1. Design for People at Work

2. Sarah Kuhn Assistant Professor in Department of Regional Economic and Social Development at UMass, Lowell Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University Co-creator of UMass Graduate Certificate Program in Human-Computer Interaction Developed courses in software design at various schools, including MIT Author of Computer Manufacturing in New England and co-author of The Retail Revolution

3. Design for People at Work Computers in the workplace are not always liberating Most users don’t have control over software, design, or when they use it Efficiency increases are not guaranteed

4. Design for People at Work Trouble Ticketing System  TTS developed to eliminate “off-task” conversation between repairmen  Benefits of conversation were lost  Time was monitored and workers were penalized for training new people or consulting with others  Unconnected ticket-based tasks contradict the human method

5. Design for People at Work Big Bank  Authorization card for security  Human/Supervisor judgment removed  Some banks encountered authorization scenarios every 5-10 minutes  “Workaround” introduced, reducing security  Responsibility given to the teller even though the design avoided this

6. Design for People at Work HELP system  2 functions Allow machinists to signal for help/break/tools/etc. Machine activity monitoring and reports  Reports were one-side of the story  Mislead management to punish workers  “Spy in the Sky” – negative connotation  System was “tolerated” – degree of indignation?

7. Design for People at Work Themes  Strict definitions for usefulness within a limited context (ie. “time on task” vs. training) Explicit View (Organizational)  Jobs can be decomposed into tasks and procedures Tacit View (Activity-oriented)  Activities, relationships, communication, etc. are combined in a complex manner

8. Design for People at Work Explicit and Tacit  Explicit considerations ignore/eliminate tacit elements  reduced efficiency  “Workarounds”

9. Design for People at Work High Cost of Bad Design  Displacement, intensification, monitoring, reduction/redefinition of skill, loss of control Human-centered design  Consider social aspects with tech aspects Participatory design  End-user influence during entire design process  Collaborative effort Workplace democracy and codetermination

10. Profile – Participatory Design UTOPIA project  Work-oriented approach  The “Tool Perspective” Extend traditional practical understanding  Used role-playing with prototypes

11. Profile – Participatory Design 4 Issues for Design  Take work practice seriously  Deal with human concerns, treat them as people and not as functionaries  All work tasks exist within a context  Work is fundamentally social and cooperative Work with the user, not for the user

12. Profile – Participatory Design User Participation Metrics  Directness of interaction with designers  Length of involvement  Scope of participation  Degree of control