Working Through Screensbook

WORKING
THROUGH
100 ideas for envisioning

powerful, engaging, and productive
user experiences
in knowledge work
SCREENS
143 page .pdf / 11X17
With over 100 Illustrations,
including examples from architecture,
clinical research, and financial trading.
Application Concepting Series

No. 1
Also available in .html
and Idea Cards formats at
www.FlashbulbInteraction.com
By Jacob Burghardt
A publication of
FLASHBULB INTERACTION, Inc.
FRONTMATTER|FRAMINGTHEPROBLEM
WORKINGTHROUGHSCREENS
2
The category of human efforts sometimes called knowledge work

is growing.
Knowledge workers are valued for their specialized intellectual skills and
their ability to act on and with complex information in goal oriented ways.
In many contexts, the idea of knowledge work has become almost
synonymous with using a computer, to both positive and negative effect.
Product teams creating computing tools for specialized workers struggle
to understand what is needed and to successfully satisfy a myriad of
constraints.
As a result of the design deficiencies in these interactive products, people
experience many frustrations in their working lives.
Noticeable deficiencies, along with the ones that have invisibly become the
status quo, can lower the quality and quantity of workers desired outputs.
With so many people in front of so many screens attempting to practice
their chosen professions these deficiencies have real costs.
3

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Collectively, we have an infrastructural sense of what these technologies can

be that tends to limit our ability to imagine better offerings.
Targeted improvements in the design of these tools can have large impacts
on workers experiences. Visionary design can advance entire fields and
industries.
At a basic level, applications can fit the working cultures that they are
designed for, rather than forcing unwanted changes in established activities.
They can augment rather than redefine.
When workers alter their culture to adopt a new computing tool, it can be
solely because that tool provides new meaning and value in their practices.
Going further, elegantly designed applications can become a joy to use,
providing an empowering, connective sense of direct action and a pleasing
sensory environment for people to think within.
Product teams can make significant progress toward these aims by changing
how they get started on designing their products by beginning with an
emphasis on getting to the right design strategy and design concepts long
before getting to the right design details.
It is time to start holistically envisioning exemplary new tools for thought that
target valuable intersections of work activity and technological possibility.
5

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FRONTMATTER|PROPOSEDHIGHLEVELAPPROACH
6
Suggestions for product teams:
Extensive concepting,
based on intensive
questioning,
driving visionary,
collaboratively
defined strategies
for exemplary tools
for thought.
Deliberately spend more time envisioning, at a high level, what your

interactive application could be and how it could become valued
infrastructure in work activities.
Do not assume that a compelling knowledge work tool will arise solely
from the iterative aggregation of many discrete decisions during the long
haul of a product development process.
Create a divergent ecosystem of concepts for your products big picture
and primary experiences.
Examine the potential value of reusing expected design conventions
while at the same time ideating potential departures and differentiated
offerings.
Explore a breadth of directions and strategies before choosing a course.
Plan on staying true to the big ideas imbedded in the concepts that your
team selects, while knowing that those ideas will evolve along the way to
becoming a reality.
7
based on intensive
questioning,
driving visionary,
collaboratively
defined strategies
for exemplary tools
for thought.

Ask more envisioning questions, both within your team and within
your targeted markets.
Develop empathy for knowledge workers by going into the field to
inform your notions of what your product could become.
Stimulate conversations with this book and other sources relevant to
the topic of mediating knowledge work with technology.
Find and explore situations that are analogous to the work practices
that your team is targeting.
Keep asking questions until you uncover driving factors that resonate.
Create visual models of them.
Focus your team on these shared kernels of understanding and insight.
Lay the groundwork for inspiration.
8
based on intensive
questioning,

Use design thinking to expand upon and transform your products
high level mandates and strategy.
Continually explore the strategic implications of your teams most
inspiring ideas about mediating knowledge work.
driving visionary,
collaboratively
defined strategies
for exemplary tools
for thought.
Make projections and connections in the context of key trends and

todays realities.
Think end to end, as if your product was a service, either literally
or in spirit.
Build and extend brands based on the user experiences that your
team is striving to make possible and how your product will deliver
on those promises.
Envision what knowledge workers want and need but do not
articulate when confronted with a blank canvas or a legacy of
unsatisfactory tools.
Invite workers to be your collaborators, maintaining a healthy level
of humility in the face of their expertise.
9
based on intensive
questioning,
driving visionary,
collaboratively
defined strategies
for exemplary tools
for thought.

Dive into the specific cognitive challenges of knowledge workers
practices in order to uncover new sources of product meaning
and value.
Set higher goals for users experiences.
Envision flashbulb interactions in targeted activities augmenting
interactions that could make complex conclusions clear or open new
vistas of thought.
Explore how carefully designed stimuli and behaviors within onscreen
tools might promote emotional responses that are conducive to
attentive, focused thinking.
Surpass workers expectations for the potential role of computing in
their mental lives.
Raise the bar in your targeted markets, and with it, the bar for all
knowledge work tools.
10
Extensive concepting, based on intensive

questioning, driving visionary, collaboratively
defined strategies for exemplary
tools for thought.
This phrase embodies a suggested overall approach for product teams
envisioning new or improved interactive applications for knowledge work.
In support of this suggested approach, this book contains 100 ideas
along with many examples and questions to help product teams
generate design strategies and design concepts that could become
useful, meaningful, and valuable onscreen offerings.
FRONTMATTER
Table of Contents
11
Preface
12
Introduc)on:ThecaseforApplica'onEnvisioning
13
Primeronexampleknowledgeworkdomains
20
A.EXPLORINGWORKMEDIATIONAND
DETERMININGSCOPE
A1.Inuen)alphysicalandculturalenvironments
A2.Workersinterrela)onsandrela)onships
A3.Workprac)cesappropriateforcomputermedia)on
A4.Standardiza)onofworkprac)cethroughmedia)on
A5.Interrela)onsofopera)on,task,andac)vityscenarios
A6.Openandemergentworkscenarios
A7.Collabora)onscenariosandvaria)ons
A8.Localprac)cesandscenariovaria)ons
A9.Highvaluera)ofortargetedworkprac)ces
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
B.DEFININGINTERACTIONOBJECTS
B1.Namedobjectsandinforma)onstructures
B2.Flexibleiden)ca)onofobjectinstances
B3.Couplingofapplica)onandrealworldobjects
B4.Objectassocia)onsanduserdenedobjects
B5.Objectstatesandac)vityowvisibility
B6.Flaggedvariabilitywithinorbetweenobjects
B7.Objectownershipandavailabilityrules
B8.Explicitmappingofobjectstoworkmedia)on
B9.Commonmanagementac)onsforobjects
B10.Objecttemplates
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
C.ESTABLISHINGANAPPLICATIONFRAMEWORK
C1.Inten)onalandar)culatedconceptualmodels
C2.Applica)oninterac)onmodel
C3.Levelsofinterac)onpaZerns
C4.Pathwaysfortaskandac)vitybasedwaynding
C5.Permissionsandviewstailoredtoworkersiden))es
C6.Standardizedapplica)onworkows
C7.Structuralsupportofworkspaceawareness
C8.Defaults,customiza)on,andautomatedtailoring
C9.Errorpreven)onandhandlingconven)ons
C10.Predictableapplica)onstates
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
D.CONSIDERINGWORKERSATTENTIONS
D1.Respectedtemposofwork
D2.Expectedeort
D3.Currentworkload,priorityofwork,and
opportunitycosts
D4.Minimizingdistrac)onandfosteringconcentra)on
D5.Resumingwork
D6.Aler)ngandremindingcues
D7.Eventualhabitandautoma)city
55
56
57
58
E.PROVIDINGOPPORTUNITIESTOOFFLOADEFFORT
E1.Ooadinglongtermmemoryeort
E2.Ooadingshorttermmemoryeort
E3.Automa)onoflowlevelopera)ons
E4.Automa)onoftaskorac)vityscenarios
E5.Visibilityintoautoma)on
E6.Internallocusofcontrol
F.ENHANCINGINFORMATIONREPRESENTATION
F1.Coordinatedrepresenta)onalelements
F2.Establishedgenresofinforma)onrepresenta)on
F3.Novelinforma)onrepresenta)ons
F4.Supportforvisualiza)onatdierentlevels
F5.Compara)verepresenta)ons
F6.Instrumentalresultsrepresenta)ons
F7.Highlyfunc)onaltables
F8.Representa)onaltransforma)ons
F9.Simultaneousorsequen)aluseofrepresenta)ons
F10.Symbolicvisuallanguages
F11.Representa)onalcodesandcontext
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
59
60
61
62
G.CLARIFYINGCENTRALINTERACTIONS
82
G1.Narra)veexperiences
83
G2.Levelsofselec)onandac)onscope
84
G3.Errorpreven)onandhandlinginindividualinterac)ons 85
G4.Workspaceawarenessembeddedininterac)ons
86
G5.Impromptutangentsandjuxtaposi)ons
87
G6.Contextualpushofrelatedinforma)on
88
G7.Transi)oningworkfromprivatetopublicview
89
H.SUPPORTINGOUTCOMEEXPLORATIONAND
COGNITIVETRACING
H1.Ac)veversioning
H2.Extensiveandreconstruc)veundo
H3.Automatedhistoricalrecordsandversions
H4.Workingannota)ons
90
91
92
93
94
I.WORKINGWITHVOLUMESOFINFORMATION
I1.Flexibleinforma)onorganiza)on
I2.Comprehensiveandrelevantsearch
I3.Powerfullteringandsor)ng
I4.Uncertainormissingcontent
I5.Integra)onofinforma)onsources
I6.Explicitmessagingforinforma)onupdates
I7.Archivedinforma)on
_95
_96
_97
_98
_99
100
101
102
J.FACILITATINGCOMMUNICATION
J1.Integralcommunica)onpathways
J2.Representa)onalcommonground
J3.Explicitworkhandos
J4.Authorshipawareness,presence,andcontact
facilita)on
J5.Publicannota)on
J6.Streamlinedstandardcommunica)ons
J7.Pervasiveprin)ng
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
K.PROMOTINGINTEGRATIONINTOWORKPRACTICE
K1.Applica)onlocaliza)on
K2.Introductoryuserexperience
K3.Recognizableapplicabilitytotargetedwork
K4.Verica)onofopera)on
K5.Understandingandreframingalternateinterpreta)ons
K6.Designforfrequencyofaccessandskillacquisi)on
K7.Clearandcomprehensiveinstruc)onalassistance
K8.Seamlessinterapplica)oninterac)vity
K9.Directedapplica)oninteropera)on
K10.Opennesstoapplica)onintegra)onandextension
K11.Enduserprogramming
K12.Trustedandcredibleprocessesandcontent
K13.Reliableanddirectac)vityinfrastructure
L.PURSUINGAESTHETICREFINEMENT
L1.Highqualityandappealingworkproducts
L2.Contemporaryapplica)onaesthe)cs
L3.Iconicdesignresemblanceswithinapplica)ons
L4.Appropriateuseofimageryanddirectbranding
L5.Iconoclas)cproductdesign
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
M.PLANNINGCONNECTIONWITHUSE
M1.Itera)veconversa)onswithknowledgeworkers
M2.Systemchampions
M3.Applica)onusercommuni)es
M4.Unan)cipatedusesoftechnology
131
132
133
134
135
Glossary
136
Bibliography
139
Abouttheauthor+
FLASHBULBINTERACTION,Inc.
142
FRONTMATTER
Preface
WhenIstartedthewri)ngthateventuallyresultedinthisbook,
Iwasdrivenbyaconvic)onthatsomecri)calconversa)ons
seemedtobemissingfromthedevelopmentofnewtechnolo
giesforknowledgeworkers.
Ikeptreturningtothesamefourobserva)onsabouthowmany
realworldproductteamsoperate:
1.Manyproductteamsoverlookcommonneedsthat
knowledgeworkershaveoftheironscreentoolswhileat
thesame)medevelopingunneededfunc)onality.These
teamsstartwithaseeminglyblankslate,evenwhen
manyvaluableproductrequirementscouldbeexplored
basedonexis)ng,provenunderstandingsofhowcom
pu)ngtoolscanvaluablysupportknowledgework.
2.Manyproductteamseverydayyetpivotaldeni)on
anddesignconversa)onsdonotsucientlyconsider
knowledgeworkersthoughtprocessesorhowatech
nologymightinuencethem.Whileindividualsinthese
teamsmayoccasionallyuseterminologyborrowedfrom
cogni)vepsychology,theactualdetailsofhowatool
couldmeaningfullyimpactthinkingworkmaynot
receivemorethanasurfaceexamina)on.
3.Manyproductteamsstruggletounderstandthe
knowledgeworkthattheyarestrivingtosupport.Even
whensomeofateamsmembershaveastrongempathy
fortargetedworkprac)ces,teamsasawholecanhave
mixedlevelsofsuccessmeaningfullytransla)ngtheir
cumula)veunderstandingintooverallmodelsofhow
theirtoolcouldvaluablymediatecertainac)vi)es.These
sharedmodels,whenexecutedwell,canguidethedeni
)onanddevelopmentofaproductsmanypar)culars.
Withoutthem,resul)ngapplica)onscanbecomedirect
reec)onsofateamslackofguidingfocus.
4.Manyproductteamsbeginconstruc)onofnal
productswithverylimitedno)onsofwhattheirnished
productwillbe.Whetheruninten)onallyorinten)onally,
basedonprevailingideologies,theydonotdevelopa
robustdesignstrategyfortheirapplica)on,letalonecon
siderdivergenthighlevelapproachesinordertocreate
acompellingapplica)onconcept.Instead,theyseemto
assumethatuseful,usable,anddesirableproductsarise
solelyfromtheitera)vesumofmanysmalldeni)on,
design,andimplementa)ondecisions.
Theseobserva)onswouldnotcarrymuchweightifitwas
notforthecurrentstateofcompu)ngtoolsthatareavailable
toknowledgeworkersinmanyvoca)ons.Putsimply,these
productsokencontainvastroomforimprovement,especially
inhighlyspecializedformsofwork,wherethereareconcrete
12
opportuni)estotrulytailortechnologiestoimportantac)vi)es.
Highlytrainedindividuals,workingintheirchosenprofessions,
commonlyspendunnecessaryeortac)ngonandaround
poorlyconceivedtools,ratherthanthroughthem.Thetollon
performanceandworkoutcomesresul)ngfromtheseextraef
fortscanbedras)ctoindividualworkers,butsinceitisdicult
tocollec)velyrecognizeandquan)fy,theaggregateofthese
lossesremainslargelyundetectedwithinorganiza)ons,profes
sions,industries,andeconomies.
Ibelievethatcurrentdecienciesintechnologiesforknowledge
workarestrongly)edtoourokenlowexpecta)onsofwhatit
canmeantosupportcomplicatedac)vi)eswithcompu)ng.Our
sharedideasofwhatcons)tutesinnova)oninthisspacehave,
inmanycases,become)ghtlyconstrainedbyourinfrastruc
turalsenseofwhatthesetechnologiescanandshouldbe.Too
oken,wearenotseeingtheproverbialforestduetoourshared
focusonasmallgroveoftrees.Inourculturalaccommoda)on
towhatcompu)nghascometomeaninourworkinglives,it
seemsthatwemayhavelostsomeofourcapacityforvisionary
thinking.
Toregainthisvision,productteamscanspendmore)mecon
sideringwhatitmightactuallytaketosupportandbuildupon
knowledgeworkersskillsandabili)es.Gelnginsideofthese
essen)alproblemscanrequireteamstoadoptgoalsthatare
morelikethoseofthepioneersofinterac)vecompu)ng,who
weredrivenbythepoten)alforaugmen)nghumancapabili)es
withnewtechnologies.Whenteamsextendthesepioneering
ideasbyapplyingthemattheintersec)onofspecicac)vi)es
andworkingcultures,theycandiscoverasimilarspiritofcon
sideredinquiryandexplora)on.
Higherordergoalsaimedatcrea)ngtoolsforthoughtto
beusedintargetedworkprac)ces,coopera)vecontexts,and
technologicalenvironmentscanleadproductteamstoask
verydierentques)onsthanthosethattheycurrentlyexplore
duringearlyproductdevelopment.Throughthecri)callens
oftheseelevatedgoals,thefourobserva)onslistedabovecan
trulytakeontheappearanceoflostopportuni)esforinnova
)onandproductsuccess.
Ihavepersonallyexperiencedtheselostopportuni)esinmy
owncareerresearchinganddesigningknowledgeworktools
fordomainssuchaslifescience,nancialtrading,andgraphic
design,amongothers.Evenwiththebestinten)ons,in20/20
hindsight,Ididnotalwayshave)metothinkthroughandapply
someimportantideasideasthatcouldhaveimprovedprod
uctsdesignstrategiesand,intheend,enhancedworkersuser
experiences.Therearesimplysomanyusefulideasforthese
complex,mul)facetedproblems,andunderthedemandsofreal
worldproductdevelopment,)meforques)oningandexplora
)onnearlyalwayspassestooquickly.
Dedication
Listeningtootherprac))onersintheeld,IknowthatIamnot
aloneinmakingtheseobserva)onsandfacingthesechallenges.
Andyet,whenitcomestoaccessible,prac))onerorientedref
erencesonthesetopics,thereseemstobelargeareasofempty
spacewai)ngtobelled.
Thisbookisformygrandfather,WilliamWolfram,whobelieved
thatthenatureofworkwaschangingintosomethingvery
dierentthanwhathehadexperiencedatsea,intheelds,
andonassemblylinesandstronglyencouragedmeto
explorewhatitmightmean.
Thisbookisaforayintopartofthatemptyspace.The100ideas
containedwithincanactassharedprobesforproductteams
touseinforma)vediscussionsthatsettheoveralldirec)on
andpriori)esofneworitera)velyimprovedapplica)onsfor
thinkingwork.Asacollec)on,theseideaspresentasuppor)ng
frameworkforteamsstrivingtoseepastunsa)sfactory,busi
nessasusualtechnologiesinordertocreatecompellingand
meaningfultoolsforknowledgeworkersattheforefrontsof
theirelds.
Ilookforwardtohearingabouthowtheseideasholdupin
thecontextofyourownproductdevelopmentchallenges.My
sincerehopeisthatthisbookprovidessomemeasureofinspira
)onthatleadsyoutoenvisiontoolsthatpromotemorepow
erful,engaging,andproduc)veuserexperiences.Knowledge
workersthosewhowillopportunis)callymakeuseofthe
fruitsofyoureorts,ifyouarefortunatedeservenoless.
JacobBurghardt
1Nov2008,SeaZle,WA
Einfo@FlashbulbInterac)on.com
P206.280.3135
Acknowledgements
Sincethisbookfeelsmorelikeasynthesiswithapar)cular
perspec)vethanacompletelyoriginalwork,Iwouldliketo
empha)callythanktheauthorsofallthepublica)onsthatare
includedinthebibliography.Iwouldpar)cularlyliketothank
WilliamLidwell,KatrinaHolden,andJillButlertheauthorsof
UniversalPrinciplesofDesign:100WaystoEnhanceUsability,
InuencePercep'on,IncreaseAppeal,MakeBeDerDesign
Decisions,andTeachthroughDesignwhichwasakey
inspira)onfortheformatofthiswork.
Thefollowingreviewershaveprovidedinvaluablecommentson
variousdraksofthispublica)on:LibertyHarrington,Kris)na
Voros,AmiiLaPointe,MyerHarrell,AaronLouie,BrianKuan
Wood,JessicaBurghardt,MaZCarthum,MaZTurpin,Miles
Hunter,JulianneBryant,EricKlein,ChrisZiobro,JonFukuda,
andJudyRamey.
Iwouldalsoliketothankunderstandingfriendswhospend
long,internallymo)vated,solitaryhoursworkingonpersonal
pursuits.Youmadethisprojectseemnotonlypossible,butlike
agoodidea.
Publication Information
WorkingthroughScreensistheinauguralpublica)onof
Thisbookisavailableforfreein.htmland.pdfat
www.FlashbulbInterac)on.com,whereyoucanalsondan
abbreviatedIdeaCardsversiondesignedforusein
productidea)onexercises.
Alloriginalcontentsofthispublica)onaresubjecttothe
crea)vecommonslicense(AZribu)onNonCommercial
ShareAlikehZp://crea)vecommons.org/licenses/byncsa/3.0/)
unlessotherwisenoted.PleaseaZributetheworkto
JacobBurghardt/FLASHBULBINTERACTIONConsultancy.
FRONTMATTER
Introduction: The Case for Application Envisioning

The Experience of Modern Knowledge Work
Inagrowingnumberofcontemporaryworkplaces,peopleare
valuedfortheirspecializedintellectualskillsandtheirability
toactonandwithcomplexinforma)oningoalorientedways.
Thereisageneralsensethatmanytypesofworkarebecom
ingmoreabstract,specialized,complex,improvisa)onal,and
cerebral.
PeterDruckercalledthepeoplethatengageinthesetypes
ofworkKnowledgeWorkers.RobertReich,theformerU.S.
LaborSecretary,usedthetermSymbolicAnalyststodescribe
asimilarcategorywithintheworkforce.Morerecently,Richard
Floridahasdenedthecharacteris)csoftheCrea)veClass.
Allthreeofthesetermsfallwithinroughlythesameframe,em
phasizingthecommonalityofinven)ng,producing,interpret
ing,manipula)ng,transforming,applying,andcommunica)ng
informa)onasprinciplepreoccupa)onsoftheseworkers.
Thecurrentexperienceofthispurportedlynewworkwhatit
feelsliketoprac)ceahighlytrainedprofessionortosimplyearn
apaycheckhasaverydierentessen)alcharacterthanthe
typeofworkexperiencesthatwereavailablejustagenera)on
ortwoago.Alargepartofthatchangeincharacterisduetothe
extensiveuseofcompu)ngtoolsintheseworkprac)ces.
Inessence,theexpansionofknowledgeworkasaconcepthas
beenclosely)edtotheexpansionofcompu)ng.Interac)veap
plica)onshavebecomewovenintothefabricofvastterritories
ofprofessionalac)vity,andworkersarecon)nuouslyadop)ng
newtoolsintopreviouslyoineareas.Althoughthesetools
arenottheonlyfocalpointforknowledgeworkers,theyare
becomingapointofincreasinggravityasculturesofprac)ce
con)nuetocoevolvewiththesetechnologiesover)me.
Considertheseexampleexperiences,whicharepartofthe
workinglivesofthreec)onalknowledgeworkerswhowill
appearthroughoutthisbook:
Anarchitectconsidersanalternateplacementforanin
teriorwallinordertoimprovetheviewcorridorswithin
abuildingthatsheisdesigning.Assheinterac)vely
visualizesacertainwallplacementwithina3Dmodelof
thebuilding,shepausestoconsideritsimplica)onsfora
numberoftheprojectsrequirements.Shesavesdier
entversionsofherdesignexplora)on,addingworking
notesonwhatshethinksofeachdesigndirec)on.Once
shehascreatedseveraldierentdirec)ons,shethen
usesthebuildingmodelingapplica)ontorealis)cally
rendereachpossibility,comparetheminsequence,and
reviewasubsetofdesignop)onswithhercolleagues.
Ascien(stsortsthroughtheresultsofarecentclinical
studyusingananalysisapplica)onthatautoma)cally
generatesclearandmanipulablevisualiza)onsoflarge
datasets.Sheusesthetooltovisuallylocateinteres)ng
trendsintheclinicalresults,narrowinginonunusual
categoriesofdataatprogressivelydeeperlevelsof
detail.TobeZerunderstandcertainselec)onswithinthe
complexbiologicalinforma)on,shedownloadsrelated
referencecontentfromuptodateresearchrepositories.
Anancialtraderworksthroughtransac)onakertrans
ac)on,examininggraphsofkeyvariablesandtriggering
histradingapplica)ontoautoma)callyacceptother
tradeswithsimilarcharacteris)cs.Heuseshismarket
informa)onapplica)ontoanalyzetrendssothathecan
makebeZerdecisionsaboutuncertainandques)onable
deals.Ashebarrelsthroughasmuchworkaspossible
duringhisalwaystooshorttradingday,hevalueshow
histoolspreventhimfrommakingcrucialerrorswhile
permilnghimtoactrapidlyandtogreateect.
Whiletheseshortdescrip)onsareprobablynotrepresenta)ve
ofyourowndaytodayac)vi)es,itmaybeeasyenoughforyou
toimaginehowessen)alinterac)veapplica)onscouldbecome
ineachofthesecases.Akerlongperiodsofaccommoda)on,
accomplishingmanyknowledgeworkgoalsinvolvesturningtoa
screen,controllingacursor,enteringdata,andinterac)ngwith
wellknownandmeaningfulrepresenta)onsofinforma)on.
Lookingtowardfuturetechnologies,itislikelythatmostknowl
edgeworkerswillperformatleastsomeoftheireortswithin
theboundsofasimilarframeworkforsome)metocome.
The Impacts of Application Design

