This case study examines how technical communication students used generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in user-experience (UX) design via Figma. Over a semester, they engaged with Figma Jambot, AI plug-ins, and other GenAI tools. Reporting on the findings from students’ individual and team reflections, the authors explore how students used AI-assistance in UX work. Using activity theory's knotworking, the authors study how students articulate GenAI as object, tool, genre, text, and person. In functioning as a boundary object, AI helped to coordinate team workflows and translate design ideas. Then students employed rework strategies to refine designs. Finally, the authors reflect on implications for AI-assisted UX design as a cocreative process.
Technical editing research has examined the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, yet empirical studies on their effectiveness remain limited. This quasi-experimental study investigates whether an AI-assisted tool improves copyediting performance and explores editor perceptions. The study compared 33 students’ editing performance with and without AI assistance. The results showed that an AI tool provided selective benefits, failing to raise overall correction rates but improving detection of AI-flagged errors. Perceptions varied by skill level, with stronger editors finding AI to be more distracting than helpful. The authors consider the teaching implications of this study and suggest that future research should test the effectiveness of various AI tools across different technical content types.
Within technical and professional communication research, limited attention has been given to the experiences of disabled employees in the workplace. This article presents findings from a study of complaints filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 2023 under federal disability law. The authors use a thematic analysis of the initial complaints to surface the "stories of clash" between organizational practices and individual experiences of disability. They found that interactions between organizational actors and organizational disability policies and practices impact how individuals experience disability in the workplace. The study thus offers insights for cultivating an accessibility mindset to promote inclusive practices.
