Article

Distributed value system matrix: a new use for distributed usability testing

Author:

Douglas WallsAuthors Info & Claims

SIGDOC '07: Proceedings of the 25th annual ACM international conference on Design of communication

Pages 256 - 262

https://doi.org/10.1145/1297144.1297201

Published: 22 October 2007 Publication History

Abstract

In this paper, I make the case that User-Centered Design (UCD) principles, specifically those principles that view design through the lens of distributed usability, should be at the center of research into how organizations determine and value writing work. Based in activity theory, my argument for such an approach is that UCD principles, grounded in notions of Distributed Usability, function well as a research method to determine organizational values that may be invisible or ill defined. Activity theory as it currently stands contains but does not foreground what and how an organization values as good writing for a particular situation. By using activity theory and distributed usability to develop what I call a Distributed Value System Matrix, organizations would be able to see how differing documents may be doing the same work within and between different contexts. Such knowledge should be of great value for smaller organizations where members often engage in a variety of writing tasks and for professional writers who move project to project, context to context. I include a brief example of what such a research project looks like in an academic context.

References

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Cited By

Gossi DHennessy SAlba JSpinuzzi C(2021)The Price is Right: An Orders of Worth Analysis of Positions on Housing PricesProceedings of the 39th ACM International Conference on Design of Communication10.1145/3472714.3473632(128-134)Online publication date: 12-Oct-2021
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3472714.3473632
Stewart J(2017)Introduction Discussion Board Forums in Online Writing Courses Are EssentialHandbook of Research on Writing and Composing in the Age of MOOCs10.4018/978-1-5225-1718-4.ch018(294-316)Online publication date: 2017
https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-1718-4.ch018
Stewart JBaker NChaney SHashimov EImafuji EMcNely BRomano LZachry MSpinuzzi C(2012)A qualitative metasynthesis of activity theory in SIGDOC proceedings 2001-2011Proceedings of the 30th ACM international conference on Design of communication10.1145/2379057.2379120(341-348)Online publication date: 3-Oct-2012
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/2379057.2379120

Index Terms

Distributed value system matrix: a new use for distributed usability testing
1. Human-centered computing
  1. Collaborative and social computing
    1. Collaborative and social computing theory, concepts and paradigms
      1. Computer supported cooperative work
2. Social and professional topics
  1. Professional topics
    1. Computing and business
      1. Computer supported cooperative work

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Published In

cover image ACM Conferences

SIGDOC '07: Proceedings of the 25th annual ACM international conference on Design of communication

October 2007

286 pages

ISBN:9781595935885

DOI:10.1145/1297144

General Chair:
David Novick
The University of Texas at El Paso, TX
,
Program Chair:
Clay Spinuzzi
The University of Texas at Austin, TX

Copyright © 2007 ACM.

Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for components of this work owned by others than ACM must be honored. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. Request permissions from [email protected]

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Published: 22 October 2007

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SIGDOC07: The 25th ACM International Conference on Design of Communication

October 22 - 24, 2007

Texas, El Paso, USA

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Cited By

Gossi DHennessy SAlba JSpinuzzi C(2021)The Price is Right: An Orders of Worth Analysis of Positions on Housing PricesProceedings of the 39th ACM International Conference on Design of Communication10.1145/3472714.3473632(128-134)Online publication date: 12-Oct-2021
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3472714.3473632
Stewart J(2017)Introduction Discussion Board Forums in Online Writing Courses Are EssentialHandbook of Research on Writing and Composing in the Age of MOOCs10.4018/978-1-5225-1718-4.ch018(294-316)Online publication date: 2017
https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-1718-4.ch018
Stewart JBaker NChaney SHashimov EImafuji EMcNely BRomano LZachry MSpinuzzi C(2012)A qualitative metasynthesis of activity theory in SIGDOC proceedings 2001-2011Proceedings of the 30th ACM international conference on Design of communication10.1145/2379057.2379120(341-348)Online publication date: 3-Oct-2012
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/2379057.2379120

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