Thedesignofthesecompu)ngtoolshasthepoten)altomake
massiveimpactsonworkinglives.Unlessknowledgeworkers
arehighlymo)vatedearlyadoptersthatarewillingandable
tomakeuseofmostanything,theirexperiencesasusersof
interac)veapplica)onscanvarydras)cally.Thesedierences
inexperiencecanlargelydependontheoverallalignmentofan
individualsinten)onsandunderstandingswiththespecicsof
atoolsdesign.Sincethemajorityofthecompu)ngapplica)ons
inuseatthe)meofwri)ngwerenotcreatedbytheworkers
thatusethem,thismeansthattheproductteamsdevelop
ingtheseapplica)onscontributeroughlyhalfofthisessen)al
alignmentbetweenuserandcompu)ngar)fact.Torestatethis
commonpremise,outsidetechnologists(ofthestripethat
wouldlikelybedrawntoreadingthisbook)okensetthestage
forini)alsuccessorfailureinworkersexperiencesoftheir
onscreentools.
Directalignmentwithanaugmen)ngtoolcancausesurprising
joy,oratleastasortoftransparent,ontothenextthingsense
ofsuccess.Individualsandorganiza)onscanplaceahighvalue
onusefulandusableproductsthatsupportworkerslimita)ons
whileatthesame)meenhancingtheirskills.Trulysuccessful
interac)veapplica)onscanprovideuserswithtailoredfunc)on
alitythat,amongotherthings,facilitatesandenhancescertain
workprac)ces,powerfullyremovesunwantedeortthrough
automa)on,andgeneratesdynamicdisplaysthatmakecomplex
rela)onshipsclear.
Inshort,wheninterac)veapplica)onsareattheirthoughtully
envisionedbest,theycanbecomeseeminglyindispensable
inknowledgework.Attheirmostvisionary,thesetoolscan
promoteuserexperiencesthatprovideasenseofmasteryand
directengagement,thefeelingofworkingthroughthescreen
oninforma)onandinterac)veobjectsthatbecomethealmost
palpablesubjectsofusersinten)ons.
Issues in Contemporary Onscreen Tools

Unfortunately,manyknowledgeworkproductspresentthem
selvesasnowhereneartheirthoughtullyenvisionedbest.
Workerstoookenndthatmanypartsoftheirspecialized
compu)ngtoolsarenotusefulorusableinthecontextoftheir
owngoalsorthelargersystemsofculturalmeaningandac)vity
thatsurroundthem.Problema)capplica)onscancon)nuously
presentworkerswithconfusingandfrustra)ngbarriersthat
theymusttraverseinordertogenerateusefuloutcomes.At
theirpoorlyenvisionedworst,compu)ngtoolscancontrary
tomarke)ngclaimsofadvancedu)lityeec)velydeskill
usersbypreven)ngthemfromac)nginwaysthatevenremote
lyresembletheirpreferredprac)ces.Notexactlythebrand
promisethatanyonehasinmindwhentheystarttheballrolling
onanewtechnology.
Ifonewastosummarizethestatusquo,itmightsoundsome
thinglikethis:whenitcomestointerac)veapplica)onsfor
knowledgework,productsthatareconsideredessen)alarenot
alwayssa)sfactory.Infact,theymaybedeeplyawedinways
thatwecommonlydonotrecognizegivenourcurrentexpec
ta)onsofthesetools.Withourcollec)vesightssetlow,we
overlookmanyfaults.
Poorlyenvisionedknowledgeworkapplica)onscan:
A/empttodrivetypesofworkontothescreenthatare
notconducivetobeingmediatedbyinterac)vecomput
ingasweknowittoday.Newapplica)onsandfunc)onal
i)esarenotalwaystheanswer,andsomeworkprac)ces
13
canbemoreeec)velyaccomplishedoutsideofthe
connesofacomputer.
Failtoreectessen(aldivisionsofhowworkisseg
mentedwithintargetedorganiza(ons,forcingunwanted
redeni)onofindividualsrolesandresponsibili)esand
crea)ngnewopportuni)esfordaytodayerrorsin
workersprac)ces.
Introducenewworkprocessesthatstandardizeac(vi
(esinunwelcomeways.Whentechnologiesinappropri
atelyenforcestrictworkowandcumbersomeinterac
)onconstraints,thesetoolscanforceknowledgeworkers
tocreateandrepeatedlyenactunnecessarilyeortul
workaroundsinordertoreachdesiredoutcomes.
Lackclearconceptualmodelsofwhatthey,astools,
areintendedtodo,howtheyessen)allywork,andhow
theycanprovidevalue.Inar)culateorcounterintui)ve
conceptualmodels,whichokenstemfromaproduct
teamsownconfusionaboutwhattheyarecrea)ng,can
leadworkerstodevelopalternateconcep)onsofap
plica)onprocesses.Thesealternatemodelsmayinturn
leadtoseeminglyundiagnosableerrorsandunderu)lized
func)onality.
Presentworkerswithconfusingdatastructuresand
representa(onsofinforma(onthatdonotcorrelateto
thear)factsthattheyareusedtothinkingaboutintheir
ownworkprac)ces.Toeec)velyuseanapplica)onbuilt
uponunfamiliarabstrac)ons,workersmustrepeatedly
translatetheirowndomainexper)setomatchasystems
deni)ons.
Encourageasenseofinforma(onoverloadbyallowing
individualsandorganiza)onstocreateandstorelarge
volumesofvaluableinforma)onwithoutprovidingthem
sucientmeanstoorganize,visualize,navigate,search
orotherwisemakeuseofit.
Disruptworkersa/en(ons,andtheessen)alcogni)ve
owofintensivethinkingwork,withunnecessary
contentanddistrac)ngmessaging.
Requireworkerstowasteeortenteringspecicsand
jumpingthroughhoopsthatneithertheynortheir
organiza)onsperceiveasnecessary.
Forceworkerstoexcessivelytranslatetheirgoalsinto
theconstraintsofonscreeninterac(on,evenaker
extendeduse.Allapplica)onsrequiretheiruserstoact
withintheboundariesoftheirfunc)onalop)ons,but
certainconstraintsonbasicac)onsmaybetoorestric)ve
andcumbersome.
FRONTMATTER|INTRODUCTION
14
Introduceautoma(onthatactuallymakesworkmore
eorIul,ratherthanless.Withoutappropriatevisibility
intoanautomatedrou)nesprocessing,workerscanbe
lekwiththedicultchallengeoftryingtounderstand
whathasbeenautomated,ifandwhereproblemshave
occurred,andhowtoximportantissues.
Hideusefulhistoricalcuesabouthowcontentcameto
beinitscurrentstate,whilepreven)ngworkersfrom
restoringcertaininforma)ontoitsearlierincarna)ons.
Toolswithoutthesecapabili)escanincreasethedi
cultyofrecoveringfromerrors,whichcaninturnreduce
crea)vityandscenarioorientedthinkingindynamic
interac)ons.
Leaveworkerswithoutsucientcuesabouttheac(vi
(esoftheircolleagues.Thislackofawarenesscanlead
tomisunderstandings,duplicatedeort,andtheneedto
extensivelycoordinateeortsoutsidethecompu)ngtool
itself.Thesenega)veeectsmaybefoundinintrinsically
collabora)veworkaswellaseortsthatarenottypically
recognizedashavingcoopera)veaspects.
Failtosupportinformalcommunica(oninthecon
textswhereknowledgeworkisaccomplished,aswellas
providedirectmeansforac)velyini)a)ngconversa)ons
aboutkeyoutputs.Theseomissionscanmakeessen)al
communica)onactsmoreeortul,asworkersaZempt
tocreatecommongroundand)etheirideasbackinto
applica)oncontentwhileusingseparate,outside
communica)onchannels.
Lackneededconnec(vityop(onsforindividualsand
organiza)onsto)etheproductsdataandfunc)onali)es
intotheirbroadertechnologyenvironments.Resul)ng
applica)onscanbecomeisolatedislandsthatmay
requireconsiderableextraeortinordertomeaningfully
incorporatetheircapabili)esandoutputsintoimportant
workac)vi)es.
Theseexamplepoints,whichrepresentjustasamplingofthe
manyproblemsthatcanbefoundinpoorlyenvisionedknowl
edgeworkapplica)ons,callaZen)ontothefactthatthesepo
ten)alissuesinusersexperiencesarenotsokconsidera)ons.
Allofthesepointshaveimplica)onsforworkerssa)sfac)on
withacompu)ngtool,theirdiscre)onaryuseofit,thequan)ty
andqualityoftheirworkoutcomes,andtheirpercep)onsofa
productsbrand.Thesumoftheabovepointscanbeviewedas
afundamentalthreattothecoregoalsoforganiza)onsthatare
seekingtoadoptnewtechnologiesasameansofsuppor)ng
theirknowledgeworkforces.
Making Do with the Status Quo
First Steps of Application Design
Sincemanyoftodaysapplica)onscontainamixtureofboth
clearanddirectfunc)onalop)onsandfunc)onalitythatis
frustra)ng,obtuse,andeec)velyuseless,knowledgeworkers
okenbecomeskilledatiden)fyingthosepor)onsoftechnolo
giesthatdemonstratebenetsrelevanttotheirchallenges.
Individualstendtoweedoutproblema)cfeaturesfromtheir
prac)ces,whileatthesame)mesalvagingtriedandtrue
methods.Over)me,theplas)cityofmindandculturecandis
playaremarkableabilitytoovercomebarriersandinterweave
sa)scedbenets.Akerconsiderableeort,establishedwork
aroundsandnarrow,wellwornpathsofinterac)oncanemerge.
Anuncompelling,diculttoolcanbecomeanothernecessary
reality.Thestatusquocon)nues,despitetheongoingpromise
ofaugmen)ngspecialized,thinkingworkwithcompu)ng.
Takingastepback,itcanbeusefultoexaminetheearly,ini)at
ingstepsthatleadtothecrea)onofaknowledgeworkap
plica)on.Plansforaneworrevisedcompu)ngtoolcanarise
inavarietyofways,thoughtherearesomecommonpaZerns
totheirearlygesta)ons.Ingeneral,asmallcoreofini)ators
denesaproductsprinciplemandatesbeforeabroadercross
sec)onofteammembersanddisciplinesarebroughtontoa
project.Theseearlyconversa)onsmaytakeonverydierent
formsdependingon,forexample,whetheraproductrepresents
adisrup)vetechnologyoracompe))veentryintoanestab
lishedcategoryofknowledgeworktools.Inanycase,teams
investsomepartoftheirforma)vediscussionsconsideringtheir
oeringspoten)aldrivingforces,brandposi)oning,andunder
lyingtechnologicalcharacteris)cs.Theseeortstypicallyinvolve
modelingideasaboutpoten)alopportuni)esintargeted
marketsegments,whichokencorrespondtoapar)cular
rangeofknowledgeworkspecial)esandorganiza)ontypes.
Atthelevelofindividualknowledgeworkersexperiences,
aZemp)ngtoadoptandusepoorlyconceivedapplica)onscan
leadtofrustra)on,anxietyandfa)gue.Thesenega)vemental
statesarenotconducivetopeoplesuccessfullyaccomplishing
theirgoalsorbeingsa)sedintheirworkinglives.Putanother
way,knowledgeworkapplica)onshavethecapacitytodetract
fromthepleasureandwellbeingthatpeopleexperienceas
partofworkingintheirchosenprofessions.Knowledgeworkers
okendonotcontributetheireortssolelyforcompensa)onin
aneconomicsense;theirac)onsareintertwinedwithpersonal
purposeandiden)ty.Forthisreason,amajordeciencyina
knowledgeworkapplica)oncanbesaidtohaveadierent
essen)alqualitythanafailurein,forexample,anentertainment
technology.Whenaknowledgeworkapplica)onbecomesan
obstruc)oninitsusersprac)ces,vital)meandeortiswasted.
Beyondtheobviousbusinessimplica)onsofsuchobstruc)ons,
itisdiculttosucientlyunderscorethepoten)alimportance
oftheselossestoindividualworkers,especiallywhendevelop
ingproductsforhighlyskilledindividualswhoareseekingto
maketheirchosencontribu)onstosocietyandtheworld.
Sohowdidwegethere?Wheredidthisstatusquocomefrom?
WhyarethesetoolsnotbeZerdesigned?Whydothebrand
namesofsomanyknowledgeworkproductsconjuredisdain,
oronlyavaguesenseofcomfortakerhavingbeenexten
sivelyusedinsteadofsomethingmoreextraordinary?We
canassumethatnoproductteamsetsouttodeliverapoorly
conceivedtooltoknowledgeworkers.Andyet,evenwithgood
inten)ons,thatiswhatmanyhavedoneandcon)nuetodo.
Ironically,eventoolsdesignedforniche,domainspecic
marketswhichcanrepresentthemostconcreteopportu
ni)estocreatetrulyrenedtoolsforspecicworkprac)ces
arenotimmunetotheseproblems.Infact,theymaybe
especiallysuscep)bletothem.
Duringthisearlyini)a)on,productstrategyeortsforknowl
edgeworkapplica)onsokendonotinvolvedesignthinking
inanyrealsense.Whenfacedwiththecomplexi)esofscoping
andconceivingaviablecompu)ngtool,designidea)on,atthe
)meofwri)ng,seemstotypicallytakeabackseatrole.This
isinstarkcontrasttomanyothertypesofproducts,especially
outsideofcompu)ng,wheredesignthinkingisincreasingly
beingusedasakeyapproachinearly,ini)a)ngconversa)ons.
Onedoesnotneedtolookveryfartoseehowgenera)ve
concep)ngofpoten)aluserexperienceshasbecomeacentral
exerciseinthedevelopmentofmanyoftodayssuccessful
brandsandproductstrategies.Yetinthemuchyoungerand
rela)velydistantdisciplinesthatdevelopcomplexonscreen
applica)ons,thepoten)alfordesignsstrategiccontribu)ons
hasnotbeenadequatelyrecognized.
Getting to Design Details Too Quickly

Attheendofaknowledgeworkproductsini)a)ngconversa
)ons,whenitappearsthataprojectwillbecomeafundedand
staedreality,thereisokenastrongdesirefromallinvolvedto
seesomethingotherthanhighlevelabstrac)onandtextual
descrip)on.Thecommonresponsetothisdesireiswhere
founda)onaluserexperienceproblemsbegintocrystallize.Ina
characteris)cstraighttothedetailsprogression,teamsquickly,
ins)nctuallymovefromhighlevelconsidera)onofproduct
strategyintothesmallestspecicsofaproductsdeni)on,
design,andimplementa)on.Theirapproachjumpsabruptly
fromtheglobaltotheextremelygranular,withouttheconnec
)ve)ssueofaholis)cmiddleground.
Partofthereasonforthisjumpincollec)vemindsetisan
increaseinteamsize.Lektotheirowndevices,newlyadded
teammembersokengravitatetowardthelevelofgranular
itythatistheirprimaryfocusduringtheextendedcourseof
productdevelopment.Toaspecialist,thismakesperfectsense.
Thesedetailedskillsarewhattheyaretypicallyvaluedand
promotedfor,andtheirnarrowexpertperspec)vesarepre
sumablywhytheyarebroughtontoprojectsintherstplace.
Theproblemwiththeseassump)onsisthat,whengelnginto
detailstoosoonandtoonarrowly,specialistsdecisionsmay
beunderinformedandlackingalargervectorofcrea)vityand
guidingconstraints.
Thecommonlycitedmaximoftheinuen)aldesignerCharles
Eames,thedetailsarenotthedetails,thedetailsmakethe
design,isausefultruismintheextendeddevelopmentof
viablecompu)ngapplica)onsforknowledgework.Akerall,ifa
specicpartofauserinterfaceismissingimportantop)onsfor
theworkprac)cesthatatoolisdesignedfor,thenitsusefulness
andusabilitywillsuerduringrealworldinterac)ons.Armed
withthisunderstanding,sometechnologistsimmediatelybegin
theirjourneyawayfromthevagariesofaproductsstrategy
towardsomethingmorereal.Withoutconsideringhowthey
mightbes)ingtheirownsuccessandinnova)ons,theseteams
beginhaphazardlyan)cipa)ngworkersdetailedneedsand
possiblecomplaintsasameansofsketchingasa)sfactory
conceptfortheirproduct.
Thepathofthestraighttothedetailsprogressionispredictable
andcommon.Productteamsenac)ngthisprogressionbegin
implemen)ngwithoutthevectorofalargerdesignstrategyto
guidethemthroughthemanyhighlyspecicchoicesthatwill
inevitablyfollow.Theirini)alconcep)onoftheirproductisrela
)velysimplis)c,buttheybelievethattheycancon)nuallymap
outthecomplexspecicsalongtheway,whetherindiagram
ma)cillustra)ons,textualspecica)ons,orinworkingcode.
Theymoveforwardwiththeimplicitassump)onthatinterac)ve
applica)ons,beingmadeofabstractcomputerlanguage,are
somehowhighlymalleable,andthatallencompassingxes
canbemadewhenneeded.
Inreality,productteamscrea)ngknowledgeworkapplica
)onsrarelyhavetheluxuryofextensivedownstreamrevisions,
despitetheirdeepseatedassump)onstothecontrary.When
theydoenjoytheluxuryofsuchchanges,thecostofthese
revisionscanbeprohibi)velyhigh.Forthisreason,keycorrec
)ons,addi)ons,andimprovementsarealltoookenputofor
thenextversion,ornextpublicreleasewiththeassump)on
thatuserswillbeabletoworktheirwayaroundanyissuesin
themean)me.Facinglimitedresourcesandcomplexchallenges,
manyteamsdevelopdistortedno)onsofwhatcons)tutes
acceptable,orevenexcep)onal,qualityanduserexperience.
15
Whilespecifyingeverydetailofacomplexinterac)veapplica
)onbeforeanyimplementa)ontakesplaceisalsonotgenerally
consideredaviableapproachtoproductdevelopment,atthe
)meofwri)ng,thependulumseemstohaveswungtoofarin
thedirec)onofimprovisingdesignstrategy.Prevailingstraight
tothedetailsideologiesarelargelyoutofstepwiththereality
ofresul)ngproductoutcomes.Asurveyoftheinexibili)es,
overextendedinterac)onframeworks,andscaZeredconcep
tualmodelsofcontemporaryknowledgeworkproductsinmany
domainscansucientlyprovethispoint.
COMMON APPROACH TO ITERATIVE APPLICATION DESIGN
Adding Features Until Magic Happens

Behindthestraighttothedetailsprogressionisabeliefthata
successful,evenvisionary,productwillsomehowemergefrom
thesumofcountlessdetaileddeni)on,design,andimplemen
ta)ondecisions(seeFigure1).Inthisview,applica)onscan
evolvefromacollec)onofsomewhatmodularpieces,solong
astheassemblagedoesnotsomehowbreakinthecontextof
usershumanlimita)onsandculturalexpecta)ons.Keepwork
ingonthedetailsandmagicwillhappenorsotheassump
)ongoes.
Thelargergestaltofaninterac)veapplica)onreceivesliZleor
noconsidera)oninthisframingofproductdevelopment.Teams
withthismindsetdonottypicallysketchdiverseconceptsfor
howtheircrea)oncouldmediateworkprac)ceinappropri
ate,innova)ve,andvaluableways.Tooverstatethecase,many
productteamsbelievethatknowledgeworkerscanbesupport
edbydirectlygivingthemwhattheywant,addingdetailstoa
toolasneededinasomewhatsystema)cmanner.Thisapproach
mayworkforawhileun)ltoolscollapsesalongfundamental,
structuralfaultlinesofconceptualclarity,informa)ondisplay,
andmeaningfulconsistency.
Eventhoughthemagichappensexpecta'onokenresultsin
poorlydesignedcompu)ngtoolsforknowledgework,the
straighttothedetailsprogressionmaybesuccessfullyapplied
toothertypesofonscreenproducts.Thismightexplainwhy
manyproductteamscrea)ngknowledgeworkapplica)ons
s)llholdontothesesharedassump)onsthereareposi)ve
examplesandwellknownbrandnamesthatcanserveastheir
referencepoints.Whenaproductsgoalsarerela)velysimple
orverywellcharacterized,asinahighlyestablishedgenreof
applica)on,teamscanhaveasharedgroundingwithoutac)vely
taking)metogrowthatcollec)veunderstanding.Forexample,
everyoneinatypicalproductteamprobablyunderstandshow
acollabora)vecalendarapplica)onworks,becausetheyuse
themeveryday.Iftheirunderstandinghappenstobelessthan
complete,teammemberscanprobablyroundouttheirviews
Begin creating individual

features, without spending
any time in the space
between high level product
strategy and detailed
product implementation
Iteratively add more discrete

parts, without considering
overarching ideas about
how the application could
mediate knowledge work
Until magic happens,

somehow unifying the
aggregation of separately
created minutiae
And a cohesive, or at least

satisfactory, application
supposedly emerges
In reality, such products
may be deeply and
frustratingly flawed,
driving poor user experience
and lesser outcomes in
targeted knowledge work
16
withouttoomuchdicultyordiscussion.Aproductteammay
evenbeabletocreaterealinnova)onsinthiskindofapplica
)onbymakingincrementalchangesinsmalldetailsbasedon
assump)onsaboutunmetneeds.
Crucial Understanding Gaps

Toolsforspecializedknowledgeworktypicallydonottthissort
ofmakeitupaswegomold.Oneofthemainreasonsisthat
productteamsinevitablyhaveadicult)meunderstandingthe
workprac)cesthattheyarestrivingtomediate.Theydonot
tacitlyknowtheculturesthattheyareaZemp)ngtosupport.A
baselevelofunderstandingaboutlargersystemsofac)vityand
meaningisnecessaryinordertodesignausefultoolthatwillbe
wellsuitedforthosesystems.Teamsneedtounderstandwhat
thearchitectElielSaarinenspokeofasthenextlargercontext.
Sokwaredevelopers,forexample,donotinherentlyknowwhat
itmeanstoanalyzeclinicalresearchdata,letalonehowthat
datatsintothelargerowsofac)vitywithinaresearchlab.
Whentechnologistsnditdiculttounderstandthemany
specicsofforeignandelaborateworkprac)ces,theymay
unwilnglyholdontoanini)al,roughlyhewn,consensusview
aboutknowledgeworkersac)vi)esandneeds.Thisview
canbecometheirframingpointofreferencethroughoutthe
developmentoftheirproduct,despiteincominginforma)on
thatcouldvaluablytransformit.Inprac)ce,themomentumof
adisorientedgroupsini)alconceptfortheircompu)ngtool
okenplacescertainideasattheprimary,drivingcoreofwhat
iseventuallydevelopedandreleased.Whatthearchitectand
psychologistBryanLawsoncallsaprimarydrivertakesholdin
theirdesignoutputs.Andinthesecases,asendusersofsuch
productscanaZest,magicdoesnotokenhappen.
Uncritical Reliance on Pioneering Ideas

Ifthepioneersofinterac)vecompu)nghadonlybeenthinking
aboutdetaileddesigndecisions,attheexpenseofthebigger
picture,theywouldhavelikelyneverenvisionedmanyofthe
conven)onsthatwecommonlyusetoday.Forexample,Douglas
Englebart,apivotalgureinthepioneeringera,hasdened
muchofhisworkinglifebasedonaseriesofepiphaniesabout
howtechnologycouldenhancehumanproblemsolving.
Duringa)mewhencomputersweres)llprimarilyusedfor
batchprocessmathema)caltasks,heenvisionedremarkable
possibili)esfortheapplica)onofcompu)ngtoknowledge
work.Ofpar)cularinterestisEnglebartsastonishing1962
descrip)onofanarchitectusinginterac)vecompu)ngasa
uidpartofcomplexworkprac)ces,longbeforesuchafuture
hadbeenrealized.InhisessayAugmen)ngHumanIntellect:
AConceptualFramework,Englebartoutlinedhowanarchitect
mightuseacomputertoreviewasymbolicrepresenta)onof
abuildingsite;considerdierentscenariosinexcava)onand
buildingdesign;refertohandbookandcatalogresources;locate
windowssothatlightisnotreectedintotheeyesofpassing
drivers;examinetheresul)ngstructuretoensurethatitdoes
notcontainfunc)onaloversights;andstoretheresul)ngwork
forlaterretrievalandannota)onbystakeholders(thearchitec
turalexamplesusedthroughoutthisbookareanhomageto
Englebartslandmarkapplica)onconcept).
Pioneersofinterac)vecompu)ng,suchasEnglebart,didnot
havetheluxuryofworkingonlyatthedetailedleveloftheir
emergingcrea)ons.Theyalsosetthevisionandgoalsfortheir
ownandsubsequentgenera)onsoftechnologicaldevelopment.
Lookingobjec)velyattheconversa)onstakingplaceinproduct
teamstoday,itappearsthatmanytechnologistsarerelyingvery
heavilyontheseandotherproceedingfounda)ons.Notonthe
intellectualspiritofthesefounda)ons,butontheirliteralcon
ven)ons.Asknowledgeworkapplica)onshavebecomestan
dardizedandcommonplacewithintechnologistsworldviews,
itseemsthatwemayhaveallbecomelimitedbyashared,infra
structuralsenseofwhatthesetoolscanandshouldbe.People
crea)ngtheseproductshave,tosomeextent,stoppedexamin
ingthemthroughacri)callensthatcoulduncoverimportant
newpossibili)es.Astheycon)nuetocopyandtweakexis)ng
standards,webecomeincreasinglyaccustomedtoacertainrate
ofchangeandacertainlevelofgeneric,allpurposedesign.
Whilevernacularevolu)oncertainlyhasitsplace,repe))on
offamiliarpaZernsisclearlynottheen)repictureofexcep
)onaldesignprocess.Knowledgeworktoolscanbemuchmore
thanthesumoftheirdiscretefunc)onalparts.Asolefocuson
detailedsalvagingandassemblingofthepastleavesnoroom
forother,importantpursuits.Ifproductteamsdonotexplore
dierentstrategiesfortheirapplica)onsoverallapproachto
media)ngwork,howwilltheyimaginenewtoolsthattruly
andvaluablytintoworkersspecializedthoughtprocesses
andcultures?
Embracing a More Strategic Creativity

