April 14, 2004
Rogerio dePaula
Interpretive Structures: How Designers and
Users "frame" technologies and practices
Abstract
The use and adoption of computer artifacts,
in particular groupware systems, are subject to the interpretive structures against
which designers and users understand existing work practices and contexts and
the various meanings and roles of these technologies. A number of studies in
CSCW has shown the impact of these structures in enabling as well as hindering
the adoption and use of groupware systems. From an egocentric perspective, these
structures are often described as technological frames or situation models. No
different from previous works in CSCW, in my dissertation work I faced various
challenges in introducing and integrating a computer supported social network
system, Web2gether, into special education work practices. This has motived a
more in-depth investigation and understanding of the social, cognitive, institutional
and political elements that impacted the ways special education professionals
understood and utilized Web2gether. Building on Giddens' theory of structuration,
I attempted to deconstruct their technological frames, unpacking some of the
structures that constitute these frames. I argue that understanding these structures
is not only analytically powerful, but can help us design more useful groupware
systems. In this presentation, I will briefly present some of the conclusions
from my dissertation work, followed by a description of this framework and a
more in-depth analysis of some of the findings. In conclusion I will present
what I see as some of the implications of this research work.
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