
#19195
Whereas 7 (plus or minus 2) is the mantra for structured writing and other methods for organizing information, 5 (plus or minus 2) is the mantra for the number of participants needed in a usability test. Recent articles have looked at what Miller, who introduced the research on short-term memory, really meant regarding the 7 + or – 2 number (Doumont 2002; Kolbach 2002), and a similar re-examination is now a much-discussed topic regarding the viability of applying the number 5 to web usability testing. Two widely-publicized usability studies of Web users, one directed by Rolf Molich and the other by Jared Spool, are fueling the discussion. At the most recent meetings of CHI and UPA, panels addressed this specific topic, and the first question directed to Jakob Nielsen at the CHI session entitled 'Ask Jakob' was, How many users does it take? Knowing something about the research studies and the issues raised gives you the ammunition to decide where you stand. So, here’s a brief overview of what the controversy is based on, and, if you want to learn more, you can read the whole story in the original sources.
Barnum, Carol M. Usability Interface (2003). Articles>Usability>Theory>Cognitive Psychology
#22433
Review: What's the Matter with the Internet? 
You should not read this book if you're looking for the final answer to what's the matter with the Internet. Poster points us toward the issues that he thinks will affect the Internet's ultimate shape—politics, authorship, ethnicity, citizenship, identity—but he leaves us with more questions than answers. By questioning and observing, and by applying key technological theories, he suggests a way of approaching a critique of the Internet.
Kitalong, Karla Saari. Technical Communication Online (2003). Articles>Reviews>Technology>Theory
#19448
When Management Becomes Personal: An Activity-Theoretic Analysis of Palm™ Technologies
Palm Technologies, a group of personal digital assistants or PDAs developed in the early 90s, have rapidly embedded themselves into the daily lives of users. The aim of this chapter is to provide an activity theoretic account of PDAs as technologies of text. Three questions are pursued: Out of what cultural history did Palm Technologies emerge? What motivated users to adopt Palm Technologies? How did Palm Technologies become incorporated into the activity patterns of everyday life? The evidence presented suggests that Palm Technologies work by moving systematic management techniques originally developed for organizations into the personal sphere. When systematic management becomes personal, task management separates from the task itself, leading to a fragmentation of motive that may challenge some of the basic assumptions of activity theory. This fragmentation is mediated through the space-time affordances of textualization and concurrent linearization of time. Like the systematic management of organizations before it, such textual affordances may become subject to surveillance and manipulation - by ourselves if not by others. All of this suggests that some interesting issues will arise as PDA technologies attempt to move outside of their managerial base and into the domestic sphere, in effect databasing our lives.
Geisler, Cheryl. WAC Clearinghouse (2002). Design>User Interface>Theory>PDA
#18194
Why Cultural Contexts Are Missing: A Rhetorical Critique of Localization Practices 
This paper argues for the importance of cultural contexts in localization practices. It explores possible reasons for the missing of cultural contexts in localization, such as a static model of culture, a positivist view of science, and an instrumental engineering approach. Broad-scoped rhetorical methods are called to improve the performance of localization.
Sun, Huatong. STC Proceedings (2002). Presentations>Language>Cultural Theory
#26157
Since the world went online we see this word 'content', meaning the stuff that is published on a website or intranet. Why do we need this word? It's all to do with the dominance of technology.
McAlpine, Rachel. Quality Web Content (2004). Articles>Web Design>Theory
#19087
Writing at the End of Text: Rethinking Production in Technical Communication 
Technical Communication, as a discipline and as a practice, has always held an odd relationship to writing: We practice a subordinate for of writing, one step or more removed from those our cultures value most highly. We are not, admittedly, authors in the sense in which Foucault once defined the term. The writing that technical communicators do is of a different status than the writing that authors do. Although we could say that manuals and instructions and online help are the fuel that increasingly powers our economy, we would have to admit that our texts do not receive the esteem given to literature. But we might, instead, arrange the issue differently: what if technical communication rejects writing? Not merely in the sense that 'communication' is about multiple media, but in the more fundamental sense that technical communication is about a different order of production, more like the database than the essay. Rephrasing the question of value this way presents a different set of approaches to technical communication curricula, among other things, allowing us to take new perspectives on a set of issues that have haunted our field from the beginning.
