Usability Testing in the Introductory Technical Communication Course: Centering Student Practice on Internationalization/Localization

An introductory undergraduate course in technical and professional communication was the context of this study exploring student progress in coursework that combines usability testing of online and print documents with the study of internationalization and localization. In order for the students to begin considering the complex information needs of international document users, the students first found international students on campus who would serve as usability test participants for selected course projects. These usability test participants-at the time fulfilling English proficiency requirements in courses offered at the university's English language center-provided the technical communication students with test responses that would inform revisions of selected projects for final course portfolios. In the course, students worked with Dreamweaver and Creative Suite while attempting to localize documents for international students.