We know who they are and what they do, but how do we help them? What does our research in IT information behavior mean? How do we take what we’ve learned and apply it to designing information systems specifically tailored to IT professionals needs?

Information Need: What do IT Professionals Need? Varies by occupation Must be up-to-date Must be accurate Due to the wide variety of IT professionals, there will probably never be a one-stop shopping place for information that will suit all of them. The needs of a computer technician may not match with those of a programmer, whose needs may not match with those of a website designer. However, our research suggests some needs they do have in common. The main thing: sources must be current. Information in the technology world turns over at an incredible rate. What’s current today may be out of date tomorrow, so IT professionals need to know the latest in their field. Any information system tailored to their needs would need to be continually updated so as to stay current, such frequently updated websites or wikis. Another commonality is the importance of accuracy. As Erica mentioned in the fieldwork section, the information IT professionals use often needs to exactly fit the situation they’re working with. Even small errors can get in the way of what they’re doing. While designing information systems for them, we need to make sure that the information is accurate and clearly labeled to let the IT folks know exactly what it is they’re getting.

Information Seeking: How IT Professionals Look for Info Principle of Least Effort Internal Sources IT professionals are often short on time, so they employ Zipf’s Principle of Least Effort a lot. They want quality information, but they don’t always have a lot of time to look for it, so we need to devise systems that are authoritative, yet easily accessible. Some of the literature we read says that software engineers tend to use internal sources before external ones, and they’re more likely to use their own information and their colleagues before using the library or internal sources, so this type of case, something like an internal wiki might work. However, another article we read said that some IT folks don’t like spending much time recording their knowledge because some processes are complicated and can take a long time to write out, and if the procedure changes soon, it’s not worth the effort, in which case a wiki might not be helpful.

Information Seeking Continued Library Non-Use Importance of People From the research we gathered, it doesn’t appear that IT professionals make much use of the library. We need to remember that they may not come to us, so we need to make an effort to reach out to them. Also, one article we read said that software maintainers often wish they had better access to the people who were involved in developing the systems they’re trying to maintain, and much of the literature mentions the importance of social sources in IT information behavior, so when devising information systems for IT professionals, it could be helpful to find a way to integrate human sources into that system.

Other IT Information Behaviors Information Evaluation Information Monitoring According to one article we read, in IT, familiarity with a source or with someone who recommends a source builds an individual’s trust in that source, which builds the likelihood of that source’s use. The familiarity principle seems to change an individual’s perception of the quality of the source. Something you could discuss on the website is: How do we get IT professionals to become familiar with a source and trust it enough to use it? Is such influencing ethical? In regards to information monitoring, IT professionals do it A LOT. They have to in order to keep up with the latest technology. Is there a way we can help them with this? One idea is to compile aggregations of the best RSS feeds on IT-related topics. Does anyone have any other ideas?

Discussion If IT professionals are going to rely on colleagues before written information, should we even try to make an information system for them? Is it possible to integrate people into an information system? If so, how? Share your thoughts on the website. If IT professionals are going to rely on colleagues before written information, should we even try to make an information system for them? Is it possible to integrate people into an information system? If so, how?

Final Thoughts on Design Implications IT Information System Ideas We came up with a few ideas for information systems that IT professionals might find helpful. Is there a way to create some sort of integrated resource that combines the communication possibilities of e-mail and IM with a wiki or some other easily accessible resource, plus RSS feeds of the latest tech info? Perhaps something like Google Wave combined with IT databases? Or, what about something like an iPhone set up with apps for instant messaging, connections to appropriate databases, and access to RSS feeds and other things? Something like that could go with the IT professional wherever he or she needs it. Do any of you have ideas for what might work? Post them on the website.

Collaboration & open-source What does IT professionals’ info sharing mean for an open- source culture? Will the continuing battle over intellectual property in other venues (publishing, music) affect how IT professionals communicate and collaborate with one another?

Continuing Trends of Behavior What happens when the search is over? Observation Surveillance Commentary When our group created our information behavior model, one of the things that we agreed to be very important was the circular nature of information in the IT world. The information search process doesn't necessarily end when the searcher reaches the point of Project Complete. A part of this that arose during our fieldwork was that IT workers keep a ready eye on projects they've already completed, and continue to observe them for a short or extended period of time, depending on the nature of the project. This behavior allows them to be abreast of any changes or disruptions, to prepare for and accommodate for changes in the general information world and most  importantly, gives them a platform to predict future information behaviors. As we mentioned in our model, IT workers are active participants in the structure of their IB; what they learn in the process of searching is added to the ever-growing and ever-changing face of technology. Comments made via email, departmental wiki, or internet forums, for example, become part of the cycle where they can be searched for, monitored and evaluated again, and again, and again.

Email Communication “…it can be revisited and more accessible”. “…schedule conflicts and time prevent us from meeting in person”. “…can copy and paste codes”.

And that’s the end of our presentation on the information behavior of IT professionals. If you have any questions or comments, please post them on the website. Thanks for watching! 11