Johnson-Eilola, Johndan. CPTSC Proceedings (2000). Articles>TC>Theory
#30248
Writing for Other Cultures: Cultural Associations of Color and Graphics
When writing for cultures that are not your own, you must consider the powerful cultural associations that color and graphics have. Understanding and leveraging these associations leads to documentation that is strong and usable, while not understanding them leads to cultural miscommunications and misunderstandings that can render your information useless.
Coe, Marlana A. STC Proceedings (1996). Design>Graphic Design>Cultural Theory>Color
#18318
Философия интерпретации самоопределяется как продолжение критической традиции, которая сложилась после Канта. Согласно ей, мир не дан нам нам непосредственно и исходным является понимание отношений человека к миру, к другим и к самому себе. Эти отношения являются отношениями интерпретации и выражаются процедурами схематизации, конструирования, формирования, проецирования, селектирования и т.п. активной познавательной деятельностью. Таким образом, "интерпретация" относится к основным философским понятиям.
Markov, B.V. Argumentation (2002). (Russian) Articles>Language>Theory
#18313
О Риторическом Контексте Проблемы Истины
Прежде всего, о чем мы ведем речь, говоря об истине? Не стоит ли договориться о различении "истины" и "истинности". Обычно под истиной понимается любое истинное суждение. Сказать о некотором суждении, что оно истинно, или сказать, что данное суждение есть истина, не одно ли это и то же? Но это как раз тот случай, когда предположение синонимии свидетельствует о неполноте наших знаний о мире. Синонимия, предполагающая тождество смыслов, является насилием над живым языком и по отношению к естественному языку применима лишь в очевидно ограниченном смысле - как характеристика семантической близости слов. Тождество слов в живом языке такая же немыслимая вещь, как и тождество живых существ в природе.
Migunov, A.I. Argumentation (2002). (Russian) Articles>Rhetoric>Theory
#32153
What is "new media?" English 680N will examine this question from a variety of perspectives, investigating forms and examples of new media as well as the theories that underlie and emerge from these forms.
Bay, Jennifer. Purdue University (2008). Academic>Courses>Multimedia>Theory
#32166
Edward Hall’s model of low-context and high-context cultures is one of the dominant theoretical frameworks for interpreting intercultural communication. This article reports a meta-analysis of 224 articles in business and technical communication journals between 1990 and 2006 and addresses two primary issues: (a) the degree to which contexting is embedded in intercultural communication theory and (b) the degree to which the contexting model has been empirically validated. Contexting is the most cited theoretical framework in articles about intercultural communication in business and technical communication journals and in intercultural communication textbooks. An extensive set of contexting propositions has emerged in the literature; however, few of these propositions have been examined empirically. Furthermore, those propositions tested most frequently have failed to support many contexting propositions, particularly those related to directness. This article provides several recommendations for those researchers who seek to address this popular and appealing yet unsubstantiated and underdeveloped communication theory.
Cardon, Peter W. Journal of Business and Technical Communication (2008). Articles>Communication>Theory>Cultural Theory
#32253
Scholars have learned that all the colors in the universe originate from a mere fifteen fundamental physical causes. These causes appear over and over, lending color to the world around us.
