A discourse on rhetoric & UX design
In UX, we are not only designing a mobile environment but also engaging in a rhetorical discourse with our users.
What is rhetoric? I’m often asked this question upon telling someone that I study the art of rhetoric. Wait… how does that even relate to UX design? It is quite often the follow-up question as I am both a rhetorician and UX designer. The conversation typically then goes a few ways, either I have done my job as a rhetor and shown them the intersections between rhetoric and UX design or I have completely lost them.
Oh, so like philosophy? No, uh, I’m… actually not really a fan of most philosophy, in fact, uh, what I was trying- What so like poetry? Uh, no, I… don’t really care for poetry either. That’s beside the point, um, let me- Wait, so you mean persuasion? Then why not work in politics?
I hate you.
Sips*
What was that?
…
Nonetheless, as frustrating as these conversations can be at times, no one is at fault. Rhetoric has a long history of indifference and skepticism. From Plato’s beloved Gorgias to Wayne Booth’s cryptic statement, “my first problem lies, of course, in the very word ‘rhetoric’”, there is a negative connotation surrounding society’s perception of the disciple.
While time has moved along from the oratory speeches given in Athens during the 4th century BCE to the rise of the digital age towards the end of the 20th century, rhetoric has still seemingly kept its “scarlet letter-esce” reputation of being the “art of deception”.
However, in recent years, peer reviews, studies, and books have been published exploring the relationship between rhetoric and the arts. In turn, these books and studies have produced several theoretical frameworks concerning rhetoric.
These theoretical frameworks are how I’ve found myself to be a rhetorician specializing in UX Design as I was first introduced to UX Design in my rhetoric studies at university.
The parallels and intersections of rhetoric and UX Design are a product of the evolution of discourse. Discourse for the majority of our history has been limited to humanity yet in the digital age, this is no longer.
We engage in a rhetorical discourse with technology every day. Therefore, as designers, it is all the more necessary for us to understand the architectonic nature of rhetoric and it’s connections with design, specifically UX Design, as we are responsible for initiating, coordinating, and developing this very discourse with our users.
Our designs can then be rendered more complete or profound from this base knowledge of rhetoric’s definitions, principles, features, functions, and ends as we are not only designing a mobile environment but also engaging in a rhetorical discourse with our users.
So, in reposing the opening questions, what is rhetoric? and how does it even relate to UX Design?
What is rhetoric?
Before divulging in the definition of rhetoric, I find it necessary to first understand what makes up rhetoric: communication, language, and discourse since these three terms lend structure and build upon one another in understanding the core of rhetoric.
Communication is an act of conveying meaning. Every behavior, including the absence of action, is a kind of communication therefore, one cannot not communicate (Paul Watzlawick).
Language is a symbolic exchange, a means of communication, extending beyond verbal form. A symbolic exchange can be written, visual, verbal, nonverbal, sonal (pertaining to sound), gestural — anything and everything with the potential to be interpreted by a recipient. Language, in and of itself, is the very result of rhetorical arts as rhetoric famously uses language as one of its instruments for communication.
Discourse is thought expressed through language. It is also the way in which we use language differently, each way depending on the situation, purpose, and audience. Classical or ancient discourse has three forms: grammar, logic (or dialectic), and rhetoric. As well as four ends (or goals): enlighten the understanding, please the imagination, move the passion, and influence the will (George Campbell).
Rhetoric is the art or science that aims to study the capacities needed to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences (rhetorician). Furthermore, it is the art or science that seeks to achieve clarity, awaken our sense of beauty, or bring about mutual understanding (rhetor). (James A Herrick).
“[Rhetoric is] the systematic study and intentional practice of effective symbolic expression… whether that purpose is persuasion, clarity, beauty, or mutual understanding… The art of rhetoric can render symbol use more persuasive, beautiful, memorable, forceful, thoughtful, clear, and thus generally more compelling.“ — James A Herrick
Rhetorical discourse is planned, typically concerned with contingent issues as it is shaped by human motives and responsive to situations, yet dependant on the audience. And of course, persuasion seeking (six characteristics of rhetorical discourse, James A Herrick).
A rhetor must first plan how they are to achieve their ends or goals. They then formulate their work through employing the five canons of rhetoric: invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery OR via arguments, appeals (logos, pathos, ethos), arrangement, and aesthetics, adapting discourse to its ends (the ends being to enlighten the understanding, please the imagination, move the passion and influence the will).
How does rhetoric relate to UX?
