Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Design, Specification and Verification of Interactive Systems ’98 pp 9–23Cite as

The viability of modelling socially organised activity

  • Conference paper

  • 81 Accesses

Part of the book series: Eurographics ((EUROGRAPH))

Abstract

Research into socially organised activity provides insights which should not be ignored by interactive system designers. At the same time, the emergence of social context as a salient factor in the design and use of information technology poses problems for the activity of modelling in design. By highlighting the informal, tacit, contingent, and relational aspects of technology use, it raises issues which test the technical scope and practical value of model making. In this paper, attempts to use activity-based insights in design are reviewed and their implications for the relationship between model and activity are considered.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Bakhtin, M.M. Towards a Philosophy of the Act. Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press, 1993.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Bentley, R., Hughes, J.A., Randall, D., Rodden, T., Sawyer, P., Shapiro, D., and Sommerville, I. Ethnographically informed systems design for air traffic control. Proc. CSC W 92, 115–122, New York: ACM Press (Toronto, November, 1992).

    Google Scholar 

  3. Bodker, S. and Christiansen, E. Scenarios as springboards in CSCW design. In Bowker, G.C., Star, S.L., Turner, W. and Gasser, L. (Eds.), Social Science, Technical Systems and Cooperative Work. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum, 1996, pp. 217–234.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Dix, A. Formal Methods for Interactive System Design. London: Academic Press, 1991.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Geertz, C. The Interpretation of Cultures. New York: Basic Books, 1973.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Goguen, J.A. Towards a social, ethical theory of information. In Bowker, G.C., Star, S.L., Turner, W. and Gasser, L. (Eds.), Social Science, Technical Systems and Cooperative Work. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum, 1996, pp.27–56

    Google Scholar 

  7. Green, T.R.G. and Petre, M. Usability analysis of visual programming environments. Journal of Visual Languages and Computing, 7, 131–174 (1996).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Hughes, JA., Randall, D., and Shapiro, D. Faltering from ethnography to design. Proc. CSCW’92, 115–122, New York: ACM Press (Toronto, November, 1992).

    Google Scholar 

  9. Hutchins, E. Cognition in the Wild. Cambridge Mass: MIT Press, 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Lave, J. Cognition in practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  11. McCarthy, J. and O’Connor, B. Integration and dis-integration: situated practice and the structure of hospital information. Proc. ECCE’9 (Limerick, August, 1998)

    Google Scholar 

  12. McCartliy, J., Wright, P., Healey, P., Dearden, A. and Harrison, M.D. Locating the scene: The particular and the general in contexts for ambulance control. In Hayne, S. and Prinz, W. (Eds). Proc. Group’97, SIGGROUP conference on supporting group work. pp. 101–110, (Arizona, 1997).

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  13. McCarthy, J, Wright, P., Healey, P. and Harrison, M. Human error in context-Accountability of work activity in high-consequence work systems. International Journal of Human Machine Systems, 47 (6), 735–766 (1997).

    Google Scholar 

  14. Robinson, M. “As real as it gets....” Taming models and reconstructing procedures. In Bowker, G.C., Star, S.L., Turner, W. and Gasser, L. (Eds.), Social Science, Technical Systems and Cooperative Work. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum, 1996, pp. 257–274.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Rogers, Y. Reconfiguring the social scientist: shifting from telling designers what to do to getting more involved. In Bowker, G.C., Star, S.L., Turner, W. and Gasser, L. (Eds.), Social Science, Technical Systems and Cooperative Work. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum, 1996, pp. 57–78.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Schliemann, A.D. and Nunes, T. A situated schema of proportionality. Journal of Developmental Psychology, 8, 259–268 (1990).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Suchman, L. Plans and situated actions: the problem of human machine communication. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1986.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Psychology, University College Cork, Ireland

    J. C. McCarthy

Authors
  1. J. C. McCarthy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computer Science, Queen Mary and Westfield College, London, UK

    Panos Markopoulos  & Peter Johnson  & 

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1998 Springer-Verlag Wien

About this paper

Cite this paper

McCarthy, J.C. (1998). The viability of modelling socially organised activity. In: Markopoulos, P., Johnson, P. (eds) Design, Specification and Verification of Interactive Systems ’98. Eurographics. Springer, Vienna. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-3693-5_2

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-3693-5_2

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Vienna

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-211-83212-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-7091-3693-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation