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Papers by Cristina Chisalita

Cognition, Technology & Work, May 25, 2013

In this paper, we analyze how differences between groups of end-users of the same technology (dis... more In this paper, we analyze how differences between groups of end-users of the same technology (distributed within and across organizations) are reflected in specific breakdowns in the use of technology as well as in the interaction between these groups. In order to reach this goal, we consider as unit of analysis the occupational groups that are approached as reflecting a particular occupational culture. In addition, we analyze the effect of local subcultures on occupational groups. The two main aspects of culture on which we focused the study are language and values. Using this perspective, we carried out two case studies in two large organizations. The conclusions of this research show that the concept of occupational groups (with related occupational subcultures) is indeed a useful approach to explain differences in groups of end-users and the related breakdowns in use of technology and interaction among groups. The results of the study can inform design decisions and support action for improvements of interaction processes among groups of end-users of the same technology.

Proceedings of Ambient Computing in a Critical, …, 2005

... 'Meanings of Things': Affordance as a Resource for Rich-Interaction Dhaval ... more ... 'Meanings of Things': Affordance as a Resource for Rich-Interaction Dhaval Vyas Department of Computer Science Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands +31 205 987788 dvyas@few.vu.nl Cristina ...

The concept of affordance has different interpretations in the field of Human-Computer Interactio... more The concept of affordance has different interpretations in the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). However, its treatment has been merely as a one-to-one relationship between a user and a technology. We believe that a broader view of affordances is needed which encompasses social and cultural aspects of our everyday life. We propose an interaction-centered view of affordance that can be useful for developing better understandings of designed artefacts. An interactioncentered view of affordance suggests that affordance is an interpretative relationship between users and the technology that emerges during the users ’ interaction with the technology in the lived environments. We distinguish two broad classes of affordances: affordance in Information and affordance in Articulation. Affordance in information refers to users’ understanding of a technology based on their semantic and syntactic interpretation; and affordance in articulation refers to users ’ interpretations about the...

Abstract. Affordance is an important concept in HCI. There are various interpretations of afforda... more Abstract. Affordance is an important concept in HCI. There are various interpretations of affordances but it has been difficult to use this concept for design purposes. Often the treatment of affordances in the current HCI literature has been as a one-to-one relationship between a user and an artefact. According to our views, affordance is a dynamic, always emerging relationship between a human and his environment. We believe that the social and cultural contexts within which an artefact is situated affect the way in which the artefact is used. Using a Structuration Theory approach, we argue that affordances need also be treated at a much broader level, encompassing social and cultural aspects. We suggest that affordances should be seen at three levels: single user, organizational (or work group) and societal. Focusing on the organizational level affordances, we provide details of several important factors that affect the emergence of affordances.

In this paper we explore the contributions of Structuration Theory to the understanding of how te... more In this paper we explore the contributions of Structuration Theory to the understanding of how technology is used in organizations. Based on literature analysis we decide to take a practice-oriented approach. In contrast with previous research we focus not on the behavioral aspect but on the interpretive aspect (emergences of meanings) of technology use in context. Moreover, we are interested in exploring the relationship between a practice-oriented approach to technology use and organizational discourse. Our findings bring contributions to several concepts related to ST by extending them: relevant groups, interpretive flexibility of technology and power. External environment emerges as an important aspect which influence the way technology is used in organization. We propose a combination between ST and institutional theories in order to account for this influence. Our findings have also relevance for organizational discourse field in at least two aspects: managers’ discourse in re...

C. Pribeanu, J. Vanderdonckt (Eds.), Task Models and Diagrams for User Interface Design, Proceedi... more C. Pribeanu, J. Vanderdonckt (Eds.), Task Models and Diagrams for User Interface Design, Proceedings of 1st International Workshop on Task models and Diagrams for user interface design Tamodia'2002 (Bucharest, 18-19 July 2002), Academy of Economic Studies of Bucharest, Economic Informatics Department, INFOREC Publishing House, Bucharest, 2002. 178 p. ISBN 973-8360-01-3 ... Analysis of Web Browsing Behavior œ A great potential for ... Ion Juvina Institute of Information and Computing Sciences, Utrecht University Padualaan, 14, 3584CH ...

Interacting with Computers, 2016

Where a licence is displayed above, please note the terms and conditions of the licence govern yo... more Where a licence is displayed above, please note the terms and conditions of the licence govern your use of this document. When citing, please reference the published version. Take down policy While the University of Birmingham exercises care and attention in making items available there are rare occasions when an item has been uploaded in error or has been deemed to be commercially or otherwise sensitive.

