ABSTRACT
We studied collaborating interface designers and software developers engaged in multidisciplinary software creation work. Twenty-one designers and developers in 8 organizations were interviewed to understand how each specialist viewed team interactions. We also shadowed most participants as they worked on novel software projects with user interface design challenges. A grounded theory analysis of interview transcripts showed that designers and developers construct unique identities in the process of collaborating that provide meaning to their artefact-mediated interactions, and that help them to effectively accomplish the work of creating novel software. Our model of interactional identities specifies a number of aspects of joint project work in which an interactional identity is expressed. We suggest these identities are constructed to bridge a gap between how designers and developers were taught to enact their roles and the demands of project-specific work.
- P. A. Adler and P. Adler. Observational techniques, pages 377--392. Handbook of qualitative research. Sage Publications, 1994.Google Scholar
- B. E. Ashforth and G. E. Kreiner. Dirty work and the challenge of constructing a positive identity. The Academy of Mgmt Review, 24(3):pp. 413--434, 1999.Google Scholar
- A. Brown. Engineering identities. Career Development International, 9(3):pp. 245--273, 2004.Google ScholarCross Ref
- J. Brown, G. Lindgaard, and R. Biddle. Collaborative events and shared artefacts. In Proc. Agile. IEEE, 2011. Google ScholarDigital Library
- M. Bucholtz. Identity and interaction: A sociocultural linguistic approach. Discourse Studies, 7(4--5):585--614, 2005.Google Scholar
- E. Carmel. Narratives that software nations tell themselves: An exploration and taxonomy. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 17(1):pp. 851--872, 2006.Google Scholar
- S. Crafter and de,Abreu,Guida. Constructing identities in multicultural learning contexts. Mind, Culture, and Activity, 17:102--118, 2010.Google Scholar
- H. Daniels. Vygotsky and Research. Routledge, 2008.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Y. Engeström. Activity theory as a framework for analyzing and redesigning work. Ergonomics, 43(7):960--974, 2000.Google ScholarCross Ref
- K. Fidel and R. Garner. Computer workers: career lines and professional identity. SIGCAS Comput. Soc. 20:118--123, August 1990. Google ScholarDigital Library
- K. Gergen. The Saturated Self: Dilemmas of Identity in Contemporary Life. Basic Books, 2nd edition, 2001.Google Scholar
- D. Holland, W. L. Jr. D. Skinner, and C. Cain. Identity and Agency in Cultural Worlds. Harvard Press, 1998.Google Scholar
- J. Kilker. Conflict on collaborative design teams: Understanding the role of social identities. Technology and Society Magazine, IEEE, 18(3):12--21, Fall 1999.Google ScholarCross Ref
- C. P. Lee. Boundary negotiating artifacts: Unbinding the routine of boundary objects and embracing chaos in collaborative work. Computer Supported Collaborative Work, 16(3):pp. 307--339, 2007. Google ScholarDigital Library
- J. Lemke. Across the scales of time: Artifacts, activities, and meanings in ecosocial systems. In The Fourth Congress of the International Society for Cultural Research and Activity Theory, 1998.Google Scholar
- J. Lemke. Identity, development and desire: Critical questions. In American Educational Research Association Conference, 2011.Google Scholar
- D. Martin and I. Sommerville. Patterns of cooperative interaction: Linking ethnomethodology and design. Trans. Comput.-Hum. Interact. 11:59--89, March 2004. Google ScholarDigital Library
- T. Matthews, S. Whittaker, T. Moran, and S. Yuen. Collaboration personas. In CHI 2011, pages 2247--2256. ACM, 2011. Google ScholarDigital Library
- J. McGrath, H. Arrow, and J. Berdahl. The study of groups: Past, present, and future. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 4:95--105, 2000.Google ScholarCross Ref
- H. B. Mokros, editor. Interaction and Identity. Transaction Publishers, 1996.Google Scholar
- S. L. Morrow. Quality and trustworthiness in qualitative research in counseling psychology. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 52(2):250--260, 2005.Google ScholarCross Ref
- W.-M. Roth. Emotion at work: A contribution to third-generation cultural-historical activity theory. Mind, Culture, and Activity, 14:40--63, 2007.Google Scholar
- J. A. Smith. Semi-structured interviewing and qualitative analysis. Rethinking methods in psychology. Sage, 1995.Google Scholar
- S. L. Star and J. R. Griesemer. Institutional ecology, 'translations' and boundary objects. Social Studies of Science, 19(3):pp. 387--420, 1989.Google ScholarCross Ref
- A. Strauss. The articulation of project work: An organizational process. The Sociological Quarterly, 29:163--178, 1988.Google ScholarCross Ref
- A. L. Strauss and J. M. Corbin. Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory. Sage, 1998.Google Scholar
- H. Tajfel and J. Turner. The social identity of intergroup behavior, pages 7--24. Psychology of intergroup relations. Nelson Hall, 1985.Google Scholar
- S. Turkle and S. Papert. Epistemological pluralism: Styles and voices within the computer culture. Signs, 16(1):pp. 128--157, 1990.Google ScholarCross Ref
- A. Vagän. Towards a sociocultural perspective on identity formation in education. Mind, Culture, and Activity, 18(1):43--58, 2011.Google Scholar
- L. S. Vygotsky. Mind in society. Harvard Press, 1978.Google Scholar
- J. V. Wertsch. Mind as action. Oxford Press, 1998.Google Scholar
- S. Wortham. Narratives in Action: A strategy for Research and Analysis. Teachers College Press, 2001.Google Scholar
Index Terms
- Interactional identity: designers and developers making joint work meaningful and effective
Recommendations
Beyond the Individual: The Contextual Wheel of Practice as a Research Framework for Sustainable HCI
CHI '15: Proceedings of the 33rd Annual ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing SystemsAddressing human impact on the environment by focusing on shared everyday practices, rather than just individual behavior is an approach that shows promise. However, it can be challenging to put this approach into concrete use, especially in teams ...
Collaborative Design-in-use: An Instrumental Genesis Lens in Multi-device Environments
The fast-growing proliferation of multi-device systems has been reshaping the contexts in which collaborative activity takes place. The evolving materialisation of multi-device environments (MDEs) is likely to have an impact on foundational CSCW ...
Identity, performativity, and HCI
CHI EA '12: CHI '12 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing SystemsIdentity is a theme spanning multiple discourses, such as feminist HCI, ICT4D and data control, becoming notable as a culturally understood phenomenon within third-wave HCI. This workshop extends current thinking about identity toward performative ...
Comments