A language/action perspective on the design of cooperative work

Abstract

In designing computer-based systems, we work within a perspective that shapes the design questions that will be asked and the kinds of solutions that are sought. This paper introduces a perspective based on language as action, and explores its consequences for practical system design. The language/action perspective is contrasted to a number of other currently prominent perspectives, and is illustrated with an extended example based on studies of nursing work in a hospital ward. We show how it leads to particular analyses of that work, which reveal potentials for creating new designs that can make the work (and the workers) more effective.