Appropriateandexci)ngconceptsforknowledgeworktoolsare
builtonholis)cvision,notjustpaZernmatchingandincremen
talitera)on.Theyrequireacarefullyconsidereddesignstrategy
totametheirpoten)alcomplexi)esintoclear,useful,and
desirablesimplicity.
Theveryideaofdesignstrategyimpliestheselec)onofone
direc)onfromapoolofpoten)alapproaches,yetthemagic
happensexpecta'onrestrainsbreadthandidea)onbypromot
inganarrowtrackofimplementedreality.Inessence,teams
followingthestraighttothedetailsprogressionareprac)c
ingsinglevisionandconceptdesign.Theessen)al,elemental
shapesoftheirproductsaretheshapesthathappentounfold
infrontofthemakerthesumofmanysmalldecisions.They
deemphasizealargertypecrea)vity,whichinturnreduces
possibili)esforusefulandcompellinginnova)on.
Sohowcanproductteamscrea)nginterac)veapplica)onsfor
knowledgeworkembracethislargertypeofcrea)vity?Ifthe
straighttothedetailsprogression,themagichappensexpec
ta'on,andsinglevisionandconceptdesigncharacterizethe
mindsetthateventuallyleadstoproblema)corfailedcomput
ingtools,whatmindsetcanteamsadopttoavoidthesepitalls?
Introducing Application Envisioning

Generallyspeaking,productteamscancul)vateaperspec)ve
oftargetedyetopenexplora)on,withoutanalysisparalysis.
Theycanspendmore)meinthespacebetweenproduct
origina)onandproductimplementa)on.Theycancreatean
environmentwheredivergenceandamul)plicityofideasare
valuedintheirdiscussions.Theycanforgoanearlyemphasis
onspecicsbycrea)ngabstractmodelsthatvisualizetheir
understandingsandoutlinepoten)alspacesofdesignpossibil
ity.Theycanaskmoreques)onsintheirtargetedmarketsand
sketchnovelconceptsforhowtheirproductscouldplayarolein
knowledgework,whiledocumen)ngtangibleevidenceoftheir
ideas.TheycanbalancetopdowndecisionmakingwithboZom
upinputfromknowledgeworkersinordertosynthesizesingular
designstrategies.Thesestrategiescanembodyastrongbrand
posi)oningandthegroundingofateamsbestapplica)on
concept,assembledfromacoresetofsketchedfunc)onali)es
thattargetacarefullychosenscopeofworkprac)ces.
Thissuggestedapproachcanbesummarizedbythefollowing
phrase,whichappearsintheopeningpagesofthisbook:
Extensiveconcep)ng,basedonintensiveques)oning,
drivingvisionary,collabora)velydenedstrategiesfor
examplarytoolsforthought.
Istherearepeatablemethodologyorprocesstoadvancethis
changeinmindsetandgeneralapproach?Notinanystrict
sense,becausetheseexplora)onsareveryemergentandfree
form,despitetheirfocusednature.However,anameforthis
periodbetweenprojectini)a)onandprojectimplementa)on
couldallowteamstoeec)velyplanforit.Thetermapplica'on
envisioningsuggestsanearly,separateintervalinproductde
velopmentinwhichteamscaninten)onallyandcollabora)vely
considerpoten)aldesignstrategiesanddesignconceptsfor
theircompu)ngtool,ratherthanslidingdownalargelyuncon
sideredcourse(seeFigure2).
Applica'onenvisioningcanallowteamstocul)vateempathy
fortargetedknowledgeworkersandtheirworlds,laytheground
workforinspira)on,explorediverseques)onsandideasabout
whattheirproductcouldbe,anddevelopashared,bigpicture
viewwiththeassump)onthatmanyimportantdetailswill
needtobeeshedoutalongthewaytoacompletedrelease.
One(increasinglyrou)ne)processsugges)onforapplica'onen
visioningisthatthisearly,explora)ve)mepresentsasignicant
opportunityforproductteamstogetoutoftheirocesand
intotheeld.Teamscanstriveforwhatitslikeunderstanding
ofknowledgeworkerscurrentexperiencesbydirectlyobserv
ingandengagingintheirworlds.Whileimmersedintheac)vi
)esthattheyarestrivingtomediatewithcompu)ng,teamscan
uncoverunmetneedsandotherimportantinsightsfordesign
strategy.Thisimmersionmayalsoleadthemtostartthink
ingabouttheirproductasaservice,eitherliterallyorinspirit,
whichcanhighlightnewareasforinnova)onthroughongoing,
networkedconnec)on.Teamsmaytakeasenseofpartnership
withtargetedworkerssofarastoinvitethemtobecome
collaborators,maintainingahealthylevelofhumilityinthe
faceoftheirexper)se.
Anotherprocesssugges)onisforproductteamstolookoutside
oftheworkthattheyaretarge)nginordertocastnewlighton
theirenvisioningques)onsandtheiremergingdesignconcepts.
Whilepioneeringguresofinterac)vecompu)nghadtowork
fromanessen)allyblankslate,todaystechnologistsdonot
havetostartfromsquareonewhentheythinkaboutwhatit
mightmeantoaugmentcertainthoughtprocessesandac)vi)es
withcompu)ng.Thereisagrowingbodyofresearchand
cri)calperspec)vethatteamscanuseaslensesformaking
senseofthesecomplex,mul)faceteddesignproblems.Inorder
toextractpoten)alstrategicprinciples,teamscanexamine
compu)ngtoolsthathavebeensuccessfullyadoptedinto
similarac)vitycontextswithinothertypesofworkprac)ce.
Advancedanalogiestoproductsinotherdomainscanleadto
inspira)onthatmayfueltrulynovelsolu)onsthatdrawupon
seeminglyunrelatedeldsofendeavor.
Theideaofapplica'onenvisioninghasstrongparallelstomind
setsfoundinother,olderdesigndisciplines,whoseprac))oners
morecommonlyapplydesignthinkinginstrategicways.Forex
ample,productteamscrea)ngcompu)ngtoolsforknowledge
workcanlearnagreatdealaboutenvisioningnewtechnolo
giesfromthesuccessfulprac)cesofthebestindustrialdesign
17
teams.Theseteamsalsoshapepeoplesdailylivesthroughtheir
crea)ons,albeitwithafocusonthemassproduced,physical
embodimentofmaterialculture.Industrialdesignerstypically
take)meearlyintheirprojectstoexploredierentconceptsso
thattheycandivinetherightoverarchingdirec)onfortheir
product,ratherthanimmediatelyhoninginonandelabora)ng
asinglesolu)on.Thesedesignersokenconductvariousforms
ofresearch,synthesizingmodelsoftheirproblemspacebefore
movingforwardintodesignidea)on.Oncetheybeginidea)ng,
theytypicallysketchthumbnailakerthumbnailofpoten)al
op)ons,longbeforetheyevenconsiderrealis)crenderingsor
exac)ngspecica)ons.Fromtheseearlyexplora)onsindesign
research,industrialdesignteamscanuncoverimportantcon
straints,possibili)es,andlanguagesfortheirproduct.Theycan
discoverpoten)alemo)onalconnec)onswithendusersand
gainempathyforthecontextofasuccessfuloeringandbrand,
allofwhichputstheminstrongposi)ontodenesingularand
compellingdesignstrategies.
The Higher Goals of Flashbulb Interactions

Envisioningadiverserangeofappropriatepossibili)esfora
productisnotaneasytask.Evenwithasharedemphasison
amul)plicityofideas,prac))onersofalldesigndisciplines
some)mesfacethelureofliteral,smallscaleitera)onofknown
paZernswhenmoreinnova)veresponsescouldbeappropriate,
valuable,andfeasible.Applica'onenvisioningeortscanrep
resentafundamentalchangeinhowproductteamsdeneand
designinterac)veapplica)ons,butthischangealonemaynot
beenoughtoarriveatexcep)onaltoolsforknowledgeworkers.
Withouthigherordergoalsthataimtotrulyaugmentpeoples
intellectualskillsandabili)es,applica'onenvisioningcan
becomejustanotherphaseinproductdevelopment,without
anyoftheintended,strategicpayos.Ateamsowninfrastruc
turalgroundingintheconven)onsofcompu)ngcaneasilys)e
threadsofdivergent,meaningfulconcep)ng.Thegravityofthe
knowncaneasilyprecludemorecrea)veques)onsand
proposals.
AnewtermmaybeusefultoproductteamsastheyaZempt
touncovernewsourcesofvalueinknowledgeworkcomput
ing.Flashbulbinterac)onsareabranchofsortsooftheterm
ashbulbmemories,coinedin1977byRogerBrownand
JamesKulikinthepsychologyliterature.Aashbulbmemory
isarecollec)onthatstandsoutasaclearandpivotalmoment,
apunctuatedexperienceinthecompila)onofonespast.Ina
similarvein,aashbulbinterac)onisoneofthoserare
momentswhenaninterac)veapplica)onimpactsaknowledge
workerinsomeprofoundlyposi)veway,suchasmakinga
complexconclusionclearoropeningupanewvistaofthought.
APPLICATION ENVISIONING APPROACH TO DESIGN
Q
C
Q
C
C
Spend more time in the

space between high level
product strategy and
detailed product
implementation
Meaningfully question what

it could mean to mediate
certain knowledge work
activities with technology:
observing and talking with
targeted workers,
collaboratively modeling
the problem space,
and sketching diverse
design concepts
Strategically synthesize
the fittest overarching
vision and concept
for your product from
among an ecosystem
of envisioned futures
Then move forward with your

chosen design strategy and
design concepts, expanding
upon details, iteratively
implementing and gathering
further input
18
Productteamscanexplorehowtheircompu)ngtoolsmight
promoteashbulbinterac)onsbybeginningtheirprojectswith
thesehighlevelques)ons:
Whatarethebigpictureproblemsthatknowledge
workerscurrentlyfaceintheirworkprac)ces?What
mentalworkiscurrentlydicult?
Howmightourapplica)ontransformabstractand
taxingmentalworkintodynamic,highlyvisual,direct,
andappealinginterac)ons?
Howcouldourinterac)veapplica)onhelpknowledge
workersaccomplishthebestworkoftheirprofessional
lives?Whatwouldthoseoutcomeslooklike?
Howcouldourapplica)onsupporthighlyvaluedwork
outcomesthatcouldnotbea/ainedwithoutitsfunc
)onali)es?
Howcouldourapplica)onreduceoreliminaterou(ne
tediuminknowledgeworkersexperiences,whileal
lowingthemtousetheirexper(seinnewandvaluable
ways?
Howcouldourapplica)onfosterandclarifyuseful
communica(onandcollabora(on?
Howcouldourapplica)onpromoteasenseofcondent
poweranduninterrupted,focusedengagement?
Howmightthetransi)ontousingourapplica)onbea
pleasurableexperiencethatworkerswillrememberfor
yearstocome,especiallywhentheyreectonhowthey
usedtoaccomplishthesamegoals?
Theseques)onsareadirectaZackonlowexpecta)onsof
technologiesforknowledgework.Theycontainanop)mism
thatissimilartopioneeringques)onsthatleadtothecre
a)onofinterac)vecompu)ng,buttheycanbeappliedtothe
groundedpar)cularsofspecicchallengesthatproductteams
facetoday.Mostimportantly,whentechnologistshaveasked
theseques)ons,theymaynditdiculttofallbackonliteral,
smallscaleitera)onofknowndesignpaZerns,knowingfullwell
thatmoreinnova)veresponsescouldbeappropriate,valuable,
andfeasible.
Productteamsarenotlikelytoknowifandwhentheyhave
generateddesignstrategiesandconceptualsketchesthatcould
resultinproductsthatmeettheseaspira)ons,butthatsortof
absolutedecisionmakingisnotthepointofconduc)ngthese
inquiries.Instead,teamscanposetheseandotherques)ons
aboutashbulbinterac)onsinordertotaketheireyesoof
theconven)onalstateofknowledgeworkcompu)ngandbegin
consideringpoten)alnarra)vesforexcep)onallyposi)veuser
experience.Thischangeinperspec)vecanuncoversurprising
ideasanddesignconstraintsthat,inturn,canhelpteamsto
beZerunderstanddeepseatedopportuni)esthattheir
applica)onmightaddress,aswellaswhatthosesolu)ons
mightlooklike.
Summary of Case for Application Envisioning

Tosummarize,contemporarycompu)ngtoolsforknowledge
workokencontainsignicantdesigndecienciesboth
recognizedandoverlookedthatdetractfrompeoples
workinglives.Lookingbeyondthecurrentstateofthesetools,
interac)vecompu)nghasremarkablepoten)alforimproving
thinkingwork.Anearlyemphasisondesignstrategyanddesign
concepts,notdesigndetails,canbecrucialfordevelopingtruly
successfulcompu)ngtoolsinthisspace.Productteamsthat
embraceearlyenvisioningasacentralexerciseinapplica)on
development,alongwithsignicantlyelevatedgoalsforuserex
periences,cangenerateappropriateandinnova)vepossibili)es
foremerginggenera)onsofknowledgeworktools.Byintensely
ques)oningwhatitcouldmeantomediatespecicthought
processesandworkprac)ceswithaninterac)veapplica)on,
theseteamscandeveloptoolsthatdelivermoreenjoyableand
relevantexperiences,beZerworkoutcomes,improvedbrand
loyalty,andothervaluableresults.
Using This Book

Thisbookisatoolforproductteamstouseastheyenvision
neworitera)velyimprovedknowledgeworkapplica)ons.It
presents100ideasthatcanremindteamsofcommonfactors
forthedesignofextraordinarycompu)ngtools,helpingthem
togenerateagreaterdiversityofsketchedmodels,frameworks,
andconcepts.Eachconciselypresentedenvisioningideaisa
specicconsidera)onforearly,forma)veconversa)onsabout
whatanapplica)onmightbecome.Theserandomaccess
topicsareinten)onallyenmeshedandoverlapping,notmutu
allyexclusive.Thecategoriza)onofthe100ideassketchesan
overallframeworkandisintendedtoimprovetheircollec)ve
accessibilityasanenvisioningreference.Theresul)ngcollec)on
isaprac))onerorientedsynthesisthatcanexpandtherangeof
ques)onsthatproductteamsexploreastheygeneratepoten
)aldesignstrategiesanddesignconceptsinherentlyraising
theirsharedexpecta)onsfortheirproductsposi)veimpactson
knowledgework.
The100ideasthemselvescanbetracedtoarangeofsources
andperspec)vesinproductstrategy,humanfactors,human
computerinterac)on,systemsanalysis,industrialdesign,
interac)ondesign,informa)onarchitecture,usabilityresearch,
computerscience,andotherprofessionalspecial)es.Many
oftheideasarerootedincommonlycitedconsidera)onsand
guidelines,thoughtheyhavebeenframedherespecicallyfor
usewhileenvisioningcompu)ngtoolsforknowledgework.
Someofthesecommonlycitedpointscalloutspecicfunc)on
ali)esthatarecurrentlyavailableinasubsetofcontemporary
products,whileotherstouchuponbroaderconnec)onstothe
technologicalcontextsthatworkersprac)cewithin.Thisbook
alsoborrowsliberallyfromthoseauthorswhohaveputforward
ideasthathaveadvancedmyownworkasaprac))onerprovid
ingresearch,strategy,anddesignservices.Thesepublica)ons
canbefoundinthebibliography.Beyondcommonlycitedideas
andvaluedreferences,anumberofthe100ideascanbetraced
backtospecicstoriesfromrealworldproductteams.These
envisioningideaswereconsideredassump)onsinsomegroups
oftechnologistsandmissinginothersgroupsinawaythat
pointedtotheirvalue.
Avarietyofaudiencesmayndthe100ideasinthisbook
useful:
Productmanagersandotherleaderswithinorganiza
)onscanusetheseideastopromoteinnova)vedesign
strategiesandtoinspiretheirteamstosethighergoals
forproductsuccess.
Researchersinves)ga)ngthecharacteris)cs,prac)ces,
andpoten)altechnologicaldesiresofcertainpopula)ons
ofknowledgeworkerscanusetheseideastooutlinea
broaderrangeofques)onsfortheirstudies.
Denersofinterac)veapplica)onscanusetheseideas
asprobestogeneratemodelsands)mulatestrategic
thinkinginworkshopsandotherrequirements
elabora)oneorts.
Designersofinterac)veapplica)onscanusetheseideas
toiden)fyimportantuserexperiencefactorsfordier
entac)vitycontexts,tosketchabroaderrangeofdesign
concepts,andtomakemoreinformeddecisionsabout
designstrategyinthisspace.
Stakeholdersandinuencersinapplica'onenvision
ingcanusetheseideastodriveproductteamstowarda
broaderconversa)onaboutwhatitmightmeanto
valuablyaugmentspecictypesofknowledgework.
Studentsmayndthissurveyoffactorsinforma)ve,
gainingasenseforthepoten)albreadthofconsider
a)onsthatcaninuencethedesignofthese
compu)ngtools.
Book Approach and Exclusions

AlthoughmuchofthetextiswriZenasifthereaderispartof
productteamdesigninganewknowledgeworkapplica)on,the
sameideascanapplywhenrevisingorextendinganexis)ng
tool.Similarly,thetonebutnottheprimaryinforma)on
ofthisbookokenreectstheinterestsofproductteamswork
ingincommercialcontexts.Pleasenotethatthisbooksideas
mightbejustasapplicabletotoolscreatedbyanopensource
communityordevelopedinternallywithinknowledgework
organiza)ons.
100ideasisaveryroundnumber,anditpointstothelimita
)onsofthisbook.Justasthereisnosetrecipeforeec)ve
productdevelopment,therearemanyother,equallyvalidideas
forenvisioninginterac)veapplica)onsforknowledgework.The
ideasinthisbookwereselectedduetotheirpoten)alimpacts
inawiderangeofapplica'onenvisioningconversa)ons.Many
oftheideasrepresentgenerallyimportantconsidera)onsthat
arecommonlyoverlookedincontemporaryproducts.That
beingsaid,someoftheideaswillpresumablybemuchmore
importantforspecicproductcontextsthanothers.Noneofthe
100ideasareuniversalsordoordieedicts.Pleasetakethemor
leavethem,dependingonthesitua)onyoundyourselfinand
yourbeliefintheirvalue.
Thereaderwillndfewmen)onsofspecictechnologiesinthis
book,otherthanfrequentreferencestocertaingenresofnet
workedapplica)onsusedinarchitecture,clinicalresearch,and
nancialtrading.Forexample,thisbookdoesnotfocusonWeb
technologies,eventhoughthe100envisioningideascouldbe
extensivelyappliedtoWebbasedtools.Therearealsolimited
referenceswithinthe100ideastospecicmethodologies,other
thansomegeneralapproachestomodelingworkprac)ce(the
hierarchyofopera)ons,tasks,andlargerac)vi)esiscoarsely
adaptedfromAlexeiN.Leon)evsAc)vityTheory)andinterac
)ons(BenShneidermansObjectAc)onInterfaceModel,
withoutitsemphasisondirectmanipula)on).Thisexclusionof
extensivetechnologyandmethodologyreferenceswasinten
)onal.Ideally,productteamsusingverydierenttechnological
founda)onsandmethodologicalapproacheswillndthisbook
tobeuseful.Intheend,allviablemethodologieshavesome
placefordetermininganapplica)onsessen)alformanddirec
)on,regardlessofwhatthatpar)cularprocessboxhappensto
becalled.Pleaseinsertthisbooksapplica'onenvisioningideas
there.
Althoughthisbookcontainsideasforthedevelopmentofnew
technologies,itisanythingbutsomeaZemptatdistantfutur
ism.Instead,thefocushereisprimarilyonpersonalcomput
ingapplica)onsthatcouldconceivablybeinfrontoftheeyes
ofknowledgeworkersatthe)meofwri)ng,giventhestate
19
ofcontemporarytechnologies.Thedomainspecicexamples
usedthroughoutwillreinforcethisfocus.Althoughsomeofthe
func)onali)esdescribedintheseexamplesarepresumablynot
availableinrealworldtools(nospecicproductswerereferred
toduringthewri)ngorillustra)onofthisbook),theyarein
tendedtorepresentrealis)cpossibili)esforinterac)vecomput
inginthepresenttense.
Thirteen Categories of Envisioning Ideas

The100envisioningideasarebrokenintothirteendierent
categoriesthatformchaptersofsorts.Whilethesechaptersare
suitedtorandomaccessskimming,somereadersmayben
etfromhavingrstfamiliarizedthemselveswithkeyideasin
categoriesA,B,andC,suchasInterrela)onsofopera)on,task,
andac)vityscenariosorInten)onalandar)culatedconcep
tualmodels,iftheyareunfamiliarwiththeseno)ons.
Thefollowingbriefdescrip)onsofthethirteenideacategories
concludethisintroductorysec)on:
CategoryA,Exploringworkmedia)onanddeterminingscope,
containsnineideasthatcanhelpproductteamspursueuseful
understandingsofknowledgeworkprac)ce.Theseunderstand
ingscaninforminsightulmodelsanddesignconcep)ng,which
caninturnilluminatewhereanapplica)oncouldprovideappro
priateanddesirablevalueinworkersexperiences.Theideasin
thiscategorydescribethepoten)alimportanceofinves)ga)ng
workersphysicalandsocioculturalenvironments;determin
ingtasksandlargerac)vi)esthatareconducivetomedia)on
withcompu)ngtools;andsuppor)ngspecializedneedsrelated
toemergentwork,collabora)vework,andindividual,localized
prac)ces.
CategoryB,Deninginterac)onobjects,containstenideas
thatcanhelpproductteamsenvisionclear,understandable
onscreenen))esforknowledgeworkerstoactonandwithin
ordertoaccomplishtheirgoals.Theideasinthiscategoryhigh
lightthepoten)alimportanceofinterac)onobjectsdeni)ons,
iden)ca)on,associa)ons,states,aggedvariability,owner
ship,rela)onshipstospecicinterac)ons,andtemplates.
CategoryC,Establishinganapplica)onframework,contains
tenideasthatcanhelpproductteamsenvisionconsistent,un
derstandableapplica)onconceptsthatenvelopeandorganize
variousfunc)onali)esformedia)ngwork.Theideasinthis
categoryhighlighttheimportanceofapplica)onsconceptual
models,interac)onmodels,dieringlevelsofinterac)onpat
terns,naviga)onpathways,iden)tytailoredviews,states,
andotheroverarching,structuralconsidera)ons.
CategoryD,ConsideringworkersaZen)ons,containsseven
ideasthatcanhelpproductteamsenvisionfunc)onality
conceptsthateec)velyaccountforthestrengths,limita)ons,
expecta)ons,andcustomsassociatedwithworkersaZen)ons.
Teamscanrefertothissec)onwhenenvisioninghowtheirap
plica)onsmightsupportusersdesirestoremainproduc)vely
focusedontheirchosenvoca)ons.Theideasinthiscategory
highlightthepoten)alimportanceoftemposofwork,expected
eort,opportunitycosts,distrac)on,engagement,resuming
work,alertsfunc)onality,thedevelopmentofhabitandauto
ma)city,andotheraZen)onalconsidera)ons.
CategoryE,Providingopportuni)estoooadeort,contains
sixideasthatcanhelpproductteamstoenvisionfunc)onality
conceptsthatcouldreduceunwantedknowledgeworkeort
whileatthesame)mekeepingworkersintheseatofcontrol.
Theideasinthiscategoryhighlightthepoten)alimportanceof
ooadingmemoryburdens;automa)ngappropriateopera
)ons,tasks,andac)vi)es;allowingworkerstomaintainan
internallocusofcontrol;andprovidingmeaningfulvisibilityinto
theinternalworkingsofautoma)on.
CategoryF,Enhancinginforma)onrepresenta)on,contains
elevenideasthatcanhelpproductteamsenvisionhowsystems
oftailoredandinterac)veinforma)onrepresenta)onscould
providevalueintargetedknowledgeworkprac)ces.Theideas
inthiscategoryhighlightthepoten)alimportanceofrepresen
ta)onalcoordina)on,genre,novelty,rela)onships,transforma
)on,andinterpreta)onaids,aswellassomespeciccategories
ofinforma)ondisplay.
CategoryG,Clarifyingcentralinterac)ons,containsseven
ideasthatcanhelpproductteamssuccessfullyenvisionkey
interac)onscenarioswhileeshingoutsketchesoftheircentral
func)onalityconcepts.Theideasinthiscategoryhighlightthe
poten)alimportanceofinterac)venarra)ve,clarityaround
levelsofselec)on,specicinstancesoferrormanagementand
workspaceawareness,supportforimpromptutangents,pre
senta)onofrelevantsuppor)nginforma)on,andtransi)oning
workoutcomesfromprivatetopublicview.
CategoryH,Suppor)ngoutcomeexplora)onandcogni)ve
tracing,containsfourideasthatcanhelpproductteamsenvi
sionsupportforknowledgeworkersscenarioorientedexplora
)onofpoten)aloutcomes,aswellashistoricalreviewofappli
ca)oncontent.Theideasinthiscategoryhighlightthepoten)al
importanceofversioning,undo,ac)onhistoryforinterac)on
objectsorfunc)onalareas,andprivate,workingannota)ons.
CategoryI,Workingwithvolumesofinforma)on,contains
sevenideasthatcanhelpproductteamsenvisionfunc)onality
conceptsformanagingandworkingwiththemassesofinforma
)onthataregeneratedby,andreferencedthroughout,knowl
edgeworkac)vi)es.Theideasinthiscategoryhighlightthe
poten)alimportanceofexibleorganizingmethods;searching,
ltering,andsor)ngapplica)oncontent;handlinguncertain
datasets;integra)nginforma)onsources;providingmessag
ingaroundcontentupdates;andarchivingunusedyetvalued
informa)on.
CategoryJ,Facilita)ngcommunica)on,containssevenideas
thatcanhelpproductteamsenvisionappropriatesupportfor
bothimplicitandac)vecommunica)oninknowledgework
prac)ces.Theideasinthiscategoryhighlightthepoten)al
importanceofintegratedcommunica)onac)ons,representa
)onalcommonground,workhandos,authorshipinforma)on,
featurestofacilitatecontactbetweenworkers,publicannota
)onofinterac)onobjectsandfunc)onalareas,standardized
genresofcommunica)ons,andprin)ngop)onsthatcant
workerscommunica)onneeds.
CategoryK,Promo)ngintegra)onintoworkprac)ce,con
tains13ideasthatcanhelpproductteamsenvisionapplica)on
conceptsthat,beyondbrandedmarke)ngclaims,areintended
tounfoldasrelevantandapproachabletoolsfortargetedtasks
andlargerac)vi)es.Teamscanalsousetheseideastoenvision
extensibilitythatcouldallowtargetedindividualsandorgani
za)onstobindnewtoolstotheirexis)ngcompu)ngsystems
andcustoms.Theideasinthiscategoryhighlightthepoten)al
importanceofapplica)onlocaliza)on,introductoryexperiences,
earlyaZribu)onsofusefulness,dieringdesignapproaches
basedonfrequencyofaccess,carefullyconsidereduser
assistance,applica)oninteroperabilityandintegra)on,end
userprogramming,credibilityofcontentandprocesses,and
athandapplica)onreliability.
CategoryL,Aimingforaesthe)cuserexperiences,contains
veideasthatcanhelpproductteamsenvisionamoreenjoy
able,appealing,domainappropriate,recognizable,and
poten)allyuniquedirec)onsfortheirapplica)onsaesthe)cs.
carefullydesignedknowledgeworkoutputs,mee)ngor
exceedingcontemporaryaesthe)cstandards,exploringsmall
buticonicdesignresemblancestoknowndomainar)facts,pur
suingclearillustra)oncontentanddirectbranding,andconsid
eringiconoclas)caesthe)csdirec)ons.
CategoryM,Planningconnec)onwithuse,containsfourideas
thatcanhelpproductteamsenvisionwaystoan)cipate,learn
from,andsupporttherealworlduseoftheircompu)ngtools.
havingearlyanditera)veconversa)onswithtargetedknowl
edgeworkers,suppor)ngsystemchampionsthatcouldadvance
productadop)on,fosteringandlearningfromapplica)onuser
communi)es,andconsideringthepoten)alforunan)cipated
usesoftechnologicalop)ons,longbeforetheirimplementa)on
hasbegun.
FRONTMATTER
Primer on Example Knowledge Work Domains

