Channels, Fall 2016

Channels • 2016 • Volume 1 • Number 1 Page 75 Improved User-Centered Design Studying feminism will not only give students a broader understanding of technical communication and its history, but it will also give them more insight into understanding and analyzing their users. Better understanding feminism, particularly gender roles, will aid students in creating user-centered documents and designs. Furthermore, it will prevent students from producing work that is discriminatory towards men or women. In her article “Men are Like Bluetooth; Women are Like Wifi,” Carolyn Cunningham (2015) states that technological design requires choices rooted in social norms. For example, some technologies are associated with men or women, simply because men or women use them more often. Men are more likely to use a screwdriver; women are more likely to use a flat iron. The instruction manuals might reflect the greater audience group; the screwdriver manual will be straightforward and abrupt, whereas the flat iron directions might have a completely different tone. Though these are both generalizations, they convey that certain product instructions will often favor one gender over the other. We can learn from the past mistakes of technical communicators who failed to create effective user-centered documents, especially for products that are considered more feminine or masculine. When Durack (1998) analyzed 19 th -century sewing machine manuals, she discovered that the manuals were written by men and for men, although women were the primary sewing machine users. Rather than analyzing their audience and writing to engage the actual users, these male writers wrote to instruct men, and they ultimately failed to create real user-centered documents. They did not consider writing technical documents for women because women were not known for using technology. Students who study feminism in technical communication will be able to identify these types of mistakes and avoid them in their own work. According to Cunningham (2015), in a more recent example, Kearny analyzed the product- design of girls’ technologies (Barbie Wireless Camcorder and Daisy Rock Guitars) to see how the design motivated girls. Kearny discovered that the design made girls more aware of their body image; it did not inspire them to become media producers like the designers thought it would. In this case, designing with a certain gender in mind made sense because companies designed these toys specifically for girls. Kearny’s results show that product- design can really impact users, even in unexpected ways, and technical communicators need to be aware of this influence. Broadened Sphere of Influence Introducing feminist study into undergraduate technical communication courses will broaden students’ future spheres of influence, in many respects. First, they will have an advantage over professionals in the field who have not considered feminism and its impact on technical communication. They will develop larger pools of theory and history to draw conclusions from, therefore expanding their wealth of knowledge and ideas.