I want to go back to Paul Watzlawick. In his Axioms of Communication, Watzlawick listed the first axiom as “one cannot not communicate”. Any mark, sign, sound, or gesture communicates meaning based on social agreement (or in terms of UX Design, social signifiers) (James A Herrick & Donald A Norman).
Every behavior is a kind of communication including the absence of action as it is open for a recipient to create meaning, it has the potential to be interpreted.
I find this notion fascinating as in my opinion, this axiom applies to all facets of life; be it animals, plants, organs, cells, molecules, atoms…. it can be argued that everything considered to be ‘life’ engages in some form of communication as each of these facets within life engages in acts conveying meaning.
Because these acts conveying meaning can be decoded and coded via language, they are in themselves a form of discourse (however, it must be noted that it doesn’t necessarily mean they are rhetorical discourse as in order for discourse to be made rhetorical, it must have the six distinct characteristics of rhetorical discourse).
I’m not alone in this belief, scholar George Kennedy holds that,
“Rhetoric in the most general sense may perhaps be identified with the energy inherent in communication: the emotional energy that impels the speaker to speak, the physical energy extended in the utterance, the energy level coded in the message, and the energy experienced by the recipient in decoding the message.” — George Kennedy
Therefore, rhetoric is universal and architectonic.
Rhetoric is universal, that is, present everywhere we turn. Rhetoric is too architectonic in that it is a kind of master discipline that gives orders and lends structure to other disciplines (Richard McKeon).
In my opinion, this means that life is rhetorical, therefore, humans are rhetorical beings… this extends to man’s creations. Film, music, dance, architecture, and even a mobile interface, each involves behavior that creates meaning, meaning for the spectator or recipient to decode and interpret, and thus, rhetoric. This is why it is imperative to always create with intent.
Rhetoric is this intent as rhetoric is universal and architectonic; present everywhere whilst giving structure to all the other arts, sciences, and disciplines. There’s no “wild coincidence” that UX design closely mirrors rhetorical discourse when held at a microscope.
As humans have drastically evolved from 400 BCE to the feared and loathsome 2020, so have our modes of discourse or thought expressed through language. Films, television, music, Tweets, Tiktoks, memes, mobile interfaces, and so on, are all forms of discourse; and therefore, can be modes of rhetorical discourse.
Why does this matter?
There is a quote by scholar Douglas Ehninger in which he states, “… rhetoric of the present time is a socially-oriented art aimed at promoting healthy and productive human relationships.” This statement is quite true, however, so does it (rhetoric) fuel healthy and productive relationships between people and technology, as discourse is no longer limited to humanity.
This exchange between humans and technology has been made possible through UX Design; an exchange between the users and mobile environment (inclusive to the designers and brand/company).
UX Designers implement methodologies in their design process tailored specifically for the end-users (or audience). UX Designers come to understand their users through an iterative process of empathizing, defining, ideating, prototyping, and testing their designs.
We call this “design thinking” or the “design process”.
It is our job as designers to align the brand/company’s identity, image, and message to their audience (or users). We also do this in what we call the “design process”. Furthermore, it is our job as designers to initiate and develop this discourse; to provide the user with a good user experience so they don’t leave the platform and/or chose the competitors due to poor user experience.
“A rhetorician is someone who provides his fellows with useful precepts or directions for organizing and presenting his ideas or feeling to them.“ — James J. Murphy
We do this by providing the users with useful precepts or directions that organize and present our ideas and/or feeling to the users. Through employing the five steps of the design process: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test, we engage in a practice that is planned, adapted to an audience, shaped by human motives, responsive to situations, persuasion seeking and concerned with contingent issues, or in short, rhetorical discourse. This renders UX Design to be not only a form of design but also a modern form of rhetoric.
We engage in communication with technology every day. This communication is through language, language being a symbolic exchange. This symbolic exchange is a form of discourse, as discourse is thought expressed through language. This discourse is rhetorical as rhetoric is a form of discourse that uses language as its main instrument, moreover, it adheres to the six characteristics of rhetorical discourse and when designed effectively, adapts discourse to its ends.
These mobile environments or interfaces we design are done so with intent (be it conscious or not) in that the designer’s process mirrors that of rhetorical discourse both in its characteristics, process and it’s execution, rendering UX Design to be a form of rhetoric.
This is why we as designers should understand rhetoric’s definitions, principles, features, functions, and ends. We should supplement our design studies with the study of rhetoric as we could come to understand UX design in its entirety, or even develop further theoretical frameworks of UX Design in regards to the art of rhetoric.
Further Studies & Sources Worth Reviewing :)
Thanks for reading, if you would like to check out my other writings on rhetoric & UX Design, they can be found on my profile. :)
