TECHNICAL WRITING 2013 UNIT 3: DESIGNING FOR CHANGE

IN THIS UNIT… Our focus: Designing for change Our aim: Not just change, but change for the better! Our influences: Activity Theory User-Centered Design Embodied Interaction Our methods: Contextual Inquiry & inspiration from Rational Unified Process Our Assignments: Individuals revise document for the web. Teams create multiple project pitch ideas for midterm proposal

THEORETICAL INFLUENCES Activity Theory – understanding the relationship between human behavior and the tools they use (Vygotsky et al.) User-Centered Design – placing the needs of users prominently in the design process (more later) Embodied Interaction – An approach to interacting with software systems that emphasizes skilled, engaged practice rather than disembodied rationality

ACTIVITY THEORY AND HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERACTION

ACTIVITY THEORY Cultural Historic Activity Theory (CHAT) Based on Vygotsky et al Learning (v.) is a social activity Learning (n.) is socially constructed Knowledge, learning and intentional activity cannot be separated Scaffold action and mediate experience and meaning Zone of Proximal Development

ZONE OF PROXIMAL DEVELOPMENT (ZPD) The zone of proximal development often abbreviated ( ZPD ), is the difference between what a learner can do without help and what he or she can do with help. A concept introduced by Lev Vygotsky. (Wikipedia.com)

ACTIVITY THEORY CONTINUED To incorporate new practices requires alignment with/of local factors : Social – largely relationships(e.g. power, support) Cultural – ways things happen, what they mean Historical – current context, arrangements, resources

ACTIVITY SYSTEM (ENGESTROM + WEBB ) Tools & artifacts Rules Community Division of Effort Subject Person Group Activity Object Experiences Knowledge Products Outcome Success Well-being

ACTIVITY AND CHANGE Activity is the minimal meaningful unit of human behavior Activity is motivated (not just random) Activity is mediated (by tools)

CHANGE OCCURS THROUGH ACTION Activity develops over time…and, actually, that there is a certain dynamic between structures (whether these are physical or social structures) and agency, such that it is by habitual action that we make and remake our world.

3 LEVELS OF ACTION Consider... Activities that are motivated. Actions that are goal oriented. Operations that have conditions. *Note: that most complex actions are comprised of all three.

CORRESPONDING QUESTIONS Levels of activity correspond with familiar questions: Activity - Why? Action- What? Operations – How? Where does HCI usually concentrate ?

HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERACTION (HCI) Innovative HCI (Human-computer interaction) designs focus on the Why, mediating the What and How. What and How, we tend to experience as structure …when we act on a Why, we enact agency. Activity - Why? Action- What? Operations – How?

ACTIVITY+AGENCY=CHANGE Agency is linked to Change. The goal of good HCI design should be transformation of some social practice. Can you think of a successful HCI that transforms a social practice for the better? Whose agency is enabled by your example? Users? Designers?

PAUL DOURISH & HCI Paul Dourish (born 1966) is a computer scientist best known for his work and research at the intersection of computer science and social science. HCI designs are (re)constructions of the world…and as such, are representative of not just logic but of values, feelings, desires (even if these are invisible or minimized). He asks us to make our intentions in these areas explicit when we design, and to reconcile them with our goals for change.

INFORMATION ECOLOGY AND ECOLOGIES OF PRACTICE

WHAT IS AN INFORMATION ECOLOGY? The term Information ecology often is used as metaphor, viewing the informational space as an ecosystem. Information ecology draws on the language of ecology...to describe and analyze information systems from a perspective that considers the distribution and abundance of organisms, their relationships with each other, and how they influence and are influenced by their environment. Wikipedia.com

CHANGE IN INFORMATION ECOLOGIES “We define an information ecology to be a system of people, practices, values, and technologies in a particular local environment.” (p. 49)

RESPONSIBLE CHANGE Work from core, local values. Pay attention. Notice the meanings assigned to existing technology & practice. Ask strategic, open-ended questions about use. What if…? Nardi & O’Day, p. 65

USING STRATEGIC QUESTIONS TO UNDERSTAND THE ECOLOGY OF PRACTICE

STRATEGIC QUESTIONING PT. 1 Analysis questions: Ask about motivations, opinions, relationships among things. Observation questions: Ask what can be seen & heard in the ecology. What is the goal of the department’s website/ document revision? How is the current site administered?

STRATEGIC QUESTIONING PT. 2 Focus questions: Ask about important operational conditions. Ask about emotional responses & issues of trust. How much money is available for the revision? Which features of the site do people have a positive association? Feeling questions:

STRATEGIC QUESTIONING PT. 3 Visioning questions: Ask about ideals & dreams. Change questions: Envision a path from here to there … Where would we like this site to go in the next year? How might we prioritize our wish list?

STRATEGIC QUESTIONING PT. 4 Alternative questions: Consequences questions: Are the communities in the department distinct enough to warrant multiple sites? Whose interests are served by making the following kinds of changes…? Obstacles questions: Will there be a need for more training?

STRATEGIC QUESTIONING PT. 5 Personal inventory questions: Identify interests and contributions of stakeholders Planning questions: Specifics of what & how How can the expertise we have in the department be best harnessed? How will we propose, approve, and test new designs for the site?

REMEMBER ACTIVITY THEORY? How do the three levels of action apply to an information ecology? Activities are motivated. Actions are goal oriented. Operations have conditions. Note: most complex activities are comprised of all three.

GRAPHING FOR DESIGN WORK Using graphs helps to visualize design concepts. Ask yourself the following questions to determine motivation, goals and conditions for your information ecology: Design for what actions ? Design with what mediation ? Design with what transitions ? Design for what contingencies ?

BEGIN A CONVERSATION… Use the activity theory questions to begin your analysis of an information ecology Start with an information ecology that you are familiar with… consider a design change appropriate for that community… run through the standard questions... And then, devise ones of your own for each category.