This article presents an examination of research methods used in empirical research over a 5-year period in technical and professional communication. This examination reveals that the most common methods used are surveys, interviews, usability tests, observations, and focus groups. In addition, the field does incorporate research categories of case studies, experiments, and ethnographers. This examination, however, reveals serious shortcomings that need to be addressed for the field to have a sustainable research profile.
Purpose: Design thinking is a process for identifying solutions to problems in certain contexts. The better one understands contextual factors affecting use and interaction, the more effectively one can use design thinking to address issues at the context and greater systems
levels. This article examines how the cognitive science concepts of scripts and prototypes can help realize the potential of design thinking in different settings.<br/> Method: This article compares design thinking approaches for understanding context to concepts of context as
examined in the cognitive mechanisms of prototypes and scripts. Through this comparison, the author explains how to integrate scripts and prototypes into design thinking processes in order to enhance understandings of context and the success of design thinking approaches to context-related
problems.<br/> Results: The article reveals that prototypes and scripts can expand design thinking approaches and enhance the development of design solutions for addressing problems at local and greater systems levels.<br/> Conclusions: Technical communicators can
use the approach presented here to enhance design thinking processes in order to better address problems in or design products for specific contexts.
To improve technical communication education, educators and internship providers need to find ways to revise internship experiences so that educators, internship providers, and students/interns can use internship experiences in a way that benefits all three parties. This article uses a stakeholder education approach to propose two new kinds of internship processes to benefit all three groups. The first approach—colloquia—allows all three parties to interact via the same scheduled event. The second approach—student publications groups—shifts internship from a workplace to a school activity. By including such approaches into their curricula, technical communication programs can both improve their relationships with local internship providers and improve the training received by their students.
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