Bridging the gap between humans and tech to serve the public
Sean Williams, director and professor in the School of Applied Professional Studies at the College of Integrative Sciences and Arts at ASU's Polytechnic campus. Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News
For many of us, artificial intelligence has become a fixture in daily life whether we are aware of it or not.
Its dynamic and growing capabilities across industries convey just how powerful of a technology it is; but, at times it raises more questions than answers. Is it ethical? Will it take over jobs or create them? How will it impact key industries like health care, transportation and education?
Sean Williams turns these questions into opportunities for his faculty and students as director and professor in the School of Applied Professional Studies at the College of Integrative Sciences and Arts at Arizona State University.
“We are training students in technical communication degrees to create mechanisms that bridge the gap between technology and humans so students can make a meaningful impact in the world,” Williams says. “Technical communication professionals are critical to every aspect of rolling out new technologies and one of the most relevant examples is AI.”
A leader in the field, Williams is the recipient of the internationally esteemed Jay R. Gould Award for Excellence in Teaching Technical Communication given by the Society for Technical Communication for his innovation and commitment to the discipline.
“This award recognizes and validates 25 years’ worth of work and encourages me to continue growing and evolving the technical communication program at ASU,” says Williams, who was also the founding director of the technical communication and information design program at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs.
In his 25-year tenure, Williams has seen the ebbs and flows of the industry. Still, he and his faculty remain consistently driven by the challenges that come with novel technologies like AI and the possibilities they generate for their students to serve the public.
Why is technical communication important?
Williams says that looking outward to solve real problems for real people is a pillar of technical communication and is one reason he's committed to expanding the program at ASU.
He points out the sustainability work of Claire Lauer, a professor of technical communication and co-director of the master’s program in user experience in the School of Applied Professional Studies at ASU’s Polytechnic campus. She received a $2 million National Science Foundation grant to create a mechanism to educate the public about water usage.
Lauer, her students and her collaborators are pushing the boundaries of AI, mixed reality and user experience — a critical component of technical communication — to design a 15-foot-tall, interactive museum installation to help communities make informed water conservation decisions amid Arizona’s megadrought.
“When it comes to developing technology innovations, there are a lot of people working on the technology side and the user experience side comes later, but ideally, user experience should work in tandem with technology innovation so the end product caters to the audience who will use it, and Claire’s project follows this model,” Williams says.
With a growing demand for user experience (UX) professionals, Williams with the help of his faculty and staff, will launch a bachelor’s degree in UX at ASU in fall 2024. The new bachelor’s degree will join an existing ASU master’s degree in UX.
"ASU has one of the few dedicated user experience programs in the country, so this is a huge opportunity for us, especially in the realms of AI, AR, VR, XR and other technologies," Williams says.
Williams says thanks to the innovative spirit of his faculty, they are engaged in research that makes a difference.
For example, Assistant Professor Stephen Carradini, who is also a senior global futures scholar in ASU’s Global Institute of Sustainability and Innovation, is improving chatbot technology; Assistant Professor Kathryn Lambrecht, also a senior global futures scholar, is designing heat maps for local municipalities to reduce heat islands; and Assistant Professor Michael Madson is using technical communication in the health sector to investigate how cannabis retailers communicate the risks of marijuana use, among various other faculty projects.
Something all of these projects have in common is that they help people.
“It could be as ordinary as redesigning a paper form at the DMV to better communicate with Spanish speakers — it’s not always about AI and new technology” Williams adds. “The possibilities are endless for effectively using technical communication to help people solve their problems.”
Connecting students to industry
A critical component of the technical communication program is applied and hands-on learning. Students often consult for organizations or conduct client-based projects and fieldwork to gain real-world experiences before graduating.
Oftentimes, these connections form through networking via the Society for Technical Communication, or STC. Technical communication students are automatically enrolled as members of the STC, opening doors to hundreds of industry professionals and prospective opportunities for students to leverage.
Soon, the program’s curriculum will link to the STC’s professional technical communicator certification, a credential that will enhance graduates’ skill sets to set them apart in the job market.
Williams finds value in partnering with the STC — the largest global organization for technical communication and home to a top research publication, the Journal of the Society for Technical Communication.
“It’s our job to be looking five or 10 years into the future, and the Jay R. Gould Award given by the STC is motivating me to push the boundaries of technical communication even further,” Williams says.
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