Involving the Audience: A Rhetoric Perspective on Using Social Media to Improve Websites

Involving the Audience: A Rhetorical Perspective on Using Social Media to Improve Websites examines the usability challenges raised by large complex websites and proposes ways the social web can expand usability research to address these new challenges. Using the website healthcare.gov as an initial illustration, Breuch explains how large complex websites are inherently challenged by open-ended, interactive tasks that often have multiple pathways to completion. These challenges are illustrated through two in-depth case studies, each addressing the launch of an interactive, complex website designed for a large public audience.

Lee-Ann Kastman Breuch, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Writing Studies at the University of Minnesota, where she is department chair. Her research investigates rhetoric and digital writing in a variety of settings such as classrooms, professional organizations, and social media. She teaches courses in technical communication, digital writing, usability research, and writing pedagogy. Professor Breuch is a graduate faculty member in the Rhetoric and Scientific and Technical Communication Program and the Human Factors and Ergonomics program at University of Minnesota.