CCT 333: Imagining the Audience in a Wired World Class 9: Complexity, Activity Theory and Final Test Review

Complexity and Interaction What technologies may get more complex to use when more people are involved?

Internal/External/Shared Internal representations - individual mental models of reality External representations - anything outside individual that guides activity (e.g., layout, notes, diagrams, etc.) Shared representations - individuals come together over external representations to create shared understanding (or confusion…)

Plans and Situated Actions Treats user interaction as a set of defined plans Plans in context - often contingent and less cut and dry than expected Humans don’t crash when plans fail - we adapt, create new plans on the fly Xerox technician example – formalized plans complimented by dialogue, sharing of stories

Activity Theory Represents complexity of interaction among subjects, objects, artefacts and cultural expectations As a theory, can be hard to use in practice - but also quite powerful

Artefact SubjectObject Praxis Community Division of Labour

Nodes in Activity Triangle Subject - people Object - goal, task (think objective, not things) Artefact - tools, technologies Community - others affected by the activity Division of Labour – the role of power relations in accomplishing task Praxis – norms/mores governing activity

Contradictions Primary - conflict at node (e.g., two subjects having different notions) Secondary - conflict between nodes (e.g., division of labour causing ineffective power relations) Tertiary - conflicts when activities are redesigned (e.g., change in model conflicts with old expectations) Quarternary - conflicts between simultaneous activities (e.g., one activity diagram contradicts another)

Example: CVEs Collaborative virtual environments - VR which embodies user in virtual space Affords interaction with other embodied users in real time Second Life example

CVEs in Conferences Interesting way to bridge distance gaps Time gaps a problem Orientation issues in virtual world - people talking to walls, etc. (and why it doesn’t matter) Confusing spaces and avatars - fantastic displays but for what purpose?

Activity Theory Analysis Subjects - conference attendees Object - engage in collaboration, talk Artefacts - virtual conference environment, posters, websites, etc. Community - attendees, lurkers Division of Labour - who is/is not allowed to talk at any given time, access restrictions Praxis - expectations of conference environment, turn-taking, etc.

Final Test Review Some MC – 15 for 30% A case study – a set of questions based on a single premise Mostly based on lecture material, but do know the general lay of the land of the labs (e.g., if you were going to pick 3 things you learned from labs on case X, what would they be?) 1:00-2:50pm, right here.