Patterns of cooperative interaction: Linking ethnomethodology and design

Reviewer: Constantin S Chassapis

Patterns of cooperative interaction catalytically bridge the apparent disparities between the key dimensions of this fine paper, namely, ethnomethodology and design. As the authors write, “patterns of cooperative interaction [...] address the question of how we generalize from ethnographic studies to provide guidance for system designers and other users.” These patterns “were discovered through studying the fieldwork corpus, and looking for examples of phenomena that were similar across at least two different studies.” The paper presents the detected patterns, and, quite fairly, invites us to evaluate and revise them. As the authors note, however, adding new patterns is more difficult than producing specific instantiations of them derived from selected studies. This difficulty arises because there is a “tension between detail and abstraction inherent in the patterns,” and, since “there is no ’correct’ level of abstraction,” there is always a degree of arbitrariness in an existing or would-be pattern. The patterns collection, thus, seems somewhat arbitrary. The paper contains an excellent, detailed, and pedagogical introduction that clearly positions it within its environment. The authors have created a Web site, closely related to the paper, with inspiring and interactional material (Wiki pages). Two semi-autonomous discussions at the end contain many ideas, and are as brilliant as the whole paper. This paper can be used both as an analytical tool by a requirements engineer, and as a study guide by a newcomer to either the field of systems design or the field of ethnography of technology. Online Computing Reviews Service

Reviewer: Paola Forcheri

This paper focuses on the need to understand the details of socio-organizational settings, as a basis for human-computer interaction investigations and design. In particular, it addresses the question of how to generalize from ethnographic studies, to provide guidance to system designers. At first, the paper discusses the aspects of any given context that underlie an ethnomethodological study of work and technology. On this basis, ten patterns of cooperative interaction are illustrated, derived from findings of workplace studies. The discussion of each pattern includes a summary page, and a number of so-called vignettes, that is, specific instantiations. Each vignette, in turn, includes a textual description of a socio-technical configuration of people and artifacts, in a specific setting, and a description of the social practice by which work is achieved in that configuration. The paper presents a full description of the patterns, and of the resulting collection. Scenarios for the use of the work are then provided, first, as resource for understanding some of the design issues deriving from ethnomethodological studies, and, second, as devices for describing findings by additions to the collection. In particular, the paper discusses, in depth, a potential use of the pattern "working with interruptions" by engineers and designers. The paper is of a social nature. It is of considerable interest for researchers in human-computer interaction (HCI), and for engineers and designers who have to design systems. The presentation is clear, well written, and organized. The illustration of the proposed patterns, to provide social and ethnography guidance, is very useful, and gives valuable indications about how this kind of research can support design. Online Computing Reviews Service