Thissec)oncontainsbriefbackgrounddescrip)onsofthethree
knowledgeworkdomainsusedasexamplesthroughoutthis
book:architecture,clinicalresearch,andnancialtrading.These
exampledomainsshowthe100envisioningideasinac)on
inspeciccontexts.Byincludingthreedomainsinsteadofone,
eachenvisioningideapresentsanopportunitytoillustrateuse
fulparallelsandcommonali)esthatcanbedrawnacrossvery
dierenttypesofworkprac)ce.
Thefollowingbackgroundcontentisgreatlysimpliedwhen
comparedtothecomplexityofrealworkinanyoneofthese
threeelds.Thesamecanbesaidfortherelatedexamples
foundthroughoutthe100envisioningideasthemselves.
Specialistsintheseprofessionswilllikelyndthisbooksde
scrip)onsoftheirvoca)onstobelackinginimportantspecics.
Theyare.Pleasenotethattheseomissionsareinten)onal.
Thistextisafastaccessreferencetokeyideasthatcanimprove
applica'onenvisioningofknowledgeworktools,notacompre
hensivesourcebookforanyoneprofession.
20
Architecture
Architectsandtheirrms,generallyspeaking,seektoprot
ablycreatewelldesigneddrawingsforbuildingsthataddress
complexcriteria.Thesecriteriacanbesetbydiversestakehold
erssuchasclients,civilengineers,governmentregulators,and
thegeneralpublic.Architectsalsosetmanycriteriathemselves,
basedontheirtrainingandtheirpersonalperspec)veson
whatcons)tutesgooddesign.Toreachtheseaims,architects
frequentlytransi)onbetweensynthe)ccrea)vityandhighly
analy)calproblemsolving.Theprocessofarrivingatagreed
uponbuildingdesigns,andcarryingthemforwardthrough
construc)on,caninvolvemanydierenttypesofac)vi)esand
workprocesses.Forthisandotherreasons,teamsofarchitects
andconsultants,ratherthanasingleindividual,areoken
responsibleforthedesignofanygivenproject.
someofarmsapplica)onsareusuallytailoredspecicallyfor
architecturalprac)ces,architectsalsoemploystandardproduc
)vitytoolsandothergeneralpurposeproductsaspartoftheir
technologicalrepertoires.
Thegenera)onsofarchitectsworkingtodayhavevarying
desiresandexpecta)onsfortheirownuseofinterac)veappli
ca)ons.Someofthemoreexperienced,seniorarchitectshave
remainedre)centaboutusingcompu)ngintasksthatthe
majorityofarchitectsnowexclusivelyaccomplishonscreen.
Theseexperiencedprofessionalsokenfocusonhowcompu)ng
toolscanlimittheexpressivenessandclarityofarchitectural
outputs,whileatthesame)meaddingahighdegreeoflearn
ing,abstractness,andcomplexitytotheirownworkprac)ces.
Thisre)cenceisinstarkcontrasttonewprac))onersinthe
eld,whoareexpectedtohaveastandardsetofskillsthat
includeseec)veopera)onofmanyofthelatestcompu)ng
tools.Inbetweenthesetwoextremesareprac))onersthat
arehighlyskilledatusingtheirfavored,provenproducts,and
canmakethesechosentoolstawidevarietyofsitua)ons.
Atthe)meofwri)ng,asubsetofleadingarchitecturestudios
hasastronginterestinadop)ngnewtechnologiestoaccom
plishtheiraims.Someevenconsidertheiruseofadvanced
compu)ngapplica)onsasoneoftheirkeydieren)atorsinthe
marketplace.Manyoftheexpressive,curvilinear,andasymmet
ricalgeometriesfoundincontemporaryarchitecturewouldbe
eec)velyimpossibletoresolvewithoutthetypeofinterac)ve
explora)onsthatareavailablewithincontemporarycompu)ng.
Addi)onally,someculngedgearchitectshavebecomeinter
estedinhowcertaintoolscanprogramma)callygeneratenovel
formsandbasedonitera)velydenedrulesandconstraints.
Visionsofinterac)veapplica)onsinarchitecturalprac)cebegan
rela)velyearlyinthehistoryofcompu)ngandcon)nuetohold
remarkablepromiseforfutureexpansion(seetheearliermen
)onofDouglasEnglebartslandmarkapplica)onconcepton
page16).Thesetechnologicalpossibili)eshavebeentempered
bytheestablishedprofessionalculturesinmanyarchitecture
rms,whichhavehistoricallybeenrela)velyslowtoadopt
availablecompu)ngtools.Atthe)meofwri)ng,foranimpor
tantrangeofreasonsthatarelikelytopersistforsome)me,
aconsiderableamountofarchitecturalprac)ceiss)llbeing
accomplishedoutsideofcompu)ngenvironments.
Duringtheintervalsofaprojectwherearchitecturermsdofre
quentlyturntointerac)veapplica)ons,theymayuseavariety
ofproducts,includingcomputeraideddraking(CAD)andother
toolsforexploring,visualizing,simula)ng,presen)ng,revising,
detailing,andcommunica)ngdesignpossibili)es.While
Akey,recentdevelopmentintheindustryhasbeentheintro
duc)onofBuildingInforma)onModeling(BIM),atermthat
encompassesanemergingclassofcompu)ngapplica)onsthat
isbeginningtodriveradicalchangesinarchitecturalprac)ce.In
BIM,theen)redesignofabuildingisstoredasacollabora)ve
virtualmodelthatcanbemodiedandreferencedbydierent
contributorstoaproject,purportedlyimprovingcommunica
)onandreducingrepresenta)onalmisunderstandings.Since
BIMinherentlypresentsmanyofthechallengesthatcanoccur
whenaZemp)ngtosupportcollabora)veworkwithinterac)ve
applica)ons,ahypothe)calbuildingmodelingapplica)on
appearsthroughoutthearchitecturalexamplesincludedinthe
100envisioningideas.
Thec)onalarchitectinthisbooksexamplesworksata
mediumsized,culngedgestudiowitharobustcompu)ng
infrastructure.Sheiss)llintherela)velyearlyphasesofherca
reer,thoughshealreadyhashereyesetonbecomingapartner
somedayorstar)ngasimilarprac)ceelsewhere.Atherlevel
ofseniority,sheisageneralist,withresponsibili)esthatrange
fromclientworkshopstoitera)velydevelopingdesignand
construc)ondocuments.Sheispartsketchbookdreamer,part
diplomat,andpartdetailorientedworkhorse.Herworkplace
goalsinclude:
Surpass,oratleastmeet,clientexpecta)ons
Createappealing,func)onal,highqualitydesigns
Incorporatecompellingideasandgooddesigninto
buildingdrawings
Collaborateeec)velytomeetprojectbudgetsand
)melines
Contributetoawardwinningworkthatimpresses
partnersinherrm
BuildingInforma'onModelling|Applica'onConcept
FRONTMATTER|PRIMERONEXAMPLEKNOWLEDGEWORKDOMAINS
21
Clinical Research
mining,toelectroniclaboratorynotebooksforkeepingtrackof
experimentalprogress.Totheunini)ated,steppingintoalarge,
wellfundedlabcanfeelsomethinglikesteppingintosomefu
turis)cversionofanindustrialproduc)online,withmany
sta)onsandthebuzzofhumanandmachineac)vity.
Clinicalresearchscien)sts,generallyspeaking,wanttomake
applieddiscoveriesrelatedtohumanhealth.Thesescien)sts
adoptdiversemethodsandtechnologiestoaZacktheirresearch
problems,dependingonthenatureofthetopicunderstudy
andresearchersownareasofexper)se.Dierentresearch
ques)onsandmethodologicalapproachesareokenfundedand
staedatdierentlevels,thoughtheselevelscanchangedras)
callywhenpromisingresultsappear.Adhocprocedurescan
quicklybecomeestablishedprotocolsasaclinicallabseorts
progressfromminimallystaedexplora)onstoalarger,
produc)onworkforceofexperimenta)on.
Manyclinicalresearchlabsstudythegene)cproper)esof
samplesinordertounderstandthepresenceorabsenceof
characteris)csthatmaybeper)nenttotheirresearchprob
lems.Makingcondentconclusionsinthesetypesofstudiescan
requireamassivenumberofexperiments,resul)nginvolumes
ofdatathatarediculttomanageoutsideofcompu)ng
environments.
LabInforma'onManagement|Applica'onConcept
Lifescien)sts,alargercategorytowhichclinicalresearcherscan
besaidtobelong,wererela)velyearlyusersofcompu)ng,and
theyhavecon)nuedtodrivesomeofthemostexci)ngprog
ressintheapplica)onofinterac)vetoolstoknowledgework.
Although)mespentatthelaboratorybenchhasremaineda
stapleofmanyclinicalresearchac)vi)es,extensiveonscreen
workhasalsobecomepartoftheessen)alcharacterofthese
scien)stsworkinglives.
Clinicalresearchlabsdierintheiradop)onofspecialized
compu)ngtools,basedinlargepartontheirbudgetsandthe
characteroftheirresearch.Labswithlimitedcompu)nginfra
structureokenfocusonstoringexperimentaldatainacentral
repositoryandprovidinglaboratorystawithtypicalproduc)v
ityapplica)ons,whichtheymaythensupplementwithavariety
opensourcetools.Atthe)meofwri)ng,clinicallabswithmore
extensivecompu)nginfrastructurehavetheop)ontoadopt
technologiesfornearlyeverystageofexperimentalworkow,
rangingfromsampleprepara)onrobo)csandautomated
instrumenta)on,tospecializedanalysissokwarefordata
LabDataAnalysis|Applica'onConcept
Themostfrequentlyusedapplica)oninmanyclinicallabsisthe
LaboratoryInforma)onManagementSystem(LIMS).LIMS,atits
mostextensive,keepstrackofallstoreddataaboutalabora
tory,fromthestockontheshelvestotheresultsofgene)c
tests.Manyofthesesystemsalsoprovidefunc)onalityfor
deningandmonitoringlaboratoryworkow,allowingscien)sts
todesignanddistributeexperimentalprotocolsforlabtechni
ciansandautomatedinstrumentstofollow.SinceLIMSareoken
opentointegra)onwithotherapplica)ons,theycanbecome
acentralhubforconnec)ngallofalaboratoryscompu)ng
infrastructure.
Applica)onsforanalyzingclinicaldataareanimportantclass
oftechnologiesthatmaybeconnectedtoaLIMS.Theanalysis
toolsdesignedforthescien)cmarketrepresentsomeofthe
mostadvancedexamplesofinterac)veapplica)onscurrently
availabletoknowledgeworkers.Thesetoolscantakeseemingly
countlesspiecesoflaboratorydataandpresenttheminways
thatallowscien)ststounderstandtrends,uncoveranomalies,
andmakedecisions.Robustvisualiza)onfunc)onalitycanallow
researcherstosikthroughexperimentalresultsfromavariety
ofperspec)vesbasedonemergentwayndingapproaches.In
clinicalresearchareaswherecertainestablishedanalysesare
okenusefulforunderstandingdata,highlytailoredfunc)ons
canautomateknown,wellcharacterizedtestsandpresent
theirresultsinclearandac)onableinforma)ondisplays.
Thec)onalscien)stinthisbooksexamplesconductsclinical
research,largelyfundedbygovernmentgrants,onpopula)ons
withadeadlyhereditarydisease.Shehashadmanyyearsof
academictrainingandexperienceandisvaluedforherintel
ligence,depthofknowledge,insights,andpersonaldrive.She
hasrecentlybecomethePrincipleInves)gatorofherown
researchlab,withresponsibilityoverallofitsclinicalprograms
andpersonnel.Hernewfacilityhasextensivecompu)nginfra
structure,andshehasbeenabletoselectLIMSandanalysis
applica)onsthatpresentthebestavailabletforherplanned
researchapproaches.Herworkplacegoalsinclude:
Makediscoveriesthatleadtoimprovementsin
humanhealth
Designinnova)vestudiesandprotocols
Mentorstudentsandsta
Ensurethatlabtechnicianshavewhattheyneedto
conductexperiments
Analyzeexperimentaldataasthoroughlyaspossible
Publishleadingndingsinreputablejournals
Managelabresourceswisely
FRONTMATTER|PRIMERONEXAMPLEKNOWLEDGEWORKDOMAINS
22
Financial
Trading
Themanyspecializa)onsofnancialtradingare,generally
speaking,abouttheexchangeofnancialinstrumentstomaxi
mizereturnsfortraders,theirrms,andtheirclients.Theteams
thataccomplishthesegoalsarecomposedofdis)nctroles
andestablishedhierarchicalstructuresthathelpensurestrict
accountability.Oneimportantdis)nc)oninnancialrmsper
sonnelisthepervasivesepara)onbetweentradingandback
ocegroups.Whiletradersmakedecisionsaboutac)onsin
theirmarkets,thebackocecompletesthedetailedworkthat
makesdealshappen,suchasbilling,accoun)ng,andanyrecon
cilia)onofspecicsthatmightbeneeded.
SpecializedTrading|Applica'onConcept
exchangeshavecreatedopportuni)esfortradingautoma)on
basedonpredened,quan)ta)verulessetwithinandexecuted
bycompu)ngtools.Insitua)onswherethissortofautoma)on
isusedextensively,actualconversa)onsoutsideofonesown
rmmayoccuronlyinspecialcases,suchasnego)a)onsover
largedeals,orasaninten)onalmeansofbuildingspecic
businessrela)onshipsthroughpersonalconnec)on.
Real)memarketinforma)onfeeds,aswellasawealthof
onlineresearchfunc)onality,havecreatedthepoten)alfor
informa)onoverloadandexcessivecogni)veburdensin
traderswork.Successfultraders,havingadaptedtothis
poten)allyoverwhelmingcontext,becomeskilledatknowing
whentoinvest)metoresearchatransac)onandwhenitis
morebenecialtosimplyexecuteadealbasedonimmediately
availableinforma)on.Thesechoicesof)meandaZen)onare
made,inpart,basedontheinputandvisibleac)vi)esofother
traders.Onscreentoolsforsuppor)ngcollabora)onareoken
supplementedwithshoutstocolleaguesacrosstheroomorvia
aglobalsquawkboxintercomsystem.
Whiletheuseofcompu)ngisuniversalinmodernnancial
organiza)ons,individualrmshavevaryingaltudesabout
providingnewtechnologiestotheirworkforces.Somerms
conductupdatestotheircompu)nginfrastructureinlong,safe
cycles,whileothersarecon)nuallyaZemp)ngtoimprovethe
produc)vityoftheirstabyprovidingthemindustryleading
applica)ons.
Thehistoryofnancialtradinghasstrong)estoadvanced
applica)onsofcommunica)ontechnologies.Tradersarecom
munica)vepeople,andongoingrela)onshipsbasedonstable
interchangeshavetradi)onallybeenanecessityinorderto
securefavorabletransac)onsinmarketsover)me.Thedesire
forthemostcurrentmarketinforma)onpossiblehasdriven
successivegenera)onsoftraderstorapidlyadoptnewtechnol
ogies.Forexample,oneoftherstapplica)onsofthetelegraph
wasthetransmissionofmarketdata,andinasimilarvein,many
nancialorganiza)onswererela)velyearlyadoptersof
communica)onviacomputernetworks.
Compu)ngautoma)onandinterac)veapplica)onshavehad
profoundimpactsonprofessionalprac)ceinnancialtrading.
Althoughcontemporarytradersmays)llbevocalpar)cipants
intheirmarkets,atthe)meofwri)ng,manytypesoftrading
transac)onsaretypicallyaccomplishedwithoutanyfacetoface
orphoneconversa)on.Insteadofverbalinterac)on,communi
ca)oninthesespecial)esnowcommonlyinvolvestheexchange
oftextualinforma)ononcomputerscreens.Thesenetworked
SpecializedMarketAnalysis|Applica'onConcept
Themaindriversforadop)ngnewtechnologiesintotradingac
)vi)eshavebeenpromisedincreasesineciencyandvolume,
reduc)onsinerrors,warehousingofusefuldata,andfreeing
workersfrommenialac)onssothattheycanspendmore)me
conduc)ngsmarterbusiness.Financialrmsokendevelop
theirownspecializedcompu)ngtoolsinternally,andwhenthey
purchaseapplica)onsfromnicheproductvendors,theymay
substan)allycustomizethemduringtheirsystemintegra)on
processes.Outsideofdomainspecicproducts,bothtraders
andbackoceworkersmakeextensiveuseoftypical,othe
shelfproduc)vityapplica)onsandcommunica)ons
technologies.
Thec)onalnancialtraderinthisbooksexamplesworksin
theagshipbuildingofaleadingglobalnancialrm.Hiscom
panyisknownformakingsignicantinvestmentsincomput
inginfrastructureforitshighlysoughtakersta.Hehasbeen
innancialservicesforafewyears,butiss)llatapointinhis
careerwherehewantstostayfocusedondaytodaytrading.
Heismo)vatedbymonetaryrewards,buthealsoenjoysthe
responsibility,risktaking,rapiddecisionmaking,andintensive,
momenttomomentfocusofmarkettransac)ons.Heisahighly
socialperson,andisknownbycoworkersandothertradersas
awitandconversa)onalist.Hisworkplacegoalsinclude:
Workfastandsmart,makingdecisionsquickly
Exceed,oratleastmeet,nancialtargets
Maintainbusinessrela)onshipsandhavegood
conversa)ons
Behonestandfairwithcounterpar)eswhile
advancingorganiza)onalgoals
Keepcurrentonrelevantmarketnewsandtrends
100APPLICATIONENVISIONINGIDEAS|IDEACATEGORY
A. Exploring Work Mediation

and Determining Scope
Valued computing tools can seemingly fit
into certain parts of knowledge workers
actions and thought processes, usefully
meshing within the flows of their own goals.
Designing for such a harmonious pairing
requires critical exploration of potential
interventions into targeted activities.
During application envisioning, product
teams can model and rationalize knowledge
work from a variety of perspectives in order
to understand how certain practices might
be usefully mediated by their own onscreen
applications.
23
Ideasaboutthepoten)alrolesthataproductcouldplayinknowledgeworkcanarise
indierentways.Productteamsworkingwithinmaturegenrescanbuildandinnovate
basedonexis)ngunderstandings.Teamsseekingtocreatenovelapplica)ons,whether
tailoredtoaspecicworkplaceoralargermarketsegment,canhavemoreextensive,
fromthegroundupques)onstoconsider.Ineithersitua)on,teamscaninten)onally
reevaluateandeshouttheirini)alideasabouttheirproductscontribu)onsto
workersac)vi)es.
Sincesomuchofknowledgeworkistacitandoccursinsideworkersminds,itcanbe
dicultforproductteamstogathertheinforma)onthattheyneedtocreateuseful
sharedmodelsofcurrentworkprac)ceanditschallenges.Directobserva)oninwork
environmentsanditera)ve,par)cipatorymodelingprocessescanhelpteamsgain
insightsintowhatworkershavedicultyrememberingandar)cula)ng.
Dierentapproachestomodelingworkprac)cecanframecertainproblemspacesin
dierentways.Teamscanusethesedieringframestoiden)fyareasforfruituldesign
concep)ng,suchasneededbasicsforacompu)ngtool,poten)alareasfor
improvement,andworkersunmetneeds.
Thiscategorycontains9ofthe100applica'onenvisioningideasinthisbook:
A1.Inuen)alphysicalandculturalenvironments
A2.Workersinterrela)onsandrela)onships
Teams can use these models to sketch

divergent functionality concepts, eventually
drafting an appropriate and desirable scope
for their computing tool.
A3.Workprac)cesappropriateforcomputermedia)on
A4.Standardiza)onofworkprac)cethroughmedia)on
A5.Interrela)onsofopera)on,task,andac)vityscenarios
A6.Openandemergentworkscenarios
A7.Collabora)onscenariosandvaria)ons
A8.Localprac)cesandscenariovaria)ons
A9.Highvaluera)ofortargetedworkprac)ces
Productteamscanusetheseideastoexplorehowdierentunderstandingsofknow
ledgeworkprac)cecaninformdiverseapplica)onconceptsandreneddesignstrate
gies.Evenwhenaproductsini)alchartertargetsaspecicdomaingoalorac)vity,
moreexpansivemodelingandidea)oncanhighlightopportuni)esformoresystemic
responsesandvaluableinnova)ons.
Thecentralno)onofthiscategoryappliestoalloftheapplica'onenvisioningideas,
thoughitismostcloselyrelatedtotheDeninginterac)onobjects(B),Establishing
anapplica)onframework(C),Promo)ngintegra)onintoworkprac)ce(K),
andPlanningconnec)onwithuse(M)categories.
100APPLICATIONENVISIONINGIDEAS|A.EXPLORINGWORKMEDIATIONANDDETERMININGSCOPE
A1. Influential Physical and Cultural Environments

The environments that knowledge workers practice within
which includes both their multidisciplinary organizations and
the larger cultural context of their professions can pose key
challenges and opportunities for product teams as they attempt
to outline appropriate and compelling design strategies.
How could your teams insights into the realities and

constraints of targeted knowledge workers physical and
cultural environments shape your application concepts?
How might your computing tool meaningfully and valuably
fit into these complex contexts?

Examplesfromthreeknowledgeworkdomains:
Morespecicques)onsforproductteamstoconsiderwhileenvisioningapplica)ons
forknowledgework:
Anancialtraderdependsonmanyelementsofhisoceenvironmenttoaccom
plishhiswork.Fromtheyellingdistanceproximityofkeycolleagues,totheavail
abilityofspecializedcompu)ngandcommunica)ontools,totheinhouseservices
thatallowhimtoworklate,hefeelsthathisrmhasdoneeverythingitcanto
supporthimashestrivestositathisdeskandfocusonmaximizingprotsfor
hisgroup(seeillustra(on).
Ascien)storganizesthespa)allayoutandbenchassignmentsofherclinicallabto
promotefrequent,unplannedcommunica)onandtheeec)veexecu)onofstruc
turedresearchwork.Therearefewoces,andmostofthecompu)ngwork
sta)onsareplacedonornearbencheswheretechniciansrunexperiments.
Anarchitectsdesktopcomputerissituatedinanopenoorplanroomdedicatedto
asinglebuildingproject.Thewallsofthespacearecoveredwithlargeprintoutsof
currentwork.Shetypicallydoesnothavetogoveryfartohaveaninformalconver
sa)onwithanyoneonherprojectteamthoughshes)llndsthegrouptobe
toohierarchical.
Whatsizeandvarietyoforganiza)onsmightyourteambetarge)ngwithyour
interac)veapplica)on?Howsimilararetheseenvironmentstoeachother?
Financial
Trader
Howcouldspecicculturalcharacteris)csoftargetedworkersenvironments,such
assharednorms,values,andcustoms,impactthestrategicdirec)onofyourteams
compu)ngtool?

