Changing boundaries of design and use

Human-Computer Interaction concerns both humans and computers and involves a number of different disciplines and interdisciplinary areas. In this talk I discuss how recent technological and socio-cultural developments challenge the established categories of design and use of IT. I suggest seeing use as work, included in the work knowledge and constituting the conditions for the work. Drawing on traditional design disciplines design of IT can be conceptualized as a combination of ideas and materials, where the particular qualities of IT as a design material influence both the design process as well as the design result. In the talk I discuss these conceptualizations and how they can help us discuss how the changing relations between design and use of IT. I draw on both old and new research projects to illustrate how the concepts can be applied.