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The role of ethnography in interactive systems design

The role of ethnography in interactive systems design Over the last few years, ethnogmphy has been proposed as new approach to œrequirements elicitation  in interactive systems development. The turn to ethnogtaphy is a response to the need for an adequate understanding of the nature of work to underpin the construction of interactive systems. In the context of system design, ethnographic studies have included photocopier use, [ 131 offke work, [14] air uaflk control, [7] police work [l] and transportation control rooms. [S] However, ethnogtaphy though holding much promise is still relaIively untried in systern design. It has been, and still is, strong on its critique I -u - of other methods, such as Task Analysis, [4J but it has yet to prove it&within ty of sohware engineering, the wider communiparticularly to those embedded within a socially organised in and through of ethnographic domain and accomplished The tradition the day-toenquiry is day activities of participants. well established within sociology. Ethnogcaphy working in Commercial and industrial contexts, his article is a retrospective look at 1 our own experience of using she method and suggests some roles which ethnography contributor I~ About the Authors: is an observational technique that uses a naturalistic perspective. That is, it seeks to http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png interactions Association for Computing Machinery

The role of ethnography in interactive systems design

interactions , Volume 2 (2) – Apr 1, 1995

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Publisher
Association for Computing Machinery
Copyright
Copyright © 1995 by ACM Inc.
ISSN
1072-5520
DOI
10.1145/205350.205358
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Over the last few years, ethnogmphy has been proposed as new approach to œrequirements elicitation  in interactive systems development. The turn to ethnogtaphy is a response to the need for an adequate understanding of the nature of work to underpin the construction of interactive systems. In the context of system design, ethnographic studies have included photocopier use, [ 131 offke work, [14] air uaflk control, [7] police work [l] and transportation control rooms. [S] However, ethnogtaphy though holding much promise is still relaIively untried in systern design. It has been, and still is, strong on its critique I -u - of other methods, such as Task Analysis, [4J but it has yet to prove it&within ty of sohware engineering, the wider communiparticularly to those embedded within a socially organised in and through of ethnographic domain and accomplished The tradition the day-toenquiry is day activities of participants. well established within sociology. Ethnogcaphy working in Commercial and industrial contexts, his article is a retrospective look at 1 our own experience of using she method and suggests some roles which ethnography contributor I~ About the Authors: is an observational technique that uses a naturalistic perspective. That is, it seeks to

Journal

interactionsAssociation for Computing Machinery

Published: Apr 1, 1995

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