The topic covered in these last two classes was Situated Actions. In contrast to some of the other topics we have covered in the course, this is not really a theory or framework but more a highlighting of the importance of the specifics of a context to the interactions that happen there. An important concept that kind of sums this up is that actions are ‘situated’.
Practical Task
In groups, your task for this week is to analyze in detail an interaction between a person and a computer interface. Use Suchman’s framework to map out the actions and resources that are:
- Actions of the users.
- Not available to the machine.
- Available to the machine.
- Effects of the machine that are available to the user.
- What the design rational for these might be.
Points to look for in the exercise:
- What resources in the context other than the output of the machine do people use to help them accomplish their actions?
- Do plans play a role in the interaction? What kind?
For next week’s discussion, prepare a presentation of your findings.
Slides
Week 9 lecture slides are available.
Readings
- Chapter 6 ‘Situated Actions’ in Suchman, L.A., 1987. Plans and situated actions : the problem of human-machine communication, Cambridge ; New York: Cambridge University Press.