Design by Anecdote - The use of ethnography to guide the application of technology to practice

Abstract

Re-thinking work practice is often done through costly, high-profile "re-engineering" processes. We believe an ethnographically based understanding of the work to be done is necessary to keep such re-thinking relevant to the task and offer a case study of changing work practice. The design resulted from a particular anecdote and developed in conjunction with a field study. The intended users were involved after the initial suggestion but well before any decisions were made. The continuing involvement of users and ethnographer kept the design evolving throughout the period of the project.