Reflections on a Work-Oriented Design Project

Abstract

This paper reports our experiences in developing a workoriented design practice. We sketch our general approach to relating work practice studies and design, including our use of case-based prototypes to bridge between the worlds of professional design and the settings in which new technologies will be used. We go on to describe our entry into the work site that was the setting for this project, our encounters with members of the site and with their work, and the development of our design agenda. Along the way we discuss the difficulties of maintaining alignment, the limits of research prototypes. and the politics of representing work practices.