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Steps Towards an Ecology of Infrastructure: Complex Problems in Design and Access for Large-Scale Collaborative Systems

Item

Title
Steps Towards an Ecology of Infrastructure: Complex Problems in Design and Access for Large-Scale Collaborative Systems
Abstract/Description
This paper analyzes the initial phases of a large-scale custom software effort, the Worm Community System (WCS), a collaborative system designed for a geographically dispersed community of geneticists. Despite high user satisfaction with the system and interface, and extensive user feedback and analysis, many users experienced difficulties in signing on and use, ranging from simple lack of resources to complex organizational and intellectual trade-offs. Using Bateson's levels of learning, we characterize these as levels of infrastructural complexity which challenge both users and developers. Usage problems may result from different perceptions of this complexity in different organizational contexts.
Author/creator
Star, Susan Leigh
Ruhleder, Karen
Date
October 22, 1994
In publication
CSCW '94: Proceedings of the 1994 ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work
Pages
253–264
Resource type
en Background/Context
Medium
en Print
Background/context type
en Conceptual
Keywords
infrastructure
collaborator
organizational computing
participatory design
ethnography
IRE Approach/Concept
Infrastructure
Participatory Design
Open access/free-text available
en Yes
Peer reviewed
en Yes
DOI
10.1145/192844.193021
Alternate version
Steps Toward an Ecology of Infrastructure: Design and Access for Large Information Spaces
URL
10.1145/192844.193021
Open Access PDF (via ACM)
Citation
Star, S. L., & Ruhleder, K. (1994). Steps towards an ecology of infrastructure: Complex problems in design and access for large-scale collaborative systems. Proceedings of the 1994 ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work, 253–264. https://doi.org/10.1145/192844.193021
Item sets
Open Access Resource (IRE)

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Items with "Alternate version: Steps Towards an Ecology of Infrastructure: Complex Problems in Design and Access for Large-Scale Collaborative Systems"
Title Class
Steps Toward an Ecology of Infrastructure: Design and Access for Large Information Spaces Journal Article

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