Whatbreakdownsinworkprac)cearecurrentlycausedoraggravatedby
environmentalfactors?Couldthesebreakdownsrepresentpoten)al
opportuni)esforyourproduct?
Howdophysicalcontextsshapeworkerscommunica)ve,coopera)ve,and
collabora)veeorts?
Howareimportantworkar)factslocatedwithinphysicalspaceandcultural
zones?Whatunderstoodnormssurroundtheiruseindierentenvironmental
circumstances?
Whataltudesdotargetedknowledgeworkershaveregardingtheirownmobility?
Whatac)vi)esdotheyexpecttobeabletoaccomplishatvariousloca)ons?
Fellow Traders + Shared Ways of Working

Dependable Enabling Technologies
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderthepoten)alinuenceofphysicaland
culturalenvironmentontheiremergingideasaboutworkmedia)onandapplica)on
scope,opportuni)estoclearlysituateproductswithintheireventualcontextscanbe
lost.Applica)onsthatdonotadequatelyreectphysicalreali)es(K1)andculturalset
)ngs(A2,C5,B7)canbemoredicultforworkerstolearn(D2,D3,K2,K6)andmaynot
beseenasuseful
oraZrac)veop)ons(K3).
Seealso:A,B8,C4,F2,G7,K10,M
Howhavethesecharacteris)cschangedover)me,andwhatdirec)onsarethey
trendinginnow?
Howdoestheconcentra)onordistribu)onofrelatedphysicalspacescurrently
impactknowledgeworkersprac)ces?
%$"' $#"!"&
Allknowledgeworkoccursinaphysicalandculturalenvironment,andsuccessful
individualscanbequiteadeptatmakinguseoftheirsitua)onalcontexts.Whilethe
conven)onalcubiclerowremainsastereotypedlandscapeforknowledgework,many
professionshavespecializedworkplaceschemesthathaveevolvedthroughouttheir
history(C7,G4).Changingorganiza)onalstructuresandphilosophies,inconjunc)on
withtheexpansionofcomputernetworksandothercommunica)ontechnologies(J),
havecreatedopportuni)esforsometypesofknowledgeworktobecomegeographi
callydistributed,remoteorevennomadic.
Productteamscanholis)callymodeltargetedselngsinsearchofvaluableinsightsthat
couldbemeaningfullyreectedintheirdivergentapplica)onconcepts.Forexample,
knowledgeworkersimmediateculturescanexertpowerfulinuencesoverthepurpose
andcharacterofwhattheyconsidertobestandardnormsandcustomaryprac)ces.At
amacrolevel,individualworkersmayalsolearnfromandcontributetocommuni)esof
prac)cethatspanmul)pleorganiza)onsandgeographicloca)ons(M3).
24

Howmightdierentmodelsandunderstandingsoftheseenvironmentalfactors
allowyourteamtoenvisionapplica)onconceptsthatcouldessen)allybelong
intargetedcontexts?
Doyouhaveenoughinforma)ontousefullyanswertheseandotherenvisioning
ques)ons?Whataddi)onalresearch,problemspacemodels,anddesign
concep)ngcouldvaluablyinformyourteamsapplica'onenvisioningeorts?
A2. Workers Interrelations and Relationships

Social interactions in knowledge work activities often involve
multiple categories of organizational roles and outside stakeholders. The cultural characteristics of knowledge workers
social worlds can pose key challenges and opportunities for
product teams as they attempt to outline appropriate and
compelling design strategies.
Anarchitecttypicallyworkswithotherarchitectsonherteam,projectmanagers
andpartnerswithinherstudio,avarietyofspecializedexternalconsultants,andher
clients.Asabroadgeneralist,shehasdierentgoals,expecta)ons,andmethodsof
workingwitheachofthesegroups,andshewantstousecompu)ngtoolsthatwill
notgetinthewayofthesedieringapproaches(seeillustra(on).
Anancialtradertypicallyworkswithothertraders,backocesupport,several
levelsofmanagement,andmanybusinesscontactsoutsidehisrm.Thetechnolo
giesandprocessesthathiscompanyhasbuiltupover)meexpressunderlying,top
downyetsharednormsandvaluesabouthowthesedierentgroupsshould
formallyinteract.
25
How could your teams insights into the connectivities and

qualities of targeted knowledge workers relationships shape
your application concepts? How might your computing tool
usefully and meaningfully reflect these social realities?

forknowledgework:
Howareworkforcesdividedupintheorganiza)onsthatyourteammightbe
targe)ngwithyourinterac)veapplica)on?
Whatrolesdodierentgroupsofknowledgeworkersplayinthecontextof
dierentac)vi)es?
Architect
Howdothesegroupsofworkersoverlapandinterrelate?Howcouldyourteam
characterizetheirgoalsandaZributesbasedonobservedrela)onsinrealworld
selngs?
Whichsocialnetwork)esandinterpersonalinterac)onsarethemostimportant
forsuccessfulworkprac)ce?
! #" "! #

!$ !
Which)esdotargetedworkersenjoyandvalue?
Ascien)sttypicallyworkswithotherresearchersinherclinicallab,thelabstech
nicians,representa)vesfromregulatorybodies,anumberofvendors,principle
inves)gatorsatotherlabs,andmembersofthescien)ccommunityatlarge.As
theheadofherlab,shewantstohavesomemeasureofcontroloverallofitskey
internalandpublicinterac)ons.
Whichinterac)onsareproblema)c?Couldthesebreakdownsrepresent
Whatdirec)onsaretheseinterpersonalconnec)onstrendingin?Whatchanges
inorganiza)onalrela)onshipshaveoccurredintherecentpast?
Whatoverridingmanagementaltudesaboutworkersinterrela)onscould
inuencethesuccessofyourcompu)ngtool?
Knowledgeworkisokenperformedwithincomplexsocialspheresthatcontainarange
ofoverlappingculturalexpecta)ons(A1).Aspartofeverydayworkprac)ce,successful
individualscanbecomeskilledatac)ngwithin,andmakinguseof,certaininterpersonal
rela)onships.
Productteamscanmodeltheserela)onshipsinsearchofvaluableinsightsthatcould
bemeaningfullyreectedintheirdivergentapplica)onconcepts.Conven)onalprofes
sionalprac)ces,alongwithunderstoodworkowandpowerstructureswithinorganiza
)ons,maydictatehowdierentactorsworktogethertoaccomplishcertainoutcomes
(A4,C6).Addi)onally,localwaysofworkingmayariseorganicallyfromasharedground
ingofimplicitnormsandcustoms,whichcanbereectedindivisionsoflabor(A7,A8)
andresul)ngar)facts(B).
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhowthespecicsofworkerssocial
worldsmightimpacttheiremergingideasaboutworkmedia)onandapplica)onscope,
opportuni)estoclearlysituateaproductinthecontextoftheseinterpersonalnetworks
canbelost.Applica)onsthatdonotallowexpectedsocialinterac)onsorreectex
pectedpowerrela)onships(A2,C5,B7)canbemoredicultforworkerstolearn(D2,
K2,K6)andmaynotbeseenasusefuloraZrac)veop)ons(D3,K3).Theseproducts
mayalsonotadequatelysupportimportantcoopera)veorcollabora)veworkprac)ces
(C7,G4)suchashandos(G7,J3)andotherformsofcommunica)on(J).
Seealso:A,B8,C8,M
Howmightdierentmodelsandunderstandingsofthesesocialfactorsallowyour
teamtoenvisionapplica)onconceptsthatcouldimprovevaluedinterpersonal
interac)onsforallinvolved?
Construction Team
Consultants
Client
Internal Team
A3. Work Practices Appropriate for Computer Mediation

Interactive applications can provide knowledge workers and
their organizations more value in some activity scenarios
than in others. To drive an appropriate and compelling
application scope, product teams can balance the desire to
usefully facilitate targeted workers goals and practices with
contemporary limitations of the computing medium.
Where in your teams big picture characterizations of knowledge

workers activities do you see potential value and possibility for
useful and meaningful mediation by a computing tool? From a
vantage point that emphasizes targeted workers mental efforts,
where is there less potential value and possibility?
*

!
4

###
forknowledgework:
Ascien)sttestsavarietyofnoveltechniquestoensurethatherlaboratoryistaking
advantageofthelatestclinicalresearchmethods.Whilesheusescertainfunc)on
ali)esinherlabsonscreenapplica)onstoperformthesetests,shedoesnotexpect
thesecompu)ngtoolstosupportsuchopenexplora)onstothesamedegreethat
theysupporthighvolume,standardizedexperiments(seeillustra(on).
Anancialtraderspendsmostofhisdayusinginterac)veapplica)onstoaccom
plishpredictabletasks.Sinceheknowsthatthesetoolscanmakeimportanttransac
)onssomewhatimpersonal,heokenspendspartofhisdaystrengtheningbusiness
rela)onshipsthroughinformalphoneandfacetofacechats.
Anarchitectbeginsherprojectswithfreeformsketchingofpoten)alshapesand
ideas.Shewillnotuseherbuildingmodelingapplica)on,whichemphasizes
exac)ngdetails,toperformthisveryuidearlywork.
Foravarietyofreasons,notallknowledgeworkprac)cesarewellsuitedtobeingmedi
atedbyaninterac)veapplica)on.Workersmayvaluetheircurrent,oinemethodsof
accomplishingcertaintasksorlargerac)vi)es(A5)toanextentthattheydoandnot
wanttochangetheirprovencustoms.Evenwhenpeopleareopentocertainchanges,
thelimita)onsofcontemporarycompu)ngmayprovetooconstrainingforsometypes
ofthinkingwork(D1).Forexample,conven)onalcompu)ngtoolsinherentlystan
dardizeac)vi)esinwaysthatcanrestrictexplora)on(A4),andtheytypicallysupport
collabora)onbyoeringhighlyindividualis)cac)onswithincoopera)veenvironments
(C7,G4).
Withknowledgeworkerspreferencesandthelimita)onsofcurrenttechnologiesin
mind,productteamscancarefullytargetac)vi)eswheretheirapplica)oncoulddesir
ablyandfeasiblyprovidevalue.Sinceworkersmaybrieyusecompu)ngtoolseven
ininten)onallyoineac)vi)es,teamscanalsorespectullyenvisionmoreee)ng
touchpoints(G5).Thesebriefpointsofconnec)oncansome)messerveasvaluable
opportuni)estosupportsmallergoalswithtailoredfunc)onality,suchastheability
toinformadecisionbysearchingforrelatedinforma)on(B8,I5).
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderwhethertargetedworkprac)cesare
appropriateandconduciveforonscreeninterac)on,resul)ngapplica)onsmaycontain
extensivefunc)onali)esthatarenotpar)cularlyappreciatedbyknowledgeworkers.
Theseproductsmaybediculttolearnandclumsyinac)on(D2,K2,K6,K13).When
organiza)onsmakesuchtoolsastandardpartoftheirprocesses,workersmayresent
thesetechnologiesandlimittheirownuseofthem(D3,K12).
Seealso:A,C6,D4,E5,M1,M4
26
Whatpor)onsoftheirworkprac)cesdotargetedindividualsandorganiza)onsnot
wanttomoveonscreen?Whatpor)onswouldtheyliketohavesupportedbyan
interac)veapplica)on?Why?
Clinical
Scientist
Howmightcontemporarycompu)ngbetooclosed,individualis)c,andconstraining
fortheknowledgeworkthatyourteamistarge)ng?
Whichworkprac)cesdonotinherentlylendthemselvestobeingmediatedbya
neartermcompu)ngtool?
!!

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5###
Whichworkprac)cescouldberipeforonscreensupport,facilita)on,and
enhancement?
Whatlargertrendsandadvancedanalogiesintechnologyadop)oncouldvaluably
informyourteamsdecisionmakingaboutwhichac)vi)estotarget?
'0,)+-.+-1+-(
,-+&/%.+*+-(
Arethereanyopportuni)esforyourapplica)onconceptstosupportsmallpor)ons
ofotherwiseoscreenwork,ratherthanlargerexpansesofworkprac)ce?
Howmightyourteammodelandusetheseunderstandingstoenvisionfunc)onality
concepts,poten)alapplica)onscopes,andlargerstrategicdirec)onsforyour
product?

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A4. Standardization of Work Practice through Mediation

When interactive applications introduce new possibilities in
support of knowledge work practices, they often also introduce
new levels of standardization. Product team can envision
appropriate levels of freedom and constraint in their application
concepts, which can range from a slight narrowing of available
choices to the restrictive organization of entire activities.
Where in your teams big picture characterizations of knowledge

workers activities could inherent standardization be valuable in
a supporting computing tool? Where might targeted individuals
and organizations view standardization as restrictive and
problematic?

forknowledgework:
Anancialtraderusedtocommunicateaboutcertaintopicsthroughavarietyof
dierentchannels,butnowhefrequentlyuseshisnewtradingapplica)oninstead
ofreachingforotherop)ons.Ithasfunc)onalitythatallowshimtoquicklysend
targetedmessagestorelevantpar)es,andhelikestheideaofhisgroupstandard
izingtheirapproachtocommunica)on(seeillustra(on).
Anarchitectusedtohavedierentapproachestoaddingconstruc)onnotesto
dierenttypesandscalesofdrawings.Whenherstudiomadetheswitchtousinga
buildingmodelingapplica)on,whichhasverydierentimplica)onsandopportuni
)esforthesenotes,sheworkedtoinformandeducateexternalcolleaguesabouta
newsetofnota)onstandards.
Ascien)stsetsupproceduresforherlabtechnicianstofollow.Whiletheseproce
dureshavealwaysbeenconsistent,theintroduc)onofherlabsnewinforma)on
managementapplica)onhasfacilitatednewlevelsofusefulstandardiza)onthat
hadpreviouslybeentoodiculttoachieve.
Interac)veapplica)onsinherentlycontainsomestandardizingconstraints.Forexample,
dataaZributesmayhaveapredenedlistofvalidop)ons,andnaviga)onpathways
betweenfunc)onalareasmaybestrungtogetherinmeaningfullypredeterminedways
(C4).Somedesignsforcompu)ngtoolsaremoredirec)vethanothers,andchanneling
constraintscanhavedierentlevelsofmutability,rangingfromsomewhatexibleto
highlyxed(K6).
Productteamscansketchstandardizingconstraintsthatareusefulandwellsuited
totargetedtasksandlargerac)vi)es.Dependingonstandardiza)ongoals,arou)ne
knowledgeworkprocedurecouldbesupportedwithasetofrandomaccesstoolsinan
openapplica)onworkspace(A6,G2),anen)relyxedinterac)veworkow(C6,D4),
orevenanautomatedprocedure(E3,E4).Whenincomingrequestsforstandardiza)on
areinconsistent(A2,A7,A8),teamscanmapconsistenciesandvariabili)esinorderto
envisiondefaultapproaches,alongwithmethodsofcustomizingthosedefaultstomeet
localprac)cesandindividualneeds(C8,D1).However,some)meseec)vestandards
simplycannotbedened.
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhowimplicitorexplicitstandardiza
)onmightimpacttheiremergingideasaboutworkmedia)onandapplica)onscope,
opportuni)estoprovidevaluableinexibili)escanbelost.Whenapplica)onscontain
inappropriatestandardiza)on,theycancreatefrustra)ngandunpersuasivelimita)ons
onac)on,poten)allyleadingtodicul)esinadop)on(K)andexcessivelyeortul
workarounds(D2,D3).
Seealso:A,B5,E,F,G1,J6,L2,M1,M4
27
Whichstandardiza)onsofworkprac)cedotargetedindividualsandorganiza)ons
currentlyvalue?Why?
Financial
Trader
Wherehavetheyinten)onallyavoidedstandardiza)on?Wheredotheydisagree
onthetopic?
Whatvaluedoesstandardiza)onprovideincurrentprac)ces?
Whodenedcurrentstandardiza)ons?Howweretheyintroduced?

%
Whichareasofworkprac)cearetrendingtowardmorestandardiza)on?
Whicharetrendingtowardless?
Howareagreeduponworkprac)cesformalizedintostructuredworkprocesses
withintargetedorganiza)ons?Whatmightyourteamlearnfromthesetransi)ons?
Wherecouldconic)ngstandardiza)onrequestsmakeitdiculttodeneuseful
onscreensupport?Atwhatpointarerequeststoodiverseforasinglecompu)ng
tooltobeeec)veforamajorityofusers?
Whatadvancedanalogiesaboutstandardiza)onsinothereldscouldvaluably
informyourteamsstrategicidea)on?
Howmightyoursketchedfunc)onalityconceptsmaintainorexpanduponexis)ng,
usefulstandardiza)ons?
, .
/

Whatopera)ons,tasks,orevenen)reac)vi)esthatyourteamisconsidering
foryourproductsscopewilllikelyrequirefurtherstandardiza)oninordertobe
supportedeec)vely?
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Whichpartsofyoursketchedapplica)onconceptscouldimplyfurther
standardiza)onbydesign?Couldtheseconstraintsbeahindranceorwillthey
meaningfullydirectinterac)onandworkoutcomes?
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A5. Interrelations of Operation, Task, and Activity Scenarios

Knowledge workers granular actions can be categorized as
operations, which overlap and interrelate into larger tasks,
which themselves overlap and interrelate into the larger unit
of activities. Explicit models of these multi-tiered relationships
can help product teams envision interactive applications that
are much more than haphazard collections of unconnected,
discrete functions.

Anarchitectperformsmanysmallopera)onsinherbuildingmodelingapplica)on,
progressivelycomple)ngseparatetasksthatincrementallyadvancetheproject.
Theseindividualadvancements,inconjunc)onwithhercolleaguescontribu)ons
tothesamemodel,resultinaseriesofitera)ons,whicheventuallyresultina
completeandapproveddesign(seeillustra(on).
Architect
Intheprocessofra)onalizingknowledgeworkforsystemdesign,productteams
inevitablybreakdownlargerworkprac)cesintosmallerpieces.Theymaycharacterize
segmentsofworkbyinputsandoutputs,theactorsinvolved(A2),relatedgoals,and
manyotherfactors(J3).Whilethisdeconstruc)veapproachcanbeakeymethodfor
developingmeaningfulunderstandingsofworkersbehaviors,itrunstheriskofsever
inginherentlinkagesthatcanbeessen)alforeec)veenvisioningofusefulandusable
compu)ngtools(C4,G1).
Productteamscanconnectcharacterizedunitsintonetworksand)eredhierarchies
thatreectworkerscurrentanddesiredprac)ces.Theycanrecognizethatwhenthey
envisionaspecicac)vityaspartoftheirapplica)onsscope(A3,A9),theyaregoing
tohavetosupportatleastsomeofitsrelatedtasksandopera)ons.Teamscandiscover
thattheselinkagesbetweenunitsmaynotbeexclusive,sothat,forexample,thesame
taskcanbe)edtotwodierentac)vi)es,withslightvaria)onsbasedondierencesin
context(A7,A8).Theymayalsoseethattheinterrela)onsinherentinworkprac)ces
couldsuggest,forexample,abasisforautomatedfunc)onality(E3,E4)orconnec)vity
withothertechnologies(B8,K8,K9,K10).
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhowtheinterrelatednatureofworkers
prac)cesmightimpacttheiremergingideasaboutworkmedia)onandapplica)on
scope,opportuni)estoenvisionclearlydened,easilynavigable,andfunc)onally
appropriateproductscanbelost(C1,C2).Consideringtheseinterrela)onscanbe
par)cularlyimportantwhenteamsarecrea)ngnoveltoolsthatdonothavecore,
establishedconven)onstofallbackon(F2,L2).
Seealso:A,B4,B5,C6,F1,G5,K,M1,M4
From a vantage point that emphasizes knowledge workers

mental efforts, how might your team break down your big
picture characterizations of targeted workers practices into a
useful and meaningful hierarchy of activity, task, and low level
operation elements?
forknowledgework:
Whichopera)onsaresodiscretethattheyprobablydonotneedtobeincludedin
yourenvisioningprocess?Howmuchdetailistoomuchdetailwhenthinkingabout
afounda)onalmodelthatyourteamcanusetosketchpoten)aldesignstrategies
andapplica)onconcepts?
WhatusergoalsandotheraZributesmightyourteamcaptureforeachopera)on,
task,andlargerac)vityinyouremergingra)onaliza)onsofknowledgework?
Anancialtraderperformsanumberofstepswhilecomple)ngeverytrade.These
individualtradescontributetohislargergoalofadvancingtheprotabilityofhis
rmbymaximizingthevalueofhisowntransac)ons.
Ascien)stanalyzestheclinicaldatageneratedbyherlabtechniciansakereach
roundoftheirexperiments.Theseindividualanalysesaccumulateintoastudys
ndings,whichthenleadtofurtherstudies,inachainofresearchthatcontributes
totheaccumulatedknowledgeofherclinicaleld.
28
Howshouldthediscrete,individualelementswithinyourteamsmodelsofcurrent
anddesiredworkprac)cesoverlap,nest,andinterrelate?
Couldindividualopera)onsmaptomorethanonetask,oraretheystrictly
hierarchical?

Couldindividualtasksmaptoseveraldierentac)vi)es?
Couldindividualac)vi)esmaptoother,largerac)vi)es?
Howmightthemappingofanindividualworkelementtomul)plesitua)onschange
howitisprac)cedunderdierentcircumstances?Wherecouldvaria)onsbasedon
thesemappingsbedras)cenoughtocallthemoutasdierentprac)ces?
Howmightdierentscenarioowsthroughyourteamsra)onalizedmapsofwork
prac)cedrivedierentrequirementsforfunc)onalityconcepts?
Whichthreadsandmappingsinyourmodelscouldbeessen)alforenvisioningyour
applica)onsconceptualmodel,interac)onmodel,andpathwaysforgoaldirected
waynding?
A6. Open and Emergent Work Scenarios

Some knowledge work tasks and larger activities involve
solving complex, undefined problems where workers goals
and methods evolve within unfolding pathways of effort.
These emergent scenarios can be supported by interactive
applications that present useful flexibilities, which product
teams can envision as largely unsequenced but interrelated
patterns of mediated work.
29
What areas of your teams emerging models of work practice

are accomplished through open and emergent pathways of
knowledge work rather than strict, process oriented action?
From a vantage point that emphasizes targeted workers mental
efforts, how much functional flexibility could be required to
valuably support these cases?

forknowledgework:
Ascien)stsuseofheranalysisapplica)onishighlycon)ngentonwhattrendsshe
discoversinherlabsclinicalresults.Withinthetoolsdatavisualiza)onfunc)onal
i)es,hergoalscanchangedras)callybasedonthepaZernsthatappearakereach
visualtransforma)onthatsheexplores(seeillustra(on).
Anarchitectisworkinginherbuildingmodelingapplica)ononaoorplanfora
hospitalscri)calcareward.Shetriesoutanumberofdierentroughlayoutsthat
couldmeettheprojectsrequirements,evolvingherowncriteriaforasuccessful
solu)onassheexploresdierentideas.
Whattasksorlargerac)vi)es,withinthescopeofworkthatyourteamis
inves)ga)ng,takeshapethroughtheimprovisa)onalstructureofworkers
prac)ces?
Clinical
Scientist
Whatdotargetedworkersaccomplishintheseopenandemergentscenarios
andvaria)ons?
Whataretheini)a)nggoalsineachofthesecases?Howcanthosegoalsevolve
throughdierentseriesofac)ons?