This paper examines the nature of events within task analysis. It draws on three roots: Groupware... more This paper examines the nature of events within task analysis. It draws on three roots: Groupware Task Analysis, Trigger Analysis and Status-Event Analysis. Each of these considers events and the way these enable or initiate activities, but they have subtly different understandings of these. Analysing both these distinctions and also the common features between them has lead to a deeper theoretical understanding of the ontological nature of events (and their relationship to activities/tasks), the attributes of these events (e.g. whether they originate internal/external to the task context), and the relationship between the events and tasks (e.g. different kinds of enablement/triggering).

We see the production process of a computer system as a cultural artifact manufactured both at th... more We see the production process of a computer system as a cultural artifact manufactured both at the organizational and the team level. We suggest that the values of the organizational culture are manifested in the team but also vice versa, that team subculture may (re)direct organizational values. The clashes between such top-down and bottom-up mechanisms can lead to organizational culture change as illustrated by a case study in a large high-tech organization, using a range of methods (ethnography, interview analysis, document analysis, etc.). The results support the proposed model but also indicate new additions regarding preconditions and external events.

Proceedings of the 13th Eurpoean conference on Cognitive ergonomics trust and control in complex socio-technical systems - ECCE '06, 2006

The concept of affordance has different interpretations in the field of Human-Computer Interactio... more The concept of affordance has different interpretations in the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). However, its treatment has been merely as a one-to-one relationship between a user and a technology. We believe that a broader view of affordances is needed which encompasses social and cultural aspects of our everyday life. We propose an interaction-centered view of affordance that can be useful for developing better understandings of designed artefacts. An interactioncentered view of affordance suggests that affordance is an interpretative relationship between users and the technology that emerges during the users' interaction with the technology in the lived environments. We distinguish two broad classes of affordances: affordance in Information and affordance in Articulation. Affordance in information refers to users' understanding of a technology based on their semantic and syntactic interpretation; and affordance in articulation refers to users' interpretations about the use of the technology. We also argue that the notion of affordance should be treated at two levels: at the 'artefact level' and at the 'practice level'. Consequently, we provide two examples to demonstrate our arguments.

Methodologies for Competitive Advantage, 2011

Proceedings of Ambient Computing in a Critical, …, Jan 1, 2005

Cognition, Technology & Work, May 25, 2013

In this paper, we analyze how differences between groups of end-users of the same technology (dis... more In this paper, we analyze how differences between groups of end-users of the same technology (distributed within and across organizations) are reflected in specific breakdowns in the use of technology as well as in the interaction between these groups. In order to reach this goal, we consider as unit of analysis the occupational groups that are approached as reflecting a particular occupational culture. In addition, we analyze the effect of local subcultures on occupational groups. The two main aspects of culture on which we focused the study are language and values. Using this perspective, we carried out two case studies in two large organizations. The conclusions of this research show that the concept of occupational groups (with related occupational subcultures) is indeed a useful approach to explain differences in groups of end-users and the related breakdowns in use of technology and interaction among groups. The results of the study can inform design decisions and support action for improvements of interaction processes among groups of end-users of the same technology.

Proceedings of Ambient Computing in a Critical, …, 2005

... 'Meanings of Things': Affordance as a Resource for Rich-Interaction Dhaval ... more ... 'Meanings of Things': Affordance as a Resource for Rich-Interaction Dhaval Vyas Department of Computer Science Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands +31 205 987788 dvyas@few.vu.nl Cristina ...

The concept of affordance has different interpretations in the field of Human-Computer Interactio... more The concept of affordance has different interpretations in the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). However, its treatment has been merely as a one-to-one relationship between a user and a technology. We believe that a broader view of affordances is needed which encompasses social and cultural aspects of our everyday life. We propose an interaction-centered view of affordance that can be useful for developing better understandings of designed artefacts. An interactioncentered view of affordance suggests that affordance is an interpretative relationship between users and the technology that emerges during the users ’ interaction with the technology in the lived environments. We distinguish two broad classes of affordances: affordance in Information and affordance in Articulation. Affordance in information refers to users’ understanding of a technology based on their semantic and syntactic interpretation; and affordance in articulation refers to users ’ interpretations about the...

