The practical indispensability of articulation work to immediate and remote help-giving

This paper argues that the design of remote help-giving systems should be grounded in articulation work and the methodical ways in which help-givers and help-seekers coordinate their problem solving activities. We provide examples from ethnographic studies of both immediate and remote help-giving to explicate the what we mean by articulation work and to tease out common and characteristic methods involved in help-seeking and the giving of expert advice. We then outline how emerging technologies might best be used to support articulation work in the design and development of systems support for remote troubleshooting of devices with embedded computing capabilities. Categories and Subject Descriptors H.5.3 [Information Systems] Group and Organization Interfaces – collaborative computing. General Terms Design, Human Factors. Keywords Immediate and remote help-giving, ethnography, articulation work, methods.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2006
• Where: CSCW
• Authors: Andy Crabtree, Jacki O'Neill, Peter Tolmie, Stefania Castellani, Tommaso Colombino, Antonietta Grasso
• Keywords: Articulation Work, CSCW 2006, Problem Solving Activities, Remote Help-giving Systems, Social Sciences