Istheknowledgeworkdomainthatyourteamistarge)ngtrendingtowardmore
improvisa)onortowardfurtherspecializa)onofdenedprocessesandroles?
Anancialtradersworkisprimarilycomposedoffrequent,brief,discrete,and
habitualac)ons.However,somepartsofhisworkareokennotsorou)ne,suchas
conversa)onsaboutproblema)ctradesorlargepoten)aldeals,bothofwhichcan
followirregularprocessesandrequireunpredictableamountsof)me.
Sometypesofknowledgeworkareprac)cedwithoutstepbystepproceduresoreven
highlevelroadmaps.Workersmaybegintheseprac)ceswithcleargoalsinmind,but
theirinten)onscanevolveasoutcomesunfoldthroughaprogressionofac)ons.Tosuc
cessfullyaccomplishthesescenarios,individualscanbecomehighlyskilledatrecogniz
ingpaZerns,situa)onallyturningtosupplementalresourcesandtools(G5,K8,K9),
makingmeaning,tes)nghypotheses(F8,F9,I2,I3),revisingtheirexpecta)ons
andunderstandings,anddeningsuccess(L1).
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&)$'+*%"
&)$'+*%#
Whatsitua)onsintheseimprovisa)onalscenariostriggerworkerstomake
decisionsaboutsubsequentapproachesandac)ons?
Whatarethemostimportantpointsofexibilityforyourteamtoconsiderwhen
aZemp)ngtosupporttheseworkprac)ces?
WhatotherpaZernsandregulari)escanyourteamndinthesecloudsof
poten)alscenarios?Howmightyouusetheseinsightstoideateusefuland
meaningfulfunc)onalityconcepts?
,$.
Thevaria)onsthatstemfromopenandemergentwaysofworkingcanbedicult
forproductteamstoappropriatelycaptureintheirshared,ra)onalizedmodels(A7,
A8).Insomecases,asinglemodeloftheseworkprac)cescancoveracri)calmassof
importantvaria)ons.Inmanyothercases,teamsmaybenetfromcrea)ngmodels
thatrepresentacloudofpoten)alscenariosaninterrelatednetworkoflargely
unsequencedpaZernsofac)on.
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhowopenandemergentscenariosmight
impacttheirdevelopingideasaboutworkmedia)onandapplica)onscope,resul)ng
productsmaylacknecessaryexibili)es(A9).Inthenameofstandardiza)on(A4),prod
uctteamsmaycrystallizeprocessesbasedoninadequateunderstandingsofcomplex
reali)es(B8,C8),resul)nginapplica)onsthatcanbedicultforworkerstoadoptand
use(D2,D3,G1,K).Attheirworst,thesehindrancestoopenandemergentworkcan
beevidencedintheoverallframeworkofacompu)ngtool(C1,C2),whichcanbean
excessivelydicultissuetocorrectinimplementedproducts.
Seealso:A,B4,G6,H,I5,K3,K6,K11,M1,M4
Howdotargetedindividualsandtheirorganiza)onsviewtheimportanceofopen
andemergentprac)ces?Dotheywishtheyweremorestandardized?Dothey
valuetheiropenness?
Howcouldsupportfortheseprac)cesimpacttheoverallscopeandframeworks
ofyourapplica)onconcepts?
,(.
Howfarmightyourteampushcertainexibili)esforopenandemergentprac)ces
beforetheinterac)onclarityofyoursketchedcompu)ngtoolsbeginsto
breakdown?
, .
, -
.
A7. Collaboration Scenarios and Variations

Even apparently individualistic knowledge work practices can
have key collaborative, or at least cooperative, scenarios and
variations. By actively envisioning how these cases might be
supported by an interactive application, product teams can
avoid common and disruptive pitfalls in their approaches
to mediating work.
What areas in your teams emerging models of knowledge

work practice can involve collaborative, or at least cooperative,
action? How might attempting to mediate these complex
practices impact the functional forms and overarching
strategic directions of your application concepts?
Ive set up a mee!ng to

review the current
version of this building
model...
forknowledgework:
Anarchitectfrequentlyreviewsherprojectworkwithoneormorecolleaguesin
herrm,eitherformallyorinformally.Whilethisusedtotypicallyoccurfacetoface,
wri)ngonpaperprintouts,hercompanysnewbuildingmodelingapplica)onnow
allowshertomeetonlinewithteammembersfromdierentglobalocesin
ashared,highlyvisualworkspace(seeillustra(on).
Anancialtradersome)messharesthedetailsofimportantpendingdealswith
othertradersinhisgroup.Theirrmstradingapplica)onallowshimtosavedrak
proposalsoflarge,complexdealstoasharedloca)onwherehiscolleaguescan
accessandworkonthem.
Ascien)stsetsupherclinicalresearchlabsinforma)onmanagementapplica)on
inawaythatallowscertainlabtechnicianstoowncertaintasks.Shemakesan
excep)onforqualitycheckingprocedures,whichwillrequiretheinputoftwo
separatelabtechs.
Whattasksorlargerac)vi)es,withinthescopeofworkprac)cethatyourteam
isinves)ga)ng,areinherentlycollabora)ve?
Architect
Whataretheirgoalsineachofthesecases?
And it looks like the
people from our team
that I invited have
joined the online
workspace, and they
are looking at the
buildings details...
Whatbreakdownsinworkprac)cearecurrentlycausedoraggravatedby
coopera)veandcollabora)veinterac)ons?Couldtheseproblemsrepresent
poten)alopportuni)esforyourteamsproduct?
Istheknowledgeworkdomainthatyouaretarge)ngtrendingtowardmore
collabora)onortowardfurtherspecializa)onofdenedprocessesandroles?
Howdotargetedindividualsandtheirorganiza)onsviewtheimportanceof
collabora)veprac)ces?Dotheywishtheyweremoreindividualis)c?More
collabora)ve?
Whatspecicaspectsandeectsofcollabora)ondoworkersperceiveasvaluable?
Whichareinherentlyimportantforsuccessfuloutcomes?
WhatotherpaZernsandregulari)esmightyourteamndinshared,convivial
prac)ces?Howmightyouusetheseinsightstoideateusefulandmeaningful
func)onalityconcepts?
Varia)onsthatstemfromcollabora)vewaysofworkingcanbedicultforproduct
teamstomeaningfullyra)onalize(A4,A6,A7,A8).Insomecases,asinglemodelof
howaproductcouldmediateknowledgeworkcancoveracri)calmassofimportant
variants.Inmanyothercases,teamsmaybenetfromcrea)ngmul)plemodelsof
thesameareaofworkprac)ceinordertousefullyandappropriatelydescribespecic
instancesofcollabora)ve,oratleastcoopera)ve,ac)on.
Seealso:A,B5,B6,B7,B8,H2,H3,J1,J5,M1
Whatpartsofknowledgeworkthatcouldotherwisebeconsideredindividualis)c
havecollabora)veorcoopera)vevaria)ons?
Whatdotargetedworkersaccomplishinthesescenariosandvaria)ons?
Collabora)oninknowledgeworkcanrangefromaskingquickques)onstospending
longhoursac)velyworkingwithcolleagues,eitherinpersonoratadistance(A1).
Peoplemayrecognizesometasksorlargerac)vi)esasexplicitlycollabora)ve,whether
thatcollabora)ontakesplaceinreal)meorasynchronously(F1,J2).Eveninareasof
workprac)cewhereindividualsdonotfeelthattheyaredirectlycollabora)ng,theyare
okencoopera)velycomple)ngtheirownpartsofalargerprocesswhilesharingcertain
elementsoftheirorganiza)onalcontexts(C5,G7,J3,J4).
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhowthecollabora)veaspectsofknowl
edgeworkmightimpacttheiremergingideasaboutworkmedia)onandapplica)on
scope,resul)ngproductsmaynotbeadoptedbyindividualsandorganiza)onsthat
placeahighvalueonshared,convivialwork(K).Applica)onsframeworks(C1,C2)may
mistakenlyemphasizeindividualis)cdirec)vesovercoopera)veinterac)ons,inhibi)ng
boththedistribu)onofeortandmeaningfulvisibilityintoothersac)ons(C7,G4).
Suchframeworkscanalsocontributetothelikelihoodofhumanerror(C9,G3)and
driveworkerstoperformexcessivelyeortulworkarounds(D2,D3,D4).
30
Howcouldsupportfortheseprac)cesimpacttheoverallscopeandframeworks
ofyourapplica)onconcepts?
Howfarmightyourteampushcertainexibili)esforcollabora)vescenariosand
varia)onsbeforetheinterac)onclarityofyoursketchedcompu)ngtoolsbegins
tobreakdown?
Distant Collaborators
Its not as good as mee!ng face to face in front of some big

printouts or the same screen, but I look forward to gathering
these experienced architects feedback on our current choices...
A8. Local Practices and Scenario Variations

Knowledge workers may continually refine their approaches
to certain tasks and larger activities in order to meet their
local needs, performing adaptive variations based on
recognized contingencies. Product teams can envision how
diverse yet essential variations in workers practices might
be supported by thoughtful flexibilities in their application
concepts.
31
How might your teams emerging models of knowledge work

practice call out key local variabilities between and within
targeted organizations? Where in your mapped understandings
could different scenarios for accomplishing the same goal be
important? How might those differences impact the overarching
functional forms and strategic directions of your application
concepts?

forknowledgework:
Anancialtraderhasworkedatthreedierentrmsinthelastveyears,usingthe
sametradingapplica)onineachorganiza)on.Althougheachrmhadslightlydif
ferentwaysofaccomplishingthesamegoals,thetradingtoolconsistentlydisplayed
therightkindsofexibilitytobeeec)veineachenvironment(seeillustra(on).
Ascien)stsuseofheranalysisapplica)onsdependsonthepurposeandmethods
ofthepar)cularclinicalstudiesthatherlabiscurrentlyconduc)ng.However,look
ingacrossthedierenttypesofstudiesthatherlabhasrecentlypursued,shethinks
thatshetypicallyperformsdierentavorsofthesameessen)alanalyses.
Financial
Trader
Whattasksorlargerac)vi)es,withinthescopeofworkprac)cethatyourteamis
inves)ga)ng,areperformeddierentlyindierentlocalesandsitua)ons?
Whatvariabili)esstemmainlyfromlocaldierencesinprac)ces,asseenwhen
lookingacrosstargetedorganiza)ons?
) ,+ + )

.

Anarchitectmeetswithherteamattheendofeveryprojecttodiscusspoten)al
processimprovements.Lookingbackacrosstwoyears,sheseesthatherstudios
detailedapproachestoworkinghaveevolvedmorethanshehadrealized.
'%%" %!
$%(#'& %!
Examiningknowledgeworkacrossanumberoforganiza)ons,therecanbecanbe
majorvaria)onsinhowdierentindividualsandgroupsaccomplishthesametypesof
workprac)ce(A1).Evenorganiza)onsopera)nginhighlysimilareldscanhavevery
dierentgoals,establishedprocesses,observedmethods,andbarrierstosuccess.
Withinagivenworkplace,peoplemayhavedevelopedseveraldierentwaysto
accomplishcertaingoalsbasedonrecognizablecases.
Conversely,toomuchemphasisonsuppor)ngdiversityinworkprac)cesmayleadto
unnecessaryexibilitythatcanreducelearnability(K2,K6)andinterac)onclarity(G1)
formorecri)cal,common,andfrequentscenarios(A9).
Seealso:A,B,C8,E,F1,F2,I1,M
Howdotargetedindividualsandorganiza)onsviewtheimportanceoftheirown
waysofaccomplishingwork?Aretheyawareofotherwaysofdoingthings?
Arethevariabili)esthatyourteamhasiden)edtrendingtowardmore
consolida)onorfurtherdivision?
Whichvaria)onscouldbethoughtofascri)calorfrequentenoughtomodelas
separatebutrelatedworkprac)ces?Whichlocalprac)cesareuncommon?
Whicharefrequentorseenascri)calbytargetedworkers?
Whichvaria)onsdopeoplevaluejustasmuchasthenormalowsoftheirown
workprac)ces?Nearlyasmuchas?
Branchesthatstemfromlocalandvariableapproachestoworkcanbedicultfor
productteamstomeaningfullydis)llintoshared,ra)onalizedmodels(A4,A7).Insome
cases,asinglemodelofhowaproductcouldmediateknowledgeworkcancoveracri)
calmassofimportantvaria)ons.Inmanyothercases,teamsmaybenetfromcrea)ng
mul)plemodelsinordertousefullyandappropriatelydescribeimportantcategories
andfamiliesofrelatedscenarios.
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhowlocalprac)cesandscenariovaria
)onsmightimpacttheiremergingideasaboutworkmedia)onandapplica)onscope,
resul)ngproductsmaylackneededexibili)esforsomelocales.Whenpresentedwith
applica)onsthatdonotadequatelyreecttheircurrentprac)ces(K3),knowledge
workersmaynotwanttochangetheirwellknownwaysofworkinginordertomake
useofnewtools(D2,D3,K).Evenwhenaproductsimpliedchangesaredesirable,
someestablished,homegrownapproachesmaybeexceedinglydiculttoupdate.
Howdocommondierencesinworkerspersonalbehaviorsandpreferences
createcategoricalvaria)onsinworkprac)ce?Whatcircumstan)alcasescandrive
importantdierencesinworkersapproachestoaccomplishingagoal?Whatcan
causethesedivergentbranchesfromanormalprac)ce?
Whatprac)cesmightindividualsandorganiza)onsbeopentochanginginorder
tomakeuseofavaluablenewproduct?Whatoeringscouldprovidethatlevel
ofvalue?
(&
WhatotherpaZernsandpriori)escouldyourteamiden)fyinthesevaria)ons
onworkersprac)ces?Howmightyouusetheseinsightstoideateusefuland
meaningfulfunc)onalityconcepts?
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--

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,
+

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+

--
+
))
Arelocalprac)cesandscenariosvaria)onssoheterogeneousanddiverseas
tomakeasingleapplica)onsolu)ondiculttoenvision?
Howcouldsupportfortheseprac)cesimpacttheoverallscopeandframework
ofyourteamsapplica)onconcepts?
Howfarmightyourteampushexibilityforlocalprac)cesbeforetheinterac)on
clarityofyoursketchedcompu)ngtoolsbeginstobreakdown?
A9. High Value Ratio for Targeted Work Practices

Not all of a product teams sketched functionality concepts have
the same potential to provide compelling utility in knowledge
work. To promote usefulness and cohesive design strategies
in their application concepts, teams can parsimoniously
target certain work practices by including related, high value
functionalities and downplaying or eliminating unrelated,
lower priority options.
Anancialtraderwantsdevelopersofanewtradingapplica)ontofocusonthe
coretasksthatherepeatsthroughouthisworkday.Whiletherearealotofother
featureshewouldliketohave,hedoesnotwantanyofthemaddedtothenew
tooliftheirinclusionwouldtakeawayfromexci)ngandappropriatesupportfor
thecoreofhistradingwork.
Anarchitectusesdierentfunc)onalityinherbuildingmodelingapplica)onat
dierentintervalsofabuildingprojectslifespan.Whileshefeelsthatshehas
usedamajorityofthetoolsavailableop)onsatonepointoranother,during
anyoneintervalofaprojectsheusesonlyaconcentratedsubsetofitsfeatures.
Everyinterac)veapplica)onhasalimitedscopeandisintendedforuseinacertain
rangeofcircumstances(A).Similarly,eachapplica)onconceptthataproductteamen
visionsreectsasetofdesignpriori)esthatcanbecomparedwithandsituatedwithin
largerspacesofpossibility.Inevitably,func)onalityconceptsthatsupportasubsetof
tasksandlargerac)vi)esbecomemoresubstan)allydeveloped,whileotherconcepts
witherordisappear(A3,A5).
Toarriveatanappropriatefunc)onalscopeandreneddesignstrategy,productteams
musthaveaclearunderstandingofthegoals,painpoints,unmetneeds,andmeasures
ofsuccessthatareprevalentintheirtargetedmarkets.Inknowledgeworkdomains
withextensive,highlyenmeshed,andfrequentlyprac)cedgroupingsoftasks,appro
priateapplica)onconceptsmaybecomerela)velylargeandcomplex(C4).Conversely,
appropriateconceptsfornarrowlytargeted,infrequentrolesinworkprac)cecanoken
benetfromareduc)vesimplicity(E3,E4)thatpromotesdirec)velearnabilityand
interac)oneciency(A4,K2,K6).
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhowacompu)ngtoolspoten)alop)ons
couldprovidedieren)alvalueinmediatedworkprac)ce,resul)ngproductsmaysuf
ferfromanoverabundanceoffeatures,acondi)onthatDonaldNormanhastermed
featuri)s.Thisoverabundancemaybecausedbyteamsdirectlytransla)ngworkers
requestsintofunc)onalrequirements.Alackofclearpriori)escanalsoleadteamsto
underdevelopcri)calfunc)onality,poten)allyresul)nginproductsthatareseenas
unaZrac)ve(K3)anddicultforworkerstoadoptanduse(D2,D3,G1,K).
Seealso:B1,C1,C2,K10,L,M1,M4
Which areas of knowledge work practice might your team

want to target with your product? From a vantage point that
emphasizes workers mental efforts, which selective assembly
from among your sketched functionality concepts could provide
compelling value in targeted work, while at the same time
coalescing into a sensible application concept that embodies
a well resolved design strategy?

Ascien)sthadpreviouslyanalyzedherlabsclinicaldatabyusingsmallpor)ons
ofseveraldierentapplica)ons.Hernewanalysisapplica)oncontainsallofthose
usefulfunc)onali)esinasingleproduct,whileculngthefatofop)onsthat
researcherslikeherneveruse(seeillustra(on).
32
forknowledgework:
Clinical
Scientist
Whichspecicopera)ons,tasks,andlargerac)vi)eswillyourteamtargetwith
yourcompu)ngtool?
Whichelementsinyourmappedunderstandingsofworkprac)cewillyou
inten)onallyexcludefromyourapplica)onconcepts?
() ,#'++ '! , )$

&$-#(($#*#'&
+)) &*+ '!#&"$

&$-#(($#*#'&
%

. 1

%

~10%
Whichofyoursketchedfunc)onalityconceptsemergeastheessen)al,valuable,
anddesirablecorethatcouldsupportthesetargetedprac)ces?Whatdesign
strategiescouldthataggrega)onimply?
Whichofyourteamsfunc)onalityconceptscouldbepriori)zedassecondary?
Aster)ary?Aspoten)allyunnecessary?
Whichofyourenvisioneddirec)onsforyourcompu)ngtoolmaptooneormore
establishedproductgenresinyourtargetedmarkets?
Ifyourenvisionedproductisnotrepresenta)veofaknowngenre,willworkers
perceiveitskeyoeringsasinterrelatedandcohesivegiventhecontextoftheir
ownprac)ces?
~5%
Whatanalogiesmightyourteamdrawfromestablishedproductgenresinother,
seeminglyunrelatedmarkets?
~15%
~5%
~20%
,
~90%
Whatfunc)onali)esdocompe)ngproductsprovidethatworkersmayexpectfrom
yourteamsinterac)veapplica)on?
~10%
! /

.

0

Whataretheoverarchingstoriesofyourteamsemergingapplica)onconcepts?
Whatcouldthesenarra)vesmeanforyourproductsevolvingbrandand
posi)oninginthemarket?
Whatlargerproductmarke)ng,technology,anddesigntrendscouldinuenceyour
teamsideasaboutapplica)onscope?

#

Wherecouldreduc)onsinfunc)onalscopedrivedesirablesimplicityinyour
applica)onconcepts?
Howmightideasaboutproductscopeinformyourteamsenvisioningofan
appropriateapplica)onframework,learnabilityrequirements,andotherkey
designconsidera)ons?
B. Defining Interaction Objects
33
Valued computing tools can present clearly

articulated and understandable collections of
onscreen objects that knowledge workers
can act upon, with, and through.
Withinaproductteamsemergingconceptsformedia)ngknowledgework,thereare
bothac)onsandimpliedorexplicitrecipientsofthoseac)ons.Insomecases,there
cipientofanac)onmaybeanonscreentoolthatworkerscanacteitheronorthrough.
Whenproductteamsdonotthoughtullyframeandeshouttheseprimaryonscreen
objects,resul)ngapplica)onsmaypresentworkerswithinconsistent,unfamiliar,and
confusingdatastructuresthatfeelasiftheymustbelearnedfromthegroundup.
Designing such clarity requires deliberate

mapping and careful simplification.
Legibleinterac)onobjectscanleverageworkersexis)ngexper)sebydirectlyreferenc
ingspecicar)factsthatarecurrentlyfoundintheirworkprac)ces.Bydrawingmean
ingfulconnec)onstoknownconstructsandmaterialculture,applica)onscan
triggerusefulexpecta)onsinworkersthatmayhelpthemtounderstandwhatcanbe
donetoandwithcorrespondingonscreenitems.

teams can sketch and explore the interaction
objects that users might encounter in different
scenarios of mediated work.
By taking time to generate diverse ideas
about users potential experiences of
onscreen entities, teams can codify essential
characteristics, behaviors, and relationships.
Thereareanumberofspecicissuesthatmayarisewhenworkprac)cetransi)ons
fromdealingwithmaterialar)factstodealingwithintangibleinterac)onobjects.Many
oftheseissuescanbetheresultofreducingorelimina)ngimportantcuesthatworkers
normallyreadfromar)factsphysicalplacementsandvisibleforms.Toac)velyad
dressthesepoten)alproblems,productteamscandesignkeycuesbackintoonscreen
objectsbasedoncarefulconsidera)onofusagescenarios.
B1.Namedobjectsandinforma)onstructures
B2.Flexibleiden)ca)onofobjectinstances
B3.Couplingofapplica)onandrealworldobjects
B4.Objectassocia)onsanduserdenedobjects
B5.Objectstatesandac)vityowvisibility
B6.Flaggedvariabilitywithinorbetweenobjects
B7.Objectownershipandavailabilityrules
B8.Explicitmappingofobjectstoworkmedia)on
B9.Commonmanagementac)onsforobjects
B10.Objecttemplates
Productteamscanusetheseideastoexploreknowledgeworkerspoten)alexperi
encesoftheinterac)onobjectsintheirapplica)onconcepts.Giventheinherent
abstrac)onofcompu)ngenvironmentsandthelimitedspaceofworkersscreens,early
idea)ononthistopiccanpromotethedevelopmentofconceptuallyclear,consistent,
andac)onablefocalpointswithincompu)ngtools.
Thecentralno)onofthiscategoryismostcloselyrelatedtotheExploringworkmedia
)onanddeterminingscope(A),Establishinganapplica)onframework(C),Enhanc
inginforma)onrepresenta)on(F),andWorkingwithvolumesofinforma)on(I)
categories.
100APPLICATIONENVISIONINGIDEAS|B.DEFININGINTERACTIONOBJECTS
B1. Named Objects and Information Structures

Knowledge work applications can support specific work
practices with named interaction objects that are equivalents
of familiar workplace artifacts. In addition to incorporating
existing domain ideas and entities, product teams may need to
introduce new objects into workers vocabularies and practices
in order to meaningfully enable certain functionality concepts.
What artifacts do targeted knowledge workers currently focus

on in the work practices that your team is striving to mediate,
and how might these objects be embodied in your application
concepts? What new interaction objects are implied in your
sketches of functional possibilities?
Se"ng up a new
clinical study in my
labs informa!on
management applica!on means crea!ng
a set of expected and
familiar items for my
plans...
forknowledgework:
Whatinventoryofar)factsfromtargetedindividualsenvironmentsmightyour
teamconsideraspoten)alelementsandreferencesforyourcompu)ngtool?
Ascien)stsetsupanewclinicalresearchstudyinherlabsinforma)onmanage
mentapplica)on.Shecreatesastudyle,arevisedlabautoma)onprocedure,
andonscreeninstan)a)onsforseveralclinicalsamplesandtesttubesthatare
physicallypresentinherlab(seeillustra(on).
Clinical
Scientist
Anancialtradersworkprimarilyfocusesonindividualtrades,thoughhistrad
ingapplica)onsubdivideseachdealintoseveraldierentsubcomponentsthatare
meaningfulforcertaintasks.
Productteamscanadaptmanyinterac)onobjectsfromexis)ngtools,resources,work
products(L1),andotherar)factsthathavehistoricaltrajectoriesofusewithinaknowl
edgeworkdomain(A).Inorderfortheseconven)onalobjectstomakesenseinacom
pu)ngcontext,theymayrequiresubstan)altransforma)onandthoughtulreframing
(K5).Forexample,asinglear)factmayneedtobrokenintomul)pleinterac)onobjects
inordertosupportcertainac)ons(B4,G2).Tomaintainrecognizability,adaptedobjects
thatundergoconsiderableredesigncanreferenceconven)onalvisualforms(F2)and
usefuliconicresemblances(L3).
Exis)ngdomainobjectsmaynotadequatelysupportsomeofaproductteamscon
ceptsformedia)ngwork.Teamsmustcommonlyenvisionnewinterac)onobjectsto
representusefulsystemconceptsthathavenopreviouscorollaryinoinework,such
ascustomiza)onselngs(C8)orobjecttemplates(B10).
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderthemenageriesofinterac)veobjects
thatformtheprimarymaterialsoftheirsketchedapplica)onconcepts,opportuni)es
todrivelearnabilityandinterac)onclaritycanbelost(C9,G3).Workersmaybeforced
tomakesenseofunfamiliar,strangelynamedstructuresthatareessen)allyexternal
manifesta)onsofaproductteamsownmisunderstandings.Centraldomainar)facts
maybeoverlookedorunderemphasized(A9),whichmaycauseworkerstosee
resul)ngapplica)onsasirrelevant(K3)andexcessivelyeortultolearn(D2,D3).
Seealso:B,C,F,H,I,J,K1
Whouseseachtypeofar)fact,andhowdotheyusethem?Howdoesusagevary
acrosstargetedorganiza)ons?
Whatcharacteris)csdoworkersvalueintheobjectsthattheycurrentlyuse?
Whatemo)onalconnec)onsdotheyinspire?
Arethesear)factsprimarilyphysical,primarilydigital,oracombina)onofthetwo?
Howpermanentormalleablearethey?
Anarchitectusesvariousmodelingtools,standard3Dshapes,templatedcompo
nents,andmanyotheronscreenelementstodesignbuildingswithherbuilding
modelingapplica)on.
Whenknowledgeworkersactthroughthescreenofaninterac)veapplica)on,they
aretypicallyac)ngonspecic,namedobjectsthatareframedbyandmadevisible
throughtheproductsdisplay.Thesenamed,visiblepiecesofanapplica)oncanbe
centraltoitsunderlyingconceptualmodels(C1)andcanac)vateworkersdeepseated
understandingsandskills.
34
These are the things that

we talk about in our lab,
that live in our labs
shared database...
Howhavethesear)factsevolvedintotheircurrentstatewithinpar)cular
organiza)onsorlargerprofessions?Whatcanbelearnedfromrecentevolu)onary
stepsinthesehistoricaltrajectories?
Whatnomenclaturedotargetedworkersfromdierentorganiza)onsandmarket
segmentscurrentlyuseinreferencetospecicar)facts?
Whichexis)ngobjectsmightbenetfrommeaningfulsubdivisionorelabora)on
withintheselngofyourteamsapplica)onconcepts?
Howcouldusefulrepresenta)onalcharacteris)csofcertainar)factsbepreserved
orevenenhanced?
OBJECTS CREATED FOR A SMALL CLINICAL STUDY
Study File
Automa!on Procedure
Whichexis)ngar)factscouldbediculttoeec)velytranslateintoacohesive
andwellresolvedonscreenobject?Howmightthesechallengesimpactyourteams
sketchedfunc)onalityconcepts?
Whatconven)onalinterac)onobjects,foundinmanycompu)ngtools,areimplied
inyourideasaboutmedia)ngwork?
Howmightyourteaminvokeworkersvaluableconcep)onsofknownar)factsas
partofnewinterac)onsandrepresenta)onalforms?
Clinical Samples
Test Tubes
B2. Flexible Identification of Object Instances

In order to effectively support knowledge work practice,
certain types of interaction objects typically need to have
multiple instances. Especially for those object types that are
higher volume and a main focus of ongoing effort, product
teams can envision flexible, complimentary options that could
allow workers to apply meaningful identification schemes.
35
What flexible, complimentary methods might your team

envision to allow targeted knowledge workers to identify and
easily recognize certain instances of interaction objects within
your application concepts? How might different identification
options drive different approaches to information structuring
and seeking behaviors?

