The fundamental challenge for human-computer interaction (HCI) is to invent and design a culture in which humans can express themselves and engage in personally meaningful activities. Cultures are substantially defined by their media and tools for thinking, working, learning, and collaborating. New media change (1) the structure and contents of our interests, (2) the nature of our cognitive and physical tools, and (3) the social environment in which thoughts originate and evolve, and mindsets develop. Unfortunately, a large number of new media are designed from a perspective of seeing and treating humans primarily as consumers. The possibility for humans to be and to act as designers (in cases in which they desire to do so) should be accessible not only to a small group of high-tech scribes, but rather to all interested individuals and groups. 1. Introduction Cultures are substantially defined by their media and their tools for thinking, working, learning, and collaborating. A large...

We live in a world characterized by evolution -- that is, by ongoing processes of development, formation, and growth in both natural and human-created systems. Biology tells us that complex, natural systems are not created all at once but must instead evolve over time. We are becoming increasingly aware that evolutionary processes are ubiquitous and critical for technological innovations as well. This is particularly true for complex software systems because these systems do not necessarily exist in a technological context alone but instead are embedded within dynamic human organizations. The Center for LifeLong Learning and Design (L 3 D) at the University of Colorado has been involved in research on software design and other design domains for more than a decade. We understand software design as an evolutionary process in which system requirements and functionality are determined through an iterative process of collaboration among multiple stakeholders, rather than being completel...

One fundamental challenge for the design of the interactive systems of the future is to invent and design environments and cultures in which humans can express themselves and engage in personally meaningful activities. Unfortunately, a large number of new media are designed from a perspective of viewing and treating humans primarily as consumers. The possibility for humans to be and act as designers (in cases in which they desire to do so) should be accessible not only to a small group of “high-tech scribes, ” but rather to all interested individuals and groups. Meta-design characterizes activities, processes, and objectives to create new media and environments that allow users to act as designers and be creative. In this paper we discuss problems addressed by our research on meta-design, provide a conceptual framework for metadesign, and illustrate our developments in the context of a particular system, the Envisionment and Discovery Collaboratory.

The field of knowledge-based software engineering has been undergoing a shift in emphasis from automatic programming to human augmentation. We support this shift with an approach that embeds human-computer cooperative problem-solving tools into knowledge-based design environments that work in conjunction with human software designers in specific application domains. Domain orientation reduces the large conceptual distance between problem-domain semantics and software artifacts. Integrated environments support the coevolution of specification and construction while allowing designers to access relevant knowledge at each stage of a software development process. The access and development of knowledge is supported in a cycle of location, comprehension, and modification. Modification includes the evolution of the knowledge base and tools. A framework for building such tools and mechanisms is described and illustrated in terms of three systems: CATALOGEXPLORER, EXPLAINER, and MODIFIER. User...

This paper suggests an improvement of the theoretical foundation of information systems research of the 1990s. This foundation is found in human activity theory. The paper deals with how human activity theory can help systems design change, theoretically and practically. Applying activity theory to systems design, certain cornerstones become apparent, on which future systems design practice and research need to build. The paper will discuss these cornerstones, and the implications of the new understanding for design practice and research. INTRODUCTION This paper takes a look at the present state of systems design practice and research. It argues that present systems design is really in a conflict situation for a number of reasons including that . the material that is worked with (computers) become more and more flexible, and that the tools and techniques used in systems design today are insufficient for that kind of material and for the challenges posed by ready-made software, . and, t...

This study found that the use of a computer conferencing system in an R&D lab was significantly shaped by a set of intervening actors--mediators--who actively guided and manipulated the technology and its use over time. These mediators adapted the technology to its initial context and shaped user interaction with it; over time, they continued to modify the technology and influence use patterns to respond to changing circumstances. We argue that well-managed mediation may be a useful mechanism for shaping technologies to evolving contexts of use, and that it extends our understanding of the powerful role that intervenors can play in helping CSCW applications succeed.

Abstact--This paper focuses on the processes producing the standards which make up the technical back-bone of an information infrastructure. These standards are neither ready-made nor neutral. They are currently being developed, and they 'inscribe ' behaviour in complex and non-transparent ways. We explore how this takes place, identifying by whom, where and how inscriptions are made. Our principal aim is to uncover the socio-technical complexity of establishing an information infrastructure, a complexity which so far has been severely underestimated by those involved. By studying the process of aligning and linking one inscription to other inscriptions, we also hope to learn more about the strength of inscriptions, that is, the degree to which an inscription actually succeeds in enforcing a desired behaviour. The empirical basis of our analysis is a case-study of standardization processes of health information

Building truly "context-aware" environments presents a greater challenge than using data transmitted by ubiquitous computing devices: it requires shared understanding between humans and their computational environments. This essay articulates some specific problems that can be addressed by representing context. It explores the unique possibilities of design environments that model and represent domains, tasks, design guidelines, solutions and their rationale, and the larger context of such environments embedded in the physical world. Context in design is not a fixed entity sensed by devices, but it is emerging and it is unbounded. Context-aware environments must address these challenges to be more supportive to all stakeholders who design and evolve complex design artifacts. Gerhard Fischer 2 HCI Journal "Context-Aware Computing" Contents Articulating the Task at Hand and Making Information Relevant to It ____________ 1

Self-directed learning is a continuous engagement in acquiring, applying and creating knowledge and skills in the context of an individual learner’s unique problems. Effectively supporting self-directed learning is one of the critical challenges in supporting lifelong learning. Self-directed learning creates new challenging requirements for learning technologies. Domainoriented design environments address these challenges by allowing learners to engage in their own problems, by providing contextualized support, and by exploiting breakdowns as opportunities for learning. Economies of educational knowledge constitute an emerging concept in which communities contribute toward the creation of information repositories, which can be reused and evolved by all members of the community for the creation of new environments. We argue and demonstrate that domain-oriented design environments can serve as models for these economies, that a software reuse perspective provides us with insights into the challenges these developments face, and that the creation and evolution of these economies are best understood as problems in self-directed learning. Keywords: Self-directed learning; lifelong learning; domain-oriented design environments; economy of educational knowledge; reuse; seeding, evolutionary growth, reseeding Demonstrations: A demonstration of the WebNet system described in this article can be found at

Complex design problems require more knowledge than any single person can possess, and the knowledge relevant to a problem is often distributed among all stakeholders who have different perspectives and background knowledge, thus providing the foundation for social creativity. Bringing together different points of view and trying to create a shared understanding among all stakeholders can lead to new insights, new ideas, and new artifacts. Social creativity can be supported by innovative computer systems that allow all stakeholders to contribute to framing and solving these problems collaboratively. Technology alone, however, is not the complete answer to social creativity. Social capital that characterizes the features of a social group—such as networks, norms, and trust, which all facilitate coordination and cooperation for mutual benefit—is of critical importance to foster social creativity. In this paper, we discuss (1) the roles that social capital plays in facilitating social creativity and (2) approaches to increase social capital. We start by analyzing existing success models (Open Source and Experts Exchange) that support collaborative knowledge construction in order to create a conceptual framework to understand the social-technical aspects of promoting social capital. We further illustrate this conceptual framework with our own efforts in creating social capital-sensitive computer systems (e.g., Evolutionary Reuse Repositories, Envisionment and Discovery Collaboratory, and Courses-as-Seeds) that