Activity-Centered Design: An Ecological Approach to Designing Smart Tools and Usable Systems (Acting with Technology)

An examination of the shift to context-based human-computer interaction design practice, illuminated by the concepts of Activity Theory and related methods.
The shift in the practice of human-computer interaction (HCI) Design from user-centered to context-based design marks a significant change in focus. With context-based design, designers start not with a preconceived idea of what users should do, but with an understanding of what users actually do. Context-based design focuses on the situation in which the technology will be used―the activities relating to it and their social contexts. Designers must also realize that introduction of the technology itself changes the situation; in order to design workable systems, the design process must become flexible and adaptive. In Activity-Centered Design, Geri Gay and Helene Hembrooke argue that it is time to develop new models for HCI design that support not only research and development but also investigations into the context and motivation of user behavior.Gay and Hembrooke examine the ongoing interaction of computer systems use, design practice, and design evaluation, using the concepts of activity theory and related methods as a theoretical framework. Among the topics they discuss are the reciprocal relationship between the tool and the task, how activities shape the requirements of particular tools and how the application of the tools begins to reshape the activity; differing needs and expectations of participants when new technology is introduced, examining in particular the integration of wireless handheld devices into museums and learning environments; and the effect of the layout of the computing space on movement, function, and social interaction. Gay and Hembrooke then apply their findings on the use of technology in everyday contexts to inform future HCI design practice.

Activity-Centered Design: An Ecological Approach to Designing Smart Tools and Usable Systems (Acting With Technology)

Computers & Technology

Hembrooke, Helene

Gay, Geri

Computer Science

Mit Pr

The shift in the practice of human-computer interaction (HCI) Design from user-centered to context-based design marks a significant change in focus. With context-based design, designers start not with a preconceived idea of what users should do, but with an understanding of what users actually do. Context-based design focuses on the situation in which the technology will be used -- the activities relating to it and their social contexts. Designers must also realize that introduction of the technology itself changes the situation; in order to design workable systems, the design process must become flexible and adaptive. In Activity-Centered Design, Geri Gay and Helene Hembrooke argue that it is time to develop new models for HCI design that support not only research and development but also investigations into the context and motivation of user behavior.Gay and Hembrooke examine the ongoing interaction of computer systems use, design practice, and design evaluation, using the concepts of activity theory and related methods as a theoretical framework. Among the topics they discuss are the reciprocal relationship between the tool and the task, how activities shape the requirements of particular tools and how the application of the tools begins to reshape the activity; differing needs and expectations of participants when new technology is introduced, examining in particular the integration of wireless handheld devices into museums and learning environments; and the effect of the layout of the computing space on movement, function, and social interaction. Gay and Hembrooke then apply their findings on the use of technology in everyday contexts to inform future HCI design practice.

Gay, Geraldine

The MIT Press

Psychologists have been increasingly called on to testify in child abuse cases. The rough-and-tumble world of courtroom machinations, however, has left many wondering how they can protect themselves and their science from manipulation and misuse by the court system. In this book, eminent lawyers, psychologists, and social workers discuss the thornier aspects of testimony and provide recommendations on the proper role of the expert witness. In each chapter, one or more current problem areas associated with expert testimony in cases of child abuse are described. The first of the book's four sections is an overview, comparing the uses of expert testimony both here and abroad as well as the ethical standards to which psychologists serving as experts should adhere. The second section explores the actual experience of providing expert testimony, from a personal glimpse into an author's experience to professional dos and don'ts. The kinds of evidence most often offered in cases of suspected child abuse, the admissibility of such evidence, and the effects of this information on juror decisions are covered in the third section,. In the fourth section, commentaries synthesize the conclusions of these chapters and help to move the field toward a consensus of what constitutes ethical testimony.

Expert Witnesses in Child Abuse Cases: What Can and Should Be Said in Court

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Ceci, Stephen J.

Psychology & Counseling

Amer Psychological Assn

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