!

forknowledgework:
Anancialtraderokenneedstondpreviouslycompletedtransac)onsinhistrad
ingapplica)on.Hecaniden)fyindividualtradesbytheiruniquetradenumbersor
acombina)onfactorssuchasthesecuritytraded,thequan)tytraded,andwhich
traderinhisgroupcompletedthedeal(seeillustra(on).
Anarchitectnamesandsavesaselectedstructuralelementasareusabletemplate
withinherbuildingmodelingapplica)on.Sheappliesavarietyofsearchable
aZributestothenewtemplate,includingthebuildingelementsfunc)onand
materialcomposi)on.
Ascien)stiden)esanewclinicalsampleinherlaboratoryinforma)onmanage
mentapplica)onusingacodeforthe)ssuesdonorandtheexperimentaltreatment
thatitwillundergo.
Theiden)ca)onofanindividualar)factcantriggeraknowledgeworkersmemories
andunderstandingsofitsplaceandmeaningintheirwork(A,D3).Thenamingorcat
egoriza)onofanar)factcanalsoactasabridgetoexis)ng,relatedinforma)on(B3).
Productteamsmayndthatiden)ca)onrequirementscanvarydras)callyfordier
enttypesofinterac)onobjectsintheirapplica)onconcepts.Granularobjects,such
asasinglepointinadrawing,okenrequirenoiden)ca)onotherthantheirloca)on
inspace.Lowvolumeobjectsbasedondomainar)factsmayneedonlyasimple,yet
highlyexible,nameeld(A9)inordertobeeec)velyintegratedintoworkers
prac)ce.Highvolume,persistentobjects(I)thatareaprimaryfocusinworkac)vi)es
(F2)canrequireanumberofcomplementaryiden)ca)onaZributes(K).Insitua)ons
whereteamsnditdiculttoenvisionstandardiza)onoftheseaZributes,knowledge
workersmayvaluecustomizableiden)ca)onfunc)onality(C8)thatallowsthemto
developinforma)onmanagementstrategies(I1)tomeettheirlocalneeds(A7,A8,K1).
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhowindividualsandorganiza)onscould
meaningfullyiden)fyvariousinterac)onobjects,opportuni)estofacilitateimportant
claritywithindiverseworkprac)cescanbelost.InadequateobjectIDinforma)oncan
hindermanyaspectsofknowledgework,suchasretrievalofapplica)oncontent(I2,I3)
ortheorchestra)onofcollabora)veac)on(A7,C7,G4).Whenfacedwithlimitedob
jectiden)ca)onfunc)onality,workersmaydenecumbersomeandelaboratenaming
conven)onsinaneorttoaddressarangeofiden)ca)onneeds(D2,D3,E1,E2).
Conversely,excessiden)ca)oneldsandop)onsmaycreatesitua)onswhere
workersfeelthattheyneedtoentermoredatathanisprac)callyvaluable.
Seealso:B,C5,F1,F11,G2,H4,I,J5,J6
Howdotargetedindividualscurrentlyiden)fyspecicinstancesoftheirworkplace
ar)factsespeciallythoseitemsthatareinvolvedinthetasksandlargerac)vi)es
thatyourteamisstrivingtomediate?
Financial
Trader
Areexis)ngmethodsbasedonfreeformnames?Dotheycontaincategorical
iden)ca)onaZributes?

Whatimportantvaria)onsiniden)ca)onapproachescanyourteamndwithin
andacrosstargetedorganiza)ons?
Howmightyourteamtranslateexis)ngiden)ca)onmethodsintoyourapplica)on
concepts?Howcouldexis)ngmethodsbeextended?
Whatobjectiden)ca)oninforma)onwillsa)sfythemajorityofcases?Howmuch
iden)ca)onmightbetoomuch?
$%(&,(')"+%*
+.(
$

-
*
$

!

!

Whatcustomiza)onsmightyourteamenvisiontosupportuncommonobject
iden)ca)onneedswithintargetedorganiza)ons?Willthisfunc)onalityprovide
enoughvaluetoosetitsaddedcomplexity?
%"

#
*

(
Howwillworkersenterobjectiden)ca)ondatainyoursketchedfunc)onality
concepts?Whatinnova)vemethodsmightyourteamenvisiontovaluablydecrease
theseeorts?
Asvolumesofdatabuildupover)me,whatsecondaryinforma)oncouldalsoserve
asiden)ca)onfordierenttypesofinterac)onobjects?WhatimplicitaZributes
couldbecomeelementsoflargeriden)ca)onschemes?
Howmightyourteamsideasaboutsuchschemesrelatetoyourotherdesign
responsesforsuppor)ngworkinthecontextofvolumesofinforma)on?
B3. Coupling of Application and Real World Objects

Some knowledge work applications contain interaction
objects that are extensions of, rather than replacements for,
offline artifacts. In these cases, product teams can envision
interactions that tightly couple onscreen and off screen
equivalents in order to promote a more efficient, direct,
and unified experience.
What interaction objects in your teams application concepts

could benefit from a preserved connection to related off screen
artifacts? What functionality concepts might your team envision
to allow targeted knowledge workers to usefully recognize and
meaningfully act through these connections?
Our labs informa!on

management so"ware is set up to
know, in a limited
way, where things
are in the lab...
forknowledgework:
Ascien)stplacesatesttubecontainingaclinicalsampleintoaracknexthercom
puterworksta)on.Herlabsinforma)onmanagementapplica)onreadsasignal
emiZedfromasmalltagonthetesttube,thendisplaysstoredinforma)onabout
thetubescontentsonherscreen(seeillustra(on).
Whatrealworldobjectsintheworkprac)cesthatyourteamisstrivingtomediate
arenotlikelynotbereplacedbyanonscreenequivalent?
Clinical
Scientist
Anarchitectscansacardboardmodelofabuildingformintoherbuildingmodeling
applica)on.Shegivesthecompu)nglethesamenameastheoneshehaswriZen
inblackmarkeronthecardboardversion.
So, for example, right now
the applica!on has no
data displayed...
Theadop)onofcompu)ngintoknowledgeworkprac)cestypicallydoesnotmeanthat
workerswillsuddenlyswitchtoonlymanipula)ngsymbolsonscreens.Inmanytypesof
knowledgework,tangible,realworldobjectscanremainanimportantpartofindividual
orcollabora)vebehaviors(A).
Im going to put a test

tube into the reader rack,
and it will pull up related
data from the system...
Thecouplingofoineobjectstotheirdigitalequivalent,orotherassociatedcontent
withinacompu)ngtool(G6),canbeconsideredaspecialtypeofcoordina)onbetween
representa)onsofworkplaceinforma)on(F1).Theexperienceofcarefullydesigned,
)ghtlycoupledcoordina)onscanextendbothintoandoutofacomputersdisplay.
Physicalobjectscanbecomeinterac)veentrypointsintoanapplica)onscontent.From
theothersideoftherela)onship,onscreeninterac)onscanmapbacktowardphysical
objects,poten)allycrea)ngnewformsofpervasiveawarenessandtelepresence.
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderwherebridgesbetweenphysicaland
digitalobjectscouldbecompelling,feasible,andvaluableintheirapplica)onconcepts,
opportuni)estoprovideapowerfulsenseofdirectac)onandengagementcanbelost
(K13).Workersmayexperienceonlineandoineinstancesofanobjectasdisjointed
andseparate,whichcanmakesuchapplica)onsmoreeortultousewhencompared
withpoten)alscenariosofinterac)veconnec)on(D2,D3,K2,K6).
Seealso:B,E,F1,F9,G,H4,I5,J2,J5,J7,L3,M1
Whatscenarioscouldpoten)allyleadtonewphysicalobjectsbeingcreatedbased
onthecontentsofyourproduct?
Whattypesoftargetedorganiza)onsmightbemorelikelytoholdontothe
physicalincarna)onsoftheirotherwiseonscreenwork?Why?
Anancialtraderscansabarcodeonapapertradecancella)onformthatwasfaxed
tohim.Histradingapplica)onpullsuptheassociatedtradeandpromptshimto
ini)atethecancella)onprocess.
Productteamscanenvisioncompelling,goalorientedexperiencesofconnec)ve
threadsbetweenthescreenandmaterialobjects.Ataminimum,commoniden)fying
informa)on(B2)betweentangiblear)factsandtheirapplica)onequivalentscanact
asacoordina)nglink(G5).Someknowledgeworkdomainspresentopportuni)esfor
teamstoenvisionmoreextensivecoordina)onofthephysicalandtheintangible,based
on,forexample,wellcharacterizedtransi)onpointsinworksequences(D5,G1,J3).
36
Whattargetedtasksorlargerac)vi)esmightbenetfromthetandemuseofboth
physicalanddigitalinstan)a)onsofanar)fact?
Whatcoordina)onsbetweeninterac)onobjectsandtheiroscreenequivalents,
suchasmatchingiden)ca)oninforma)on,couldprovideclarifyingu)lityand
reduceworkerseorts?
Whatlargertechnologyandmarkettrendscouldinuenceyourteamsideasabout
inten)onallycouplingphysicalanddigitalobjects?Whatmightbefeasibleifthe
valueproposi)onwascompellingenough?
Whatvaluedcharacteris)csofrealworldobjectscouldbediculttoincludein
correspondingonscreenobjects,andviceversa?
Howmightthesedecienciesdriveworkerstoturntotheotherversionofan
object?Howcouldthesetransi)onsbecrystallizedintogoaldirectedinterac)on
pathwayswithinyourapplica)onconcepts?
Whatnovelinterac)onmethodsmightyourteamenvisionto)ghtlycouplecertain
realworldobjectswithassociatedcontentinyourcompu)ngtool?Howcould
thesemethodsdirectlybridgewellcharacterizedseamsinspecicworkprac)ces?
TEST TUBE READER RACK
And now the reader has

found the test tube and
brought the sample up
onto the screen...
It shows related sample
data because Im in the
samples view of the tool...
B4. Object Associations and User Defined Objects

Interaction objects can carry default and worker defined
linkages to other objects within a computing application.
Product teams can envision how clear and actionable presentations of these object associations could allow workers
to offload effort while acting in informed and confident ways.
Ive modeled a window

assembly for our latest
building design out of
a few different parts...
Whatlinkagesbetweenar)factsdotargetedindividualscurrentlymanageinthe
tasksandlargerac)vi)esthatyourteamisstrivingtomediate?
Architect
Ascien)stdeletesasetofclinicalsamplesfromthescopeofaspecicreportinher
analysisapplica)on.Thereportdynamicallyupdateswithanota)onthatcertain
datahasbeenremovedfromitscontentsandthattheexcludeddataiss)ll
persistentlyavailableinthedatabase.
Knowledgeworkerscreate,manage,andmakeuseofrela)onshipsininforma)on.
Compu)ngapplica)onscanexcelatstoring,presen)ng,andac)ngthroughcomplex
associa)onsthattheiruserswouldotherwisenddicultornearlyimpossibleto
manage(E).
Aspartofenvisioninginterac)onobjects(B1)andtheirpoten)alrolesinworkprac)ces
(A,B8,B9),productteamscanmapoutinherenthierarchiesandlinkagesthatneedto
bemadecleartousersoftheircompu)ngtools.Teamscanalsoenvisioncircumstances
whereitcouldbevaluabletoallowworkerstodenetheirownassocia)ons,either
implicitly,throughtheaZribu)onofsimilartraitsacrossmul)pleobjects,orexplicitly,
byassocia)ngselectedelementstoformlargerstructures.
Associa)onsbetweenobjectscanallowworkerstousefullypropagateasingleinterac
)onacrossanumberofrelatedelements.Clearlycommunicatedconceptualmodels
(C1)andvisualrepresenta)onsforlevelsofselec)on(F,G2)canbeessen)alforsup
por)ngdierentscopesofac)on.Thesefactorscanalsobecrucialinthecontextof
collabora)ve,shareddataenvironments(C7,G4).
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderthepoten)alroleofobjectassocia)ons
withintheirapplica)onconcepts,resul)ngproductscancontainseriousaws.Workers
maycommitcri)calerrorswhenac)onscascadeunexpectedlythroughlinkagesthat
arediculttotraceandpredict(C9,G3).Whenexpectedlinkagesarenotpresentand
cannotbecreated(G5,M4),workersmayhavetoeortullymakeindividualmodica
)onstoobjectsinseries,ratherthanac)ngonlargergroupings(D2,D3).Absentcues
aboutrela)onshipsbetweenobjectsmayalsonecessitate)meconsuming,trialand
errorexplora)on.
Seealso:B,C5,C8,F,G6,I,K3,K11
What connections and interrelations could be present in the

inventories of interaction objects that your team has identified?
How might your sketched functionality concepts allow targeted
knowledge workers to define, recognize, make senses of,
navigate, use, or even defend against these associations?
forknowledgework:
Anarchitectgroupstogetheraseriesofelementsinherbuildingmodelingapplica
)onandiden)esitasanewtypeofwindowassembly.Thenewlygroupedobject
maintainseasilyrecognizablelinkagestoseveralimportantfunc)onalproper)esas
wellasherearlynotesonitsproposedconstruc)on(seeillustra(on).
Anancialtraderuseshistradingapplica)ontogrouptogetherdieringquan))es
ofseveraldierentsecuri)esintoalargedealproposal.Hethendividesthecon
tentsoftheproposalintothreedierentcategoriesbasedonthees)matedvalues
ofeachlineitem.
37
Howdopeoplethinkabouttheserela)onships?Whatnomenclaturedothey
currentlyusetodescribedierentassocia)onsandconnec)onsbetweenar)facts?
Whatdefaultlinkagesandhierarchiesofinterac)onobjectsareimpliedwithin
yourteamsapplica)onconcepts?
So Im grouping it together
into a single object in the
building modeling tool,
which will preserve the
details of the individual
pieces that its made from
and all the related info...
Whatimplicitassocia)onsbetweenobjectsmightbecreatedthroughthe
aZribu)onofsimilartraitsacrossmul)pleobjectinstances?
Inwhatscenariocontextsmightitbevaluabletoallowworkerstogroupselected
interac)onobjectstogetherintolargerstructures?
Whatgoaldirectedpathwaysofac)oncouldbemadeavailablebasedonthe
presenceorabsenceofcertainobjectassocia)ons?
Howmightcertainuserselec)onsandac)onstracethroughthelinkagesthatyour
teamhasenvisioned?
ASSOCIATIONS WITHIN SELECTION
Whatconven)onsmightyouapplythroughoutyourproducttopromoteconsistent
andunderstandablebehaviorsinobjectrela)onships?
Howmightclearconceptualmodelsfordierenttypesofobjectlinkagesbe
communicatedwithinyourfunc)onalityconcepts?
Object grouped by user
Howcouldlegibledesigncommunica)onpreventunexpectedeectsviaunseen
connec)ons?
Howmightyourteamsideasaboutobjectassocia)onsinspireyoutoideate
valuablenewinterac)onsandrepresenta)onalforms?
Component objects
Proper"es of objects
Annota"ons
B5. Object States and Activity Flow Visibility

Understanding the current state of interaction objects can be
crucial for the effective planning and execution of knowledge
work. Especially for those object types that are higher volume
and a main focus of workers ongoing efforts, product teams
can envision appropriate states that could communicate potent
meaning and directive pathways of action.
38
What useful or necessary states can your team envision for key
interaction objects in your application concepts? How might
these object states play meaningful and directive roles in your
functional responses for targeted knowledge work practices?

forknowledgework:
Howdotargetedindividualscurrentlycategorizethestatesofdierentar)factsin
thetasksandlargerac)vi)esthatyourteamisstrivingtomediate?
Anancialtraderreviewsthestatusofanumberofnego)a)onmessagesinhis
tradingapplica)ontodeterminewhetherheneedstoputanymoreeortinto
them.Scanningthelist,hedecidestomoveforwardwithbookingothertrades
(seeillustra(on).
Anarchitectwaitsforherbuildingmodelingapplica)ontorenderonesegmentof
acomplexdesign.Sincealloftheelementsinvolvedinthatrenderingareshown
aslockedforedi)ngun)ltheprocessiscomplete,shetemporarilynavigatesto
anotherareainthemodeltomakeedits.
Ascien)stturnstoherlabsinforma)onmanagementapplica)ontoreviewhow
manysamplesinaclinicalstudyhavenotyetbeenprocessed.Thisinforma)on
allowshertoes)matea)meframeforthestudyscomple)onandtoplanherlab
techniciansworkschedules.
Objectstatescanbedisplayedimplicitly,basedonvariousobjectaZributes,orex
plicitly,throughpreordainedstateindicators.Recognizableandmeaningfulstatescan
becomeaneec)vebasisfororganizing(I1)andloca)ngusefulcategoriesofapplica
)oncontent(I2,I3).Theycanalsodeterminewhichobjectsandassociatedavenuesof
interac)on(C4)arevisibletopar)cularusersatagiven)me(C5).Thesegleaningscan
allowknowledgeworkerstopriori)zetheireortsandplanappropriatecoursesofac
)on(D3,D5)incoopera)vescenarios(A7,C7,G4)andstandardizedprocesses(C6,J3).
Productteamscanclearlydeneappropriateobjectstatesbasedontheirideasabout
howdierentinterac)onobjectsmighttintomediatedwork.Theycanenvisionhow
thesestatescouldbecommunicatedthoughdomainlanguage(F10)andothermethods
thatinvokeworkersdeepseatedunderstandingsofplaceandpriority(C1).Teamscan
alsoexploreexibili)esthatmightalloworganiza)onstodenetheirownobjectstates
tomeetlocalneeds(C8,K11).
Seealso:A,B,C10,E3,F,J1,H,I7,M1,M4
Whatdopar)cularstatessayabouttheworkthathasbeenaccomplishedonor
aroundanar)fact?Theworkthatneedstobedone?Thepeopleinvolved?
Whatdierencescanyourteamndinhowtargetedorganiza)onscategorizethese
states?Whatdierencesmaybediculttoreconcile?
Willthestatesthatworkerscurrentlytalkaboutandusetranslatewellintoan
interac)veapplica)on?Whyorwhynot?
Whatnovelstatesmighttargetedindividualsandorganiza)onsvalue?How
mighttheintroduc)onofanewcompu)ngtoolpresentopportuni)estousefully
standardizecertaincategoriza)onsinworkprocess?

Whatnewstateswillyourteamneedtointroduceinordertoclarifyandsupport
yourfunc)onalityconcepts?Whatdesigncommunica)oncouldeec)velyexplain
thesenewcondi)ons?
" &&! &(&'' ' !$% &
Howmightnewstatesooadtheneedtobevigilantforcertainchangesin
interac)onobjects,poten)allytyingintoaler)ngfunc)onali)es?
&

%"

Hasyourteamenvisionedanysingletrackprocessesthatmustbecompleted
withoutinterrup)oninordertobeeec)ve?Howmighttheseuntouchable
intervalsinuenceobjectsstates?
&

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Howmighterrorpreven)onandhandlingscenariosrequireaddi)onalobjectstates?
Couldtheseerrorstatesimpactlarger,applica)onstates?
Whichpathwaysofac)onmightbeenabledordisabledwhenaninterac)onobject
isinvariousstates?
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderthepoten)alroleofmeaningfulobject
statesintheirapplica)onconcepts,opportuni)estoclarifyknowledgeworkerscurrent
progressandop)onscanbelost.Whenexplicitstateinforma)onisunclearorex
cluded,workersmayneedtoeortullydiveintotheaZributesofinterac)onobjectsin
ordertoderivetheirstatus(D2).Thesedecienciesmayalsoleadtoerrorsin)ming
(C9,G3)andlessop)malworkoutcomes(L1).
Conversely,objectstatesthatpushtoomuchstandardiza)oncanleadtoconfusing
anddissa)sfactorylimita)onsonworkprocesses(A9).Thesedesignissuescanforce
individualsandorganiza)onstoadoptunwantedchangesintheirculturesinorder
tomatchasystemsseeminglyarbitraryrules(A4).
Howdothephysicalplacementsandobservedownershipofcertainar)facts
currentlyimplystateinforma)on?
Financial
Trader
Wheremightcertainobjectstatecategoriza)onsprovetobetooconningforopen
orvariableworkprac)ces?
Whatinterac)onsandvisualrepresenta)onscouldallowuserstousefully
understandstatesacrosscollec)onsofsimilarobjects?

B6. Flagged Variability within or between Objects

There are often aspects of interaction objects, outside of any
explicit states, that are important to call to knowledge workers
attentions in certain contexts. Product teams can envision how
adaptive flagging of central variabilities could reduce the effort
needed to examine key characteristics of individual objects.
Ascien)stno)cesthatherlabsinforma)onmanagementapplica)onhasagged
asampleashavingdierentaZributesthanotherthesamplesthatareassociated
withthesameclinicalresearchpar)cipant.Shereviewstheaggedsamplesdetails
anddiscoversthatatechnicianhasmadeadataentryerrorthatsheneedsto
inves)gatebeforeproceeding(seeillustra(on).
Anancialtraderreviewsalistofincomingdealproposals.Helooksforitemsthat
histradingapplica)onhasautoma)callyaggedasbeingimmediatelyexecutable,
indica)ngthathisrmhassucientquan)tyoftheholdinginques)ontomeet
aproposeddealsstatedneeds.
Anarchitectswitchestoaviewinherbuildingmodelingapplica)onthatags
elementsoftheprojects3Dmodelwhereherteamhasnotappliedanyproject
requirementstags.
Beyond defined states, what specific pieces of information

about interaction objects might be especially interesting or
useful to targeted knowledge workers during the course of their
practices? How might your team informatively communicate
these key variabilities through perceptually salient cues?

forknowledgework:
Whatcharacteris)csandsignsaboutar)factsdotargetedindividualscurrently
gravitatetointhetasksandlargerac)vi)esthatyourteamisstrivingtomediate?
Clinical
Scientist

Seealso:A,B,D,F,G4,G6,H3,J1,L,M1
Whatmeaningfulnewagsmightyouenvisiontocalloutkeyobjectinforma)on
withintheinterac)veowsofyourteamssketchedfunc)onalityconcepts?
Howcouldinforma)veagspreventhumanerrorincertainac)vitycontexts?
Whatspecicinforma)onaboutaninterac)onobject,iflekunknown,mightlead
userstoactinerror?
Whatmighttheaesthe)cpresenta)onofagslooklikeincertainfunc)onality
concepts?Howmightthesecuesrelatetoanyerrormanagementconven)onsyour
teamhasdened?
Howcouldcertainagsconveytheirpriority,simplybasedontheirlevelofsalience
onthescreen?