Web Exhibits (2005). Design>Graphic Design>Theory>Color
#32285
Rethinking the Fragmentation of the Cyberpublic: From Consensus to Contestation
Recently there has been some debate between deliberative democrats about whether the internet is leading to the fragmentation of communication into `like-minded' groups.This article is concerned with what is held in common by both sides of the debate: a public sphere model that aims for all-inclusive, consensus seeking rational deliberation that eliminates inter-group 'polarizing' politics. It argues that this understanding of deliberative democracy fails to adequately consider the asymmetries of power through which deliberation and consensus are achieved, the inter-subjective basis of meaning, the centrality of respect for difference in democracy, and the democratic role of `like-minded' deliberative groups. The deliberative public sphere must be rethought to account more fully for these four aspects. The article draws on post-Marxist discourse theory and reconceptualizes the public sphere as a space constituted through discursive contestation.Taking this radicalized norm, it considers what research is needed to understand the democratic implications of the formation of 'like-minded' groups online.
Dahlberg, Lincoln. New Media and Society (2007). Articles>Web Design>Community Building>Theory
#32305
The Sociological Turn in Information Science
This paper explores the history of `the social' in information science. It traces the influence of social scientific thinking on the development of the field's intellectual base. The continuing appropriation of both theoretical and methodological insights from domains such as social studies of science, science and technology studies, and socio-technical systems is discussed.
Cronin, Blaise. Journal of Information Science (2008). Articles>Scientific Communication>Research>Cultural Theory
#32615
Stasis Theory as a Strategy for Workplace Teaming and Decision Making
Current scholarship tells us that skills in teaming are essential for students and practitioners of professional communication. Writers must be able to cooperate with subject-matter experts and team members to make effective decisions and complete projects. Scholarship also suggests that rapid changes in technology and changes in teaming processes challenge workplace communication and cooperation. Professional writers must be able to use complex software for projects that are often completed by multidisciplinary teams working remotely. Moreover, as technical writers shift from content developers to project managers, our responsibilities now include useradvocacy and supervision, further invigorating the need for successful communication. This article offers a different vision of an ancient heuristic—stasis theory—as a solution for the teaming challenges facing today's professional writers. Stasis theory, used as a generative heuristic rather than an eristic weapon, can help foster teaming and effective decision making in contemporary pedagogical and workplace contexts.
Brizee, H. Allen. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication (2008). Articles>Management>Collaboration>Theory
#32899
Digital Content Developers and Cultural Memory
Digital content producers must regard preservation and archiving as an essential task.
McLeod, Michael. Content Matters (2006). Articles>Web Design>Cultural Theory>History
#32964
We can group all of the basic tenets of design into two categories: principles and elements. For this article, the principles of design are the overarching truths of the profession. They represent the basic assumptions of the world that guide the design practice, and affect the arrangement of objects within a composition.
McClurg-Genevese, Joshua David. Digital Web Magazine (2005). Articles>Web Design>Theory
#33008
Human-Centered Design Considered Harmful
Human-Centered Design has become such a dominant theme in design that it is now accepted by interface and application designers automatically, without thought, let alone criticism. That’s a dangerous state – when things are treated as accepted wisdom. The purpose of this essay is to provoke thought, discussion, and reconsideration of some of the fundamental principles of Human-Centered Design. These principles, I suggest, can be helpful, misleading, or wrong. At times, they might even be harmful. Activity-Centered Design is superior.
Norman, Donald A. uiGarden (2005). Articles>Human Computer Interaction>User Centered Design>Activity Theory
#33009
在设计界，以人为中心的设计已经成为一个占统治地位的主题，以至于它经常被界面和应用设计人员不加思考地加以采用，更不要说是用一种带有批判的眼光加以采用。这是一种危险的状态――当某些事情被当作是被广泛认可的知识来对待时。这篇文章的目的就是要引起人们对于以人为中心设计方法的基本原理的重新思考和讨论。我认为，这些原理可能是有益的，有误导性的，或是是错误的。有时候，它们甚至可能是有害的。以活动为中心的设计是更好的一种方法。
Norman, Donald A. uiGarden (2005). (Chinese) Articles>Human Computer Interaction>User Centered Design>Activity Theory
#33558
The present study explored the possibility that McGregor's (1960) Theory X/Y assumptions serve as cognitive determinants of superior communicator style, a multidimensional set of style variables that can have considerable effects on subordinate well-being and organizational viability. A total of 279 superiors completed an online survey that measured Theory X/Y orientation and superior communicator style. Correlational tests revealed that Theory X assumptions were positively related to the Dominant and Impression Leaving styles. In contrast, Theory Y assumptions were negatively related to the Anxious style, and positively related to the Supportive, Impression Leaving, and Nonverbally Expressive styles. The article concludes with a discussion of the potential psychological effects of each style profile as well as the implications of the findings for screening job applicants.
