this article, the two most important reasons for this are: . The design process needs to be based on experience with both the work to be supported and the technical possibilities and limitations. Few will probably argue against this. Our point, however, is that this eventually requires an approach in which professional designers and end users cooperate on several of the major design activities. The experience of the end users cannot be effectively mediated by representations of work or representatives of users, such as systems analysts or ethnographers. By such mediation, experience with the work being supported is frozen at the level of explicit understandings existing at the time when the representation of work is made or when the user-proxy finishes his or her analysis. When this understanding is challenged in subsequent design processes, the processes deteriorate --- unless end users themselves are there to create new understandings of the work [19]

Abstract. An activity is inseparably bound up with time, and interdependent cooperative activities thus need to be coordinated in time. The nature of time is therefore an ever-present issue in the design of computer systems supporting coordination. Based on Activity Theory this paper defines the concept of Temporal Coordination. Then, based on in-depth studies of the socio-temporal aspects of coordinating cooperative work at hospitals, the paper explores this notion of temporal coordination. This analysis identifies some of the highly intertwined temporal problems, constraints, interests, and conflicts, which arise when work subject to temporal limits is to be coordinated. The paper then introduces the PATIENT SCHEDULER, which is a prototype designed during this project to illustrate how aspects of temporal coordination can be supported by computer technology.

has been approved for the

ecessary to analytically separate the abstract concerns, e.g. analysis, design, and realisation from concrete activities and techniques. Thus we introduce a CESD model which provides a framework for handling this separation and at the same time makes it possible to identify and discuss the rich variety of relationships among concrete activities and the main concerns. INTRODUCTION Developing useful systems for the workplace is a difficult endeavour, and today it is obvious that our old ways of doing are inadequate [# Insert ref t. LM/MK intro]. Over the last decade several approaches have gained widespread attention by addressing the more serious problems: Proto typing overcomes some of the problems of specification oriented methods which usually assume that system design can be based solely on observation and detached reflection. Objectorientation can make the relations between a system and the work it is to support more explicit and thus simpler to maintain as the context of work ch

The production of design-oriented knowledge cannot be dealt with fruitfully based on traditional epistemology. In this paper the concept of design artefacts is suggested as a possible backbone in a future design-oriented pragmatic epistemology. It is claimed that a general understanding of how design is mediated is a necessary first step in understanding the use and production of designoriented knowledge Keywords: Design artefacts, epistemology, design, activity theory.

This paper explores the notion of ‘provocation through concrete experience’ towards a provotyping approach. It addresses the question: How do we on the one hand, devise qualitatively new systems, and on the other hand, ensure their usability in a given practice? The notion of provocation through concrete experience is developed through an investigation of prototyping and activity theory. Exploration of this notion leads to the idea of the systemdeveloper ‘provoking ’ concrete, everyday practice, by exposing current problems, calling forth what usually is taken for granted. Problems with current practice and a lack of mutual understanding, usually conceived of as hindrances to successful systems development, are used constructively. These ideas are compared to four related approaches: Future Workshops, Metaphorical Design, Cooperative Prototyping, and Organizational Games. The comparison serves the twofold purpose of contextualizing the new ideas as well as developing techniques for carrying themout.

Significant work in the CHI community has focused on designing systems that support human values. Designers and engineers have also become increasingly aware of ways in which the artifacts they create can embody political, social, and ethical values. Despite such an awareness, there has been little work towards producing practical methodologies that systematically incorporate values into the design process. Many designers struggle to find a balance between their own values, those of users and other stakeholders, and those of the surrounding culture. In this paper, we present the RAPUNSEL project as a case study of game design in a values-rich context and describe our efforts toward navigating the complexities this entails. Additionally, we present initial steps toward the development of a systematic methodology for discovery, analysis, and integration of values in technology design in the hope that others may both benefit from and build upon this work.

“[A] particularly central aspect of implementing groupware is ensuring that prospective users have an appropriate understanding of the technology, that is, that their technological frames reflect a perception of the technology as a collective rather than a personal tool.” – Orlikowski 1992, p. 368 The usefulness of applications which support cooperative work depends in its very nature on the way the cooperative work practice is organised. At the same time, the adoption of new technology is difficult and complex because of the amount of people involved and their distribution in time and space. This paper explores the possibilities of addressing this adoption process in a more simplified, yet systematic way without losing the focus on the interdependencies which characterise cooperative work. The notion of adoption is discussed as a dual process of adapting both the computer support to the work and adapting the work to the computer. A method called organisational prototyping is presented which aims at facilitating this adoption process. A case illustrates how organisational prototyping was used in the adoption of a cooperative tool for managing projects within a large engineering company in Denmark.

This paper explores the consequences of the uncertainty introduced into the system development lifecycle by a prototyping approach and the practical strategies employed by developers in prototyping projects. Drawing on various strands of the sociology of technology, the paper discusses findings from a multi-disciplinary research project, which investigated the use of prototyping in commercial information systems development in the UK during the period 1995-1998. Qualitative semi-structured interviews with commercial practitioners were followed by a series of mini case studies. We draw on interview and participant observation material and the practitioner literature on Rapid Application Development (RAD). In the course of the project, we encountered a variety of practical strategies which attempted to extend the sphere of developers ' influence beyond the technical realm to affect (but not determine) how the user/customer participates in the development process. Various techniques attempt to create a climate of joint ownership and shared approaches to change management. For example, the role of an ambassador user encompasses shaping the environment in which the system will operate via information,

This paper focuses on ways and means of stimulating idea generation in collaborative situations involving designers, engineers, software developers, users and usability people. Particularly, we investigate tools of design, i.e. tools used in design to get ideas for a new interactive application and its use.