Howmightyourteamsideasforspecicagsinspireyoutoideatevaluablenew
interac)onsandrepresenta)onalforms?
Whataggingcategoriesandconven)onsmightyourteamestablishand
consistentlyapplythroughoutyourcompu)ngtool?
Couldsimplifyingcertaininterac)onobjectsmakemoresensethanagging
importantpiecesofinforma)onwithinthem?
Certainagsmayappearonlyinthecontextofcertaininterac)onsorobjectstates(B8,
B9).Forexample,theycanbeimplementedasamethodforpreven)nghumanerror
indenedprocesses(C9,G3),callingoutvaluesthatcouldbeimportantforeec)ve
decisionmaking.
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderthepoten)alroleofaggedvariabili)es
forkeyobjectsintheirapplica)onconcepts,knowledgeworkersmayneedtodiveinto
thedetailsofcomplexdatastructuresinordertoinves)gatetheiraZributes.Dueto
constrained)meandaZen)on,peoplemaynotalwaysperformtheseaddi)onaleorts
(D2),poten)allyleadingtocrucialerrorsorimportantlossesofinsightthatmaynega
)velyimpactworkoutcomes(L1).Intheabsenceofinforma)veags,ltering
andsor)ngonspecicobjectaZributes(I3)mayprovidemoreac)vepathways
toaccomplishsimilargoals.
Whyarethesecharacteris)csandsignsusefulincertainworkprac)ces?
Whatdecisionsandac)onsdotheyinform?
Howmighttheseexis)ngaZributesbetranslatedintovaluableagsforyourteams
envisionedinterac)onobjects?
Whenanabundanceofinterac)onobjectsaredisplayedsimultaneously,knowledge
workerscontentrichcompu)ngdisplaysmayturnintodense,perceptuallyat
sheetsofinforma)on(B1,I).Whiledenedobjectstates(B6)candetermineavailable
avenuesofinterac)on(C4)andotherimportantfactors,secondary,strictlyinforma)on
alcharacteriza)onofinterac)onobjectscanhelpworkersaZendtoandmakesense
ofimportantinforma)on(D3,D6,F10).
Visibleandmeaningfulagsthatindicatecertaincategoricalcondi)onsinanobjects
aZributes(A4)canbeusefulwhileworkersorganize(I1),retrieve(I2),browse(F5),and
transformapplica)oncontent(F8)tomeetpar)culargoals.Thecategoricalbasisofa
agcancomefromspecicinforma)onthatworkershavepreviouslyentered,oritcan
beaderivedvaluethatisautoma)callycalculatedbasedondomainappropriaterules
(C8,E3,E4).
39

B7. Object Ownership and Availability Rules

Similar to offline, real world artifacts in a knowledge workplace,
onscreen interaction objects can benefit from clear and
consistent rules governing who can perform actions on or
with them at a given time. Product teams can envision and
communicate rules that are culturally appropriate, logically
feasible, and understandably clear.
40
Based on your teams understanding of targeted cultural

environments and knowledge work practices, what rules can
you envision for key interaction objects to ensure that they are
owned and accessed by workers in appropriate and
useful ways?
So next, I am going to
work on that northern
sec!on of the building
model, where I need to
make some changes...
forknowledgework:
Anarchitectselectsasegmentofadesigninherbuildingmodelingapplica)onto
checkitoutsothatshecanmakesomesmallmodica)ons,onlytondthatthe
segmentiscurrentlycheckedoutbyaconsul)ngcivilengineer.Theapplica)on
providesheranop)ontoworkinanalternateversionofthesegment,whichnoone
elsewillbeabletoaccessun)lshelatermergesitbackwiththemainversionofthe
model(seeillustra(on).
AnancialtraderaZemptstotradeallofhisrmsholdingsofapar)cularsecurity,
buthistradingapplica)ondisplaysamessagethatpreventshimfromcomple)ng
thetransac)on.Itseemsthatpartofthetotalamounthasbeenlockedbyanother
traderwhohasindicatedthathewantstouseitaspartofahighervaluedeal.
Ascien)stcannotchangethenameofaclinicalsampleinherlabsinforma)on
managementapplica)onbecauseanautomatedinstrumentiscurrentlyprocessing
por)onsofthesamples)ssue.
Inordertoeec)velyaccomplishworkintheircomplexculturalandorganiza)onal
environments(A1),knowledgeworkersokenbecomeskilledatcoopera)velymanag
ingaccesstoanduseofsharedinforma)on,tools,andotherar)facts.Intheinherent
abstrac)onofsharedcompu)ngenvironments,workersmaynditdiculttohold
ontosomeoftheseexis)ngskillsaspor)onsoftheirmaterialculture,anditsassoci
atedprac)ces,aremigratedtowardindividualis)ccomputerscreens.Workerscan
becomesomewhatdependantontheirapplica)onsforclarica)onaroundwho
currentlyownswhatandhowtheymightuseitthemselves(C7,G4).
Applica)onscansupportbothdivisionoflabor(J3)andcollabora)veprac)ces(A7,J4)
byreinforcingunderstandablerulesfortheownershipandavailabilityofobjects(C1).
Productteamscanenvisiontheserulesbasedoncontemporaryconven)ons,which
mayvaryfordierenttypesorlevelsofobjectsinasystem(C3).Availabilityrulescan
be)edtouserpermissions(A2,C5),thoughsuchrulescanalsobefoundinapplica)ons
withoutanyno)onofdieren)aluserprivileges.Productsthatwillnothavefeatures
forcontrollingobjectownershipcansome)mesbeenvisionedtoleverageavailable
rulesfromacoordinatedstoragetechnology,suchasaleserverordatabase(K10).
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhowtheymightclarifyobjectownership
andavailabilityrules,resul)ngapplica)onsmaypresentopportuni)esforfrustrat
ingconictsandversioningproblemsincollabora)veandcoopera)vescenarios(H1).
Withoutaclear,consistentlyappliedmodelofwhenobjectsareaccessibleforintended
ac)ons,workersmayndplanningtheowoftheirprac)cestobeexcessivelyeortul,
inaccurate,andunpredictable(D2,D3,D4).
Seealso:A,B,D6,E3,F10,H,I,J1,J5
Whatrulesdotargetedindividualsimplicitlyorexplicitlyfollowtopromotethe
eec)vesharingofar)factswithintheworkprac)cesthatyourteamisstrivingto
mediate?
Architect
Howmuchemphasisdoworkersplaceonownershipandavailabilityrulesin
theirobservedprac)ces?Aretheserulesvaluedandusefulcomponentsoftheir
opera)vecultures?
How,specically,doexis)ngrulespromotecoordina)onandpreventconicts?
Whatwouldhappeniftheywerenotinplace?
But it looks like one of our

consultants is currently
working there too. So that
means that I cant make
any changes in the main
model. Thats just the rules
of the system, to help
prevent conflicts...
Howcouldyourteamtranslatetheseexis)ngprac)cesintoownershipand
availabilityrulesforinterac)onobjectsinyourcompu)ngtool?
Whatnewopportuni)esforconictmightyourproductcreate,simplybybringing
collabora)onandcoopera)onintoanabstractcompu)ngenvironment?
Whatlargerdesignandtechnologytrendscouldinuenceyourteamsideasabout
whatappropriatelyapplied,logicallyfeasible,andunderstandablyclearrulescould
looklike?
SEGMENT OF
BUILDING MODEL
MAIN VERSION
OWNED BY
CONSULTANT
ARCHITECTS
OWN SEPARATE
VERSION
Consulting
Engineer
So I can check out my own version of that segment. If there are any conflicts
when I check my version back in, the so"ware will help us sort them out later...
Whatconven)onalpaZernsmightyourteamreferenceinthedesignofobject
ownershipandavailabilityinterac)ons?
Whatoverall,globalrulesmightyourapplica)onconceptsfollowinorderto
controltheownershipandavailabilityofobjects?
Whichofyourteamsenvisionedscenariosformedia)ngworkcouldpresent
unusualsitua)onswhereconictsmayoccurandaddi)onalrulescouldbe
valuable?Howmightthesespecialsolu)onsdierfromyourglobalrules?
Howcouldusersinterac)onswithinyoursketchedfunc)onalityconceptshelp
themtositua)onallybuildaccurateconceptualmodelsaroundobjectownership
andavailabilityinyourproduct?
Howmighttheserulesrelatetoyourteamsideasaboutworkspaceawarenessat
theapplica)onlevelorwithinspecicfunc)onalareas?
B8. Explicit Mapping of Objects to Work Mediation

Even though a general understanding of an interaction object
can carry with it expectations of certain related actions in a
knowledge work application, product teams can prevent
oversights and drive interaction clarity by explicitly mapping
how important objects could fit into targeted operations, tasks,
and larger activities.
How, specifically, could the interaction objects that your team

has envisioned fit into the knowledge work operations, tasks,
and larger activities that you are striving to mediate with your
application concepts? What important relationships between
objects and actions might you be overlooking?

forknowledgework:
Howarecertainar)factscurrentlyusedindierentac)vitycontexts?
Aretheseusagesconsistentacrosstargetedorganiza)ons?
Anancialtraderappreciateshowhistradingapplica)ongiveshimtheshortestset
ofavailableac)onop)onswhenhelooksatatradingmessage.Hefeelsthatthese
targetedop)ons,whicharebasedoneachmessagescurrentstate,allowhimto
workfaster,withoutsecondguessingwhatelsehecouldbedoing(seeillustra(on).
Ascien)stlikesthattheinterfaceofhernewanalysisapplica)onprovidesarange
ofchoicesforexploringdataatvariouslevelsofaggrega)on,includingac)onsthat
usedtobemissingorhiddenwhenshemadecertainselec)onswithinother
visualiza)ontools.
Anarchitectbecomesaccustomedtotheac)onsthatareavailabletoherinanew
buildingmodelingapplica)on.Eventhoughitisanopenworkspacetool,withmany
op)onsavailableforhertoselectatanygiven)me,itfeelslikethefunc)onsthat
sheendsupseeingrstokencorrespondtowhatsheispresentlycurrentlytrying
toaccomplish.
Knowledgeworkapplica)onsaredesignedtosupportspecicinterac)ons,andthey
okendonothavetheplas)citytobeappliedoutsideofthatrangeofintendeduse.
Productteamscanenvisionthenarra)vemapping(G1)betweenonscreensubjects
andcorrespondingop)onsforac)onastheintersec)onofspecictypesofinterac)on
objects(B1),theircurrentstate(B5),thecurrentstateoftheapplica)on(C10),andthe
workprac)cesthatanapplica)onisbeingdesignedtomediate(A).
Aseparatemodelofwhatworkerswillwantorneedtodowithkeyinterac)onobjects
canprovideproductteamswithastrongfounda)onforenvisioninganapplica)on
framework(C),includinginterac)onpathways(C4),appropriateandconsistentinter
ac)onpaZerns(C3,K6),supportforcollabora)on(B7,C7,G4,J4),andsupportfor
explicitdivisionoflabor(J3,G5).Sinceasingleobjectcanbe)edtodras)callydierent
tasksorlargerac)vi)es(A5),teamscanuseanoverallmapofeachobjectspoten)al
ac)onstoenvisiontailoreddesignresponsesthatcouldmatchworkersgoalsineach
circumstance(A7,A8).
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhowimportantinterac)onobjectsmight
maptothebreadthofworkthattheyarestrivingtomediatewiththeirapplica)oncon
cepts,resul)ngtoolsmaycontainoversightsindeni)onanddesignthatmakethem
dicultorimpossibletouseinsomeac)vitycontexts(A6,D2,D3,D4).Whilethese
issuescanokenbeaddressedthroughitera)vecorrec)ons,cohesivedesignofac)vity
orientedwayndingokeninvolvessomethingmorethanthesumofsmaller,cumula
)vechanges.
Seealso:B,F,G,H,J1,K,M1
41
Financial
Trader
Howmightyourteammapyouremergingideasaboutmedia)ngknowledgework
astheac)onsthatcanbeperformedondierenttypesofinterac)onobjects?
Whatpoten)alac)onscouldbemostimportantforkeyobjecttypes?
Theleastimportant?
Wherecouldthenatureofapar)cularac)onvarybasedonthetypeofinterac)on
objectthatitisperformedon?Howmightyoursketchedfunc)onalityconcepts
reectthesedierences?

Whichobjectstypicallyserveastoolsforac)ngonotherobjects,ratherthanbeing
therecipientsofac)onsthemselves?
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Howcouldthestatesofinterac)onobjects,orlargerapplica)onstates,inuence
theac)onsthatareavailableatagiven)me?
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Howmightthesumofyourteamsobjectandac)onmappingsinformyouridea)on
aboutapplica)onframeworksandinterac)onpathways?
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B9. Common Management Actions for Objects

Some types of interaction objects in computing applications
will typically require a conventional set of management actions,
such as create, copy, edit, and delete. Product teams can map
available management actions for different types of interaction
objects, envisioning what common functionalities might look
like in different object contexts.
Anarchitectisreninganearlydesignexplora)oninherbuildingmodelingapplica
)on.Shecreatesabuildingelement,copiesit,andpastesaduplicateelementinan
otherpartofthebuildingdesign.Shelikeshoweasyitistocreaterepe))onswithin
themodel,allowinghertoquicklyvisualizeherideasforbuildingform
(seeillustra(on).
Ascien)stdeletesaleinheranalysisapplica)onwhereshehadpursuedthe
wrongapproachtoaclinicalresearchproblem.Bydele)ngtheoutputsofherfaulty
explora)on,sheensuresthatitwillnotbemistakenlyaccessedbyherselforothers
inherlab.
Ive just finished this

shape that I want to
try out as a repea!ng
element in the exterior
of this new building
that our team is
currently genera!ng
ideas for...
Architect
Conversely,forsometypesofinterac)onobjects,providingcertainmanagement
ac)ons,oreventheabilitytocreatemul)pleinstances,maynotprovidesucient
valuetowarranttheaddi)onalcomplexity(A9,K6).
Seealso:A,B,C3,C4,H1,H2,I1,I2
forknowledgework:
Whichoftheinterac)onobjectsinyoursketchedapplica)onconceptswillhave
mul)pleinstances,requiringsomerangeofmanagementac)ons?Whichwillnot?
Howmighttheunderstoodloca)onofindividualobjectsfactorintousableobject
managementinterac)ons?Whenisitnotanissue?
So I select the element

in my modeling tool...
Whichobjecttypesshouldusersnotbeabletodelete?Why?
Beyondthebasicsetofmanagementac)ons,whatotherac)onscouldbecome
standardswithinyourcompu)ngtool,suchascrea)ngobjectsfromatemplateor
reselngobjectsaZributestotheirdefaultvalues?
Howmightyourfunc)onalityconceptsformanagingdierenttypesofobjects
retainclarifyingandlearnablesimilari)es?Whatimportantdierencescouldbe
usefulformanagingpar)cularobjecttypes?
Interac)veapplica)onstypicallyneedtoprovideknowledgeworkerswithsomestan
dardac)onsforworkingwithmul)pleinstancesofonscreenobjects(B1).Whetherthe
interac)onobjectinques)onisanoverallleoramuchsmallerelement,theclarity
anddirectnessofmanagementac)onscanbeanimportantusabilityconcern.
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderobjectmanagementac)onsintheirap
plica)onconcepts,theycaneasilyoverlookcentralrequirementsduetotheirshared
assump)onsaboutwhatwillbedenedandimplemented.Whentheseoversightsare
present,usersmay,forexample,beforcedtoviewoutofdatecontentthattheycannot
delete(D4,I).Toovercomesomeobjectmanagementdeciencies,knowledgeworkers
mayneedtodevelopandrepeatedlyenactexcessivelyeortulworkarounds(D2,D3).
What common management actions, such as create, copy,

edit, and delete, could the interaction objects in your teams
application concepts require or benefit from? What important
management actions might you be overlooking?
Howdotargetedindividualscurrentlymanagear)facts,inthecompu)ngsense
oftheword,whileperformingtheworkprac)cesthatyourteamisstrivingto
mediate?
AnancialtradercreatesanewcategorizingaZributeinhistradingapplica)onto
supplementtheproductsdefaults.Fromthatpointon,heandothertradersinhis
groupwillhavetheop)onoftaggingthenewinforma)onalaZributeontotheir
pendingandcompleteddeals.
Toensurethattheseinterac)onsaresucientandcoherent,productteamscanmap
thebreadthofobjectmanagementscenariospresentedbytheirapplica)onconcepts
(B8,C3,G2).Managementac)onsfrequentlyincludecreate,copy(E3,E4),edit,and
delete.Otherac)ons,likecrea)ngfromatemplate(B10)orreselngtodefaults(C8),
canbeusefullyconsideredasstandardforsometypesofobjects(A4).Incollabora)ve
compu)ngenvironments(A7,C7,G4),thepresenceorabsenceofmanagementac)ons
maydependondynamicrulesthatpreventnega)veimpactsontheac)vi)esofother
workers(C5,J4).
42
Howcouldobjectmanagementfunc)onali)esprovidestrongfeedbackabout
ac)onoutcomes?Whatnovelinterac)onsandcuescouldreinforcethesuccessful
comple)onoftheseimportanttasks?
And then I repeat it...
Howmightrulessuppor)ngcollabora)veprac)cesinuencetherangeand
availabilityofobjectmanagementac)ons?
Whaterrorpreven)onandhandlingconceptscanyourteamenvisiontoprevent
lossofvaluableinforma)onduringobjectmanagementac)ons?
Howcouldassocia)onsbetweeninterac)onobjectsbeimpactedbycertain
managementinterac)ons?Whenmightworkersbenetfromunderstanding
thelineagesoftheseevolvingassocia)ons?
Whatop)onsmightallowtargetedorganiza)onstoappropriatelysetupdierent
userpermissionsformanagingdierenttypesofinterac)onobjects?
And maybe that feels

like one too many for
what I want, so Ive
deleted one of them...
B10. Object Templates

When knowledge workers repeatedly generate instances of
interaction objects with similar attributes, they may value the
ability to create new objects from standard molds. Product
teams can envision functionality concepts that could allow
workers to offload tedious data entry effort by tailoring and
making use of object templates.
43
Where might object templates valuably decrease the effort

needed to create common classes of complex information
structures in your teams application concepts? What
functional options could allow targeted knowledge workers
to define, share, modify, and use these templates?

forknowledgework:
Ascien)stcreateslesforaseriesofsamplesinherlabsinforma)onmanagement
applica)onbasedonatemplateofaZributesthatshewillusethroughoutaclinical
study.SheknowsthattheseaZributeconsistencieswillremoveproblemsdown
stream,whenherlabstechnicianshaveactuallyruntheseexperimentsandshe
wantstoanalyzetheresul)ngcollec)onofdatainheranalysisapplica)on
(seeillustra(on).
Anarchitectusesherbuildingmodelingapplica)ontocreateaseriesoftemplated
objectsthatsa)sfysomedicultprojectrequirements.Crea)ngthesetemplatesin
advancewillreduceworklater,whenthesestandardobjectswillappearrepeatedly
throughoutthebuildingsdesign.
Anancialtraderexpor)ngdatafromhistradingapplica)onchoosesfromamenu
oftemplatesfordierentexportcontentandlayoutformats.Theabilitytoset
upstandardexportop)onssaveshimalotof)me,especiallywhencomparedto
manuallyreformalngeachexportle.
Inmanyorganiza)ons,knowledgeworkersac)vi)esinvolve,orevenrevolvearound,
thecrea)onandrecrea)onofspecicworkproductsortheircons)tuentelements
(A,B1).Tosupportthesetasks,productteamscanenvisiontemplatefunc)onalitythat
couldallowworkerstoeliminatesomeoftheeortneededtocreatecertaininterac)on
objects(E3,E4),whiledrivingvaluablestandardiza)onthatcanpromotehigherquality
workoutcomes(A4,C6,L1).
Wheredotargetedindividualscurrentlytakestepstopromotevaluedsameness
inar)factsaspartoftheworkprac)cesthatyourteamisstrivingtomediate?
Clinical
Scientist
Howdoworkerscategorizeandnamecommonvariantsofworkplacear)facts?
Howdotheseclassica)onschemesvaryacrosstargetedorganiza)ons?
Whatvaluedotheseconsistenciesandcategoriesprovide?
Whichprimaryinterac)onobjectsinyourteamsapplica)onconceptscould
becomehighvolumeandtherepeatedfocusofwork?
"

"

Whichobjectcrea)ontaskscouldpoten)allyburdenworkerswithdataentry
eorts?
Howmighttemplatesbeclearlyandvisiblydieren)atedfromthetypeof
interac)onobjectsthattheyserveasamoldfor?
Whichofanobjectsinforma)onaZributesshouldprobablynotbeincorporated
intoatemplatesstandardizinginuence?
Howmightaddi)onaldataentryeort,akeranobjecthasbeencreatedfrom
atemplate,beclariedorlessened?
#

Whatfunc)onalityconceptscanyourteamenvisiontoallowworkerstoclearly
managetheirvarioustemplatesasspecicworkplaceneedsevolveover)me?

Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderthepoten)alroleofobjecttemplatesin
theirapplica)onconcepts,workersmayndtheprocessofcrea)ngessen)alinterac
)onobjectsinresul)ngproductstobeexcessivelyeortul(D2,D3).Addi)onally,key
opportuni)estoprovidebenecialtypesofstandardiza)on,whichcomputerscanexcel
atpromo)ng,mayalsobelost(C9,G3,J6).
Seealso:A,B,C4,C5,H1,I1,K10,M1,M4
Howmightuserstraceanindividualinterac)onobjectbacktothetemplatethat
itwascreatedfrom?
Productteamscanenvisiontemplatesasinterac)onobjectsinandofthemselves,
eitherprovidedasproductdefaultsorexiblycreatedbyworkerstomeettheneeds
ofcertainsitua)onsandprac)ces(A7,A8,C8).Crea)nganobjectfromatemplatecan
requiresubsequenteorttomaketheresul)ngobjectcompleteortoshapeittothe
requirementsofaworkerscurrentgoals.Evenwhentemplatescanbeeasilymodied
(K11),workersmayneedtoeditorextendtheaZributesofresul)ngobjectinstances.
Conversely,formanytypesofinterac)onobjects,templatefunc)onalitymaynot
providesucientvaluetowarrantitsaddi)onalcomplexity(A9,D4,K6).Insomecases,
theabilitytocreateacopyofanexis)ngobjectcansuceasamethodforaccomplish
ingthesamegoal.
Whatpathwaysofac)oncouldowoutofthecrea)onofanobjectfrom
atemplate?

!

C. Establishing an Application Framework

Valued computing tools can tame complexity
by structuring workers interactions within
comprehensible, consistent, and cohesive
overall frames.
Designing such a clear organization requires
deliberate and critical exploration of an onscreen tools potential shape and routes.
During application envisioning, product teams
can synthesize common structural needs with
their own resonating design ideas in order to
sketch guiding models and larger interaction
approaches for their products.
Early ideation about these application
structures can set the stage for teams
evolving functionality concepts by both
shaping and reflecting divergent ideas
about potential user experiences.
44
Onceproductteamshavegeneratedacri)calmassofsketchedideasabouttheir
applica)onspoten)alrolesinworkprac)ce,theycanbegintomeaningfullyenvision
appropriateconceptsfortheirproductshighlevelform.Thisoverallformcancom
municatehowatoolwillbasicallywork,anditcaninherentlydeneaframingrange
ofusefulinterac)onconstraints.Teamscanusethesefounda)onstoreshapetheir
envisioningofkeyscenariosformediatedwork,drivingtopdown,systemicconsistency
andalargerdesignstrategyacrosstheirproposedfunc)onalareas.
Sketchingconceptsforanapplica)onsframeworkdoesnotentailexac)ngdeni)on
ordesign.Instead,itinvolvesworkingthroughimportantconstraintswithonlyasmuch
detailasisnecessarytorealizeandcommunicatepoten)aldesignconcepts.Although
manyoftheseimportantconstraintscanariseorganicallyfromtheidea)onprocess,
teamscanalsoderivekeyconstraintsfortheirapplica)onsframeworkfromwellchar
acterizedchallengesthatareokenmanifestedincompu)ngtoolsforknowledgework.
C1.Inten)onalandar)culatedconceptualmodels
C2.Applica)oninterac)onmodel
C3.Levelsofinterac)onpaZerns
C4.Pathwaysfortaskandac)vitybasedwaynding
C5.Permissionsandviewstailoredtoworkersiden))es
C6.Standardizedapplica)onworkows
C7.Structuralsupportofworkspaceawareness
C8.Defaults,customiza)on,andautomatedtailoring
C9.Errorpreven)onandhandlingconven)ons
C10.Predictableapplica)onstates
Productteamscanusetheseideastoexploreno)onsofhowtheirproductcouldframe
bothconceptuallyandinaliteralinterac)ondesignsensetheknowledgework
prac)cesthattheyarestrivingtomediate.Althoughitcanbesafelyassumedthatearly
ideasaboutanapplica)onsframeworkwillgrowandchangeduringtheenvisioning
processandthroughoutproductimplementa)on,teamscandeliberatelypreservethe
essen)alcharacteroftheframingformthattheyhavechosentopursue.
)onanddeterminingscope(A),Deninginterac)onobjects(B),Clarifyingcentral
interac)ons(G),andAimingforaesthe)cuserexperiences(L)categories.
100APPLICATIONENVISIONINGIDEAS|C.ESTABLISHINGANAPPLICATIONFRAMEWORK
C1. Intentional and Articulated Conceptual Models

Knowledge workers develop particular understandings of which
work practices an interactive application is designed to support,
how it essentially works, and how it might fit into their own
activities. Product teams can communicate their computing
tools intended conceptual models through application design
and other channels.
What overall models could encapsulate the what and how

of your interactive applications proposed roles in targeted
knowledge work? How might those overall functional
stories be communicated to users? Similarly, how could
your team promote clear sub-stories for each of your central
functionality ideas?

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Anarchitectndsthatherstudiosnewbuildingmodelingapplica)onrequiresa
substan)allydierentmindset.Insteadofdrawingindividualeleva)ons,plans,and
detailsforaproject,herteamwillcollabora)velycreateasingle,shared3Dmodel
oftheirbuildingdesign.Thenewtoolitselfcommunicatesthisoverridingdis)nc)on
innumerousways,includinghowvariousfunc)onsarenamed(seeillustra(on).
Ascien)stquicklydevelopsaworkingunderstandingofhowheranalysisapplica)on
calculatesandpresentscertainvalues.Overall,thewaythetooldisplaysherlabs
clinicaldataremindsherofapowerful,zoomingmicroscope.
Anancialtraderreceivesperiodicupdatesfromthevendorthatcreatedhisrms
tradingapplica)on.Inoneoftheseupdates,helearnsthathewillneedtodevelop
aclearunderstandingofhow,when,andwