Understanding Users Context, Communication & Construction Michael Olsson Lecturer, Information and Knowledge Management University of Technology, Sydney

Theory & Practice We all have a conceptual framework Lens through which we see ourselves, our work and our clients Theory & research allow us a richer, better informed view of our world

Users - Prevailing Approaches Fundamental Shift - User-centered Paradigm Cognitive Theory & Research Not custodians of information artifacts & systems but as active facilitators assisting individuals & organisations in meeting their information needs Strengths but also weaknesses

Focus on the Individual Focus on Individual Information Seeker Neglects role of social context Objective Reality – Individual Subjectivity Researching the unknowable – cognitive structures

‘Needy’ Information Users Strong Focus on Information Need, ASK Users as ‘Children’ or ‘Patients’ Unequal Power Relationship Construct Users based on what they do know

Purposive Seeking & Affective Factors Focus on active, purposive seeking & searching Only one aspect of information behaviour Rational problem solving Either ignore affective factors or regard them as a barrier to ‘effective’ information seeking Ignores central role of social relationships

Social Constructivism sees individuals not as isolated intellects, but as inextricably linked to their social environment. Dervin – Sense-Making Foucault - Discourse

Making Sense Information is not a ‘thing’ to be transferred An interpretive, constructive process of meaning making ‘Death of the Author’

Social Construction Individuals & groups make sense using: Language Existing knowledge & beliefs, previous experience Social norms & conventions – ‘rules of the game’

Knowledge & Power Knowledge & Power are two sides of the same coin We relate new knowledge to established knowledge power structures e.g. recognized authors, theories institutions, etc Inductive view of Power – based on our Acceptance

Practice Implications Reconceptualise Clients Not isolated ‘needy’ individuals but dynamic members of a community Embedded in networks of ongoing relationships and power relations What is the social role of information professionals in the communities they serve?

SC Information Professionals Reference Interviewing Classification Schemes  Reject objectivized, reductionist approaches  Recognize multiple ‘truths’  Build on existing Knowledge/Power relations within communities to provide clients with information they will regard as ‘authoritative’