Communities of Practice: A Conceptual Frame for Human-Centred Computing

1 © 2009 Volker Wulf, University of Siegen

Communities of Practice:

A conceptual frame for Human-Centred Computing

Volker Wulf

University of SiegenInternational Institute for Socio-Informatics (IISI), Bonn

Fraunhofer FIT, Sankt Augustin


Content

Theories of Practice Communities and Networks of Practise Research Agenda Innovative Applications for specific practices

» Wearable Computing supporting the Paris fire brigade» Expert Finding inside a German industrial association» Computer Club to integrate a Bonn neighborhood

Practice based design methods» Virtual Prototyping» End User Development» Appropriation Infrastructure

Conclusion


Theories of Practise

Theoretician of Practise» Bourdieu (1977 and 1990) Giddens (1979 and 1984), Garfinkel

(1967) and Latour (1993): Sociological theories focusing on social practises

» Reckwitz (2002 and 2003): Line-out of an idealized theory of social practise

Practise is understood to be a mainly routinized pattern of human action» Consisting of mental and physical aspects» Grounded in background knowledge (know how, forms of

understanding, state of emotion and motivational knowledge)» Importance of artefacts and their use

Examples of practises» Specific manner to work, to cook, or to play soccer


Theories of Practise (2)

Shared practises constitute sociality» Common language use» Common perception of the world» Common identity

Practises are reproduced situatedly within specific contexts

Human cognition and action cannot be understood to be rational or determined by social structures, but» Historical predisposition» Collective framing» Reflexivity


Socio-cultural Theories of Learning

Goal: understanding learning as a situated and collective activity

Learning takes place inside specific social entities: Communities and Networks of Practice» Learning happens when conducting a bundle of related

(work) activities» Learning is demand-driven and identity forming

Similarities and differences in practices identify opportunities for learning» Practices segregate the social world


Communities and Networks of Practice

Community of Practice» Working together, need to coordinate their work practice» Tightly knit together, common identity» Common language use, shared values

Networks of Practice» Practice in common in a broader sense, but do not work

together» Occupational communities, often do not interact directly or

know each other in person» Information passing rather than knowledge creation


A Practise-based Perspective on Social Systems

CoP

NoP

Orgas


A Practice-based Perspective on Social Systems

Practices are differentiated to various extends» Inside vs. outside of a NoP» Inside vs. across organizational boundaries

Differentiated practices evolve over time Appropriation of computer applications, like other

artifacts, challenges practices HCC-Challenge: Design for change within and among

practice-based social entities


Research AgendaIn

nova

tive

arte

fact

sfo

r sp

ecifi

c pr

actic

es Wearable Computing to support Paris fire brigade

Computer Club to integrate Bonn neighborhood

Expert Finding inside German industrial association

End User Deve lop-

ment

Appr. Infra-structures

Virtual Proto- typing


Understanding Work Practices inside the Paris Fire Department

22 Interviews

• Covering different CoPs in the organisation: central control unit, different fire stations, special forces, department of public relations

• Newcomer upto the deputy general• 23 hours of recording

Immersive practical experience (5x24h)

About 200 photos and 10 videos

Problem: lacking situated information


Wearable Technologies: Visions to support Fire Fighters

Helmet-integrated dedicated sensors

Head-Up Display(LCD or see-through technology)

Optimised Speech Acquisition(throat or bone microphones,…)

Emergency Signalling

Arm-mounted Display

Glove-integrated Sensors(accelerometers for MMI,…)

Sensors for toxic substances identification


An industrial association and its member companies: an organizational view


An industrial association and its member companies: a CoP perspective


Expert Finding: Identifying Expertise and supporting Networks of Practice

Goal: Making common practice visible across organizational boundaries

Similarity among individuals‘ documents as an approximation for shared practices» Documents selected from yellow pages and users‘ personal

folders» Text analysis with different methods

Evaluation» Installation: one section, central units, and one member company» High interest in presenting themselves» Helpful to find expertise inside the association» Helpful to distribute information towards members» Organizational boundaries need to be considered


Expert Finder: Recommended Experts


Bonner Altstadt: An Ethnic Perspective

German origin

Turkish origin

Different other origins


Come_In: Computer Club House

Goal: Impact identity by establishing common practice» Across the ethnical communities » Across generations (parents and children)

Practice: Multimedia projects in a computer club house» Projects: “family history”, “soccer teams”, “houses and

places” Shared Practice leads to

» Club house is operating since three years» Increase in social interaction among families participating in

the club» Negotiation of meaning across communities (full of conflicts)


Some Impressions


Research AgendaIn

nova

tive

arte

fact

sfo

r sp

ecifi

c pr

actic

es Wearable Computing to support Paris fire brigade

Computer Club to integrate Bonn neighborhood

Expert Finding inside German industrial association

End User Deve lop-

ment

Appr. Infra-structures

Virtual Proto- typing


IT Design Challenges

Meeting the specific needs of a particular CoP» Understanding existing practice» Anticipating future practice» Defining the role of IT» Supporting appropriation processes

Designing for appropriability across different CoPs, NoPs, or organizations» Understanding the diversity of existing practices» Anticipating a diversity of future practices» Defining the role of IT and allowing for flexibility

– Different modes to appropriate the same artefact

– Technical flexibility designed into the artefact

» Supporting appropriation processes across CoP boundaries


Wearables: Innovative Techniques of Prototyping

Paper: low efforts

VR: interaktivity

and fun

Living Lab: maximal validity

• Bridging the gap between the CoPs of Designers and Users


IT Design Challenges

Meeting the specific needs of a particular CoP» Understanding existing practice» Anticipating future practice» Defining the role of IT» Supporting appropriation processes

Designing for appropriability across different CoPs, NoPs, or organizations» Understanding the diversity of existing practices» Anticipating a diversity of future practices» Defining the role of IT and allowing for flexibility

– Different modes to appropriate the same artefact

– Technical flexibility designed into the artefact

» Supporting appropriation processes across CoP boundaries


End User Development

Challenge: Flexibility of Software Applications in Use

Interface» Direct Activation» Construction Metaphor

Architecture» Decomposition» Components and

Services

Collaboration» Shared Repositories» Recommender Systems


Appropriation Infrastructures

» Among users: create a network of practice around an application

– Help text wiki

» Between users and software developers: bridge between the CoPs of designers and CoPs/NoPs of users

– Requirements tracking system

Challenge: Integrate Communication Channels into the software artefact


Conclusion

Practice-orientation is an interesting framework (vs. purely prescriptive design (methods))» Application design» Development of methods

Core task in social computing» Changing existing practices» Bridging among different practices

Practice-orientation requires long-term (action) research perspective» Trustful cooperation with fields of application» Reliable technical artefacts» Facilitation of socio-technical processes

Practice-orientation is a risky research framework


Conclusion (2)

Related work (STS, ethnography, participatory design)» Long-term perspective, design-orientation, focus on

knowledge and identity

Theoretical Challenges» Boundaries of practices need to be understood and

negotiated» Design implications are sometimes vague (e.g. boundary

object)» Problems with „abstraction“ and „generalization“ of findings

Quality of design is evaluated in social practice


Many thanks to my colleagues at the University of Siegen and

Fraunhofer FIT

Markus Klann Bernhard Nett Volkmar Pipek Tim Reichling Markus Rohde Kai Schubert Gunnar Stevens Anne Weibert

Matthias Betz Alexander Boden Christian Dörner Sebastian Draxler Tobias Dyrks Jan Heß Dorothea Kugelmeier Claudia Müller