Abstract. Affordance is an important concept in HCI. There are various interpretations of afforda... more Abstract. Affordance is an important concept in HCI. There are various interpretations of affordances but it has been difficult to use this concept for design purposes. Often the treatment of affordances in the current HCI literature has been as a one-to-one relationship between a user and an artefact. According to our views, affordance is a dynamic, always emerging relationship between a human and his environment. We believe that the social and cultural contexts within which an artefact is situated affect the way in which the artefact is used. Using a Structuration Theory approach, we argue that affordances need also be treated at a much broader level, encompassing social and cultural aspects. We suggest that affordances should be seen at three levels: single user, organizational (or work group) and societal. Focusing on the organizational level affordances, we provide details of several important factors that affect the emergence of affordances.

In this paper we explore the contributions of Structuration Theory to the understanding of how te... more In this paper we explore the contributions of Structuration Theory to the understanding of how technology is used in organizations. Based on literature analysis we decide to take a practice-oriented approach. In contrast with previous research we focus not on the behavioral aspect but on the interpretive aspect (emergences of meanings) of technology use in context. Moreover, we are interested in exploring the relationship between a practice-oriented approach to technology use and organizational discourse. Our findings bring contributions to several concepts related to ST by extending them: relevant groups, interpretive flexibility of technology and power. External environment emerges as an important aspect which influence the way technology is used in organization. We propose a combination between ST and institutional theories in order to account for this influence. Our findings have also relevance for organizational discourse field in at least two aspects: managers’ discourse in re...

C. Pribeanu, J. Vanderdonckt (Eds.), Task Models and Diagrams for User Interface Design, Proceedi... more C. Pribeanu, J. Vanderdonckt (Eds.), Task Models and Diagrams for User Interface Design, Proceedings of 1st International Workshop on Task models and Diagrams for user interface design Tamodia'2002 (Bucharest, 18-19 July 2002), Academy of Economic Studies of Bucharest, Economic Informatics Department, INFOREC Publishing House, Bucharest, 2002. 178 p. ISBN 973-8360-01-3 ... Analysis of Web Browsing Behavior œ A great potential for ... Ion Juvina Institute of Information and Computing Sciences, Utrecht University Padualaan, 14, 3584CH ...

Interacting with Computers, 2016

Where a licence is displayed above, please note the terms and conditions of the licence govern yo... more Where a licence is displayed above, please note the terms and conditions of the licence govern your use of this document. When citing, please reference the published version. Take down policy While the University of Birmingham exercises care and attention in making items available there are rare occasions when an item has been uploaded in error or has been deemed to be commercially or otherwise sensitive.

This paper examines the nature of events within task analysis. It draws on three roots: Groupware... more This paper examines the nature of events within task analysis. It draws on three roots: Groupware Task Analysis, Trigger Analysis and Status-Event Analysis. Each of these considers events and the way these enable or initiate activities, but they have subtly different understandings of these. Analysing both these distinctions and also the common features between them has lead to a deeper theoretical understanding of the ontological nature of events (and their relationship to activities/tasks), the attributes of these events (e.g. whether they originate internal/external to the task context), and the relationship between the events and tasks (e.g. different kinds of enablement/triggering).

We see the production process of a computer system as a cultural artifact manufactured both at th... more We see the production process of a computer system as a cultural artifact manufactured both at the organizational and the team level. We suggest that the values of the organizational culture are manifested in the team but also vice versa, that team subculture may (re)direct organizational values. The clashes between such top-down and bottom-up mechanisms can lead to organizational culture change as illustrated by a case study in a large high-tech organization, using a range of methods (ethnography, interview analysis, document analysis, etc.). The results support the proposed model but also indicate new additions regarding preconditions and external events.

Proceedings of the 13th Eurpoean conference on Cognitive ergonomics trust and control in complex socio-technical systems - ECCE '06, 2006

The concept of affordance has different interpretations in the field of Human-Computer Interactio... more The concept of affordance has different interpretations in the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). However, its treatment has been merely as a one-to-one relationship between a user and a technology. We believe that a broader view of affordances is needed which encompasses social and cultural aspects of our everyday life. We propose an interaction-centered view of affordance that can be useful for developing better understandings of designed artefacts. An interactioncentered view of affordance suggests that affordance is an interpretative relationship between users and the technology that emerges during the users' interaction with the technology in the lived environments. We distinguish two broad classes of affordances: affordance in Information and affordance in Articulation. Affordance in information refers to users' understanding of a technology based on their semantic and syntactic interpretation; and affordance in articulation refers to users' interpretations about the use of the technology. We also argue that the notion of affordance should be treated at two levels: at the 'artefact level' and at the 'practice level'. Consequently, we provide two examples to demonstrate our arguments.

Methodologies for Competitive Advantage, 2011

Proceedings of Ambient Computing in a Critical, …, Jan 1, 2005