Sager, Kevin L. Management Communication Quarterly (2008). Articles>Communication>Theory
#33561
Relocating the Value of Work: Technical Communication in a Post-Industrial Age
This article analyzes the location of “value” in technical communication contexts, arguing that current models of technical communication embrace an outdated, self-deprecating, industrial approach subordinating information to concrete technological products. By rethinking technical communication in terms of Reich's “symbolic-analytic work”, technical communicators and educators can move into a post-industrial model of work that prioritizes information and communication, with benefits to both technical communicators and users.
Johnson-Eilola, Johndan. Technical Communication Quarterly (1996). Articles>TC>Assessment>Theory
#33580
Feminist Theory and the Redefinition of Technical Communication
To study the possible impact of feminist theory on technical communication, this article discusses six common characteristics of feminist theory: (a) celebration of difference, (b) impact on social change, (c) acknowledgment of scholars' backgrounds and values, (d) inclusion of women's experience, (e) study of gaps and silences in traditional scholarship, and (f) new female sources of knowledge. Three debates within feminist theory spring out of these common characteristics: whether to stress similarity or difference between the sexes, whether differences come from biological or social forces, and whether feminist scholars can avoid reinforcing binary opposition. The article then traces the impact of these characteristics of feminist theory and debates within feminist theory on the redefinition of technical communication in terms of the myth of scientific objectivity, the new interest in ethnographic studies of workplace communication, and the recent focus on collaborative writing.
Lay, Mary M. Journal of Business and Technical Communication (1991). Articles>TC>Cultural Theory>Gender
#33684
Does Technology Enable or Determine Communication?
Communication technologies, especially those that are participatory, clearly do both, determine and enable communication. They determine communication by function of display possibilities, editing capabilities, information-chunk size allowances, access affordances, cost implications, communicative capabilities (one-to-one, one-to-many, etc.). Clearly, however, these communication technologies enable communication that otherwise would not be possible.
Brown, Konstanze Alex. Konjektures (2009). Articles>Technology>Communication>Theory
#33697
Subjectivism vs. Empiricism―How Does the Conflict Play Out in Technical Communication?
A large number of scholars in technical communication advocate stances that rely more on qualitative methods often associated with more subjectivist research paradigms that seem to acknowledge Foucault’s notion of the episteme with its inherent social and power relations as determining factors in epistemology. Fewer scholars, mostly in textbooks, embrace the scientific method or a variation thereof. However, several scholars attempt to alert us to the benefits of a more varied approach that takes advantage of methods within empiricism to give our field credence and add validity to our research. In summary, I found a continuum of approaches. This continuum, however, is not evenly populated; it appears slanted towards more subjectivist theory and methodology and much more sparsely populated in the realm of empiricist theory.
Brown, Konstanze Alex. Konjektures (2009). Articles>TC>Theory
#34061
The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Data
Follow the data. Choose a representation that can use unsupervised learning on unlabeled data, which is so much more plentiful than labeled data. Represent all the data with a data. Of course, we’ll find immense opportunities to create interesting data sets if we can automatically combine data from multiple tables in this collection. This is an area of active research. Another opportunity is to combine data from multiple tables with data from other sources, such as unstructured Web pages or Web search queries.
Halevy, Alon, Peter Norvig and Fernando Pereira. IEEE Intelligent Systems (2009). Articles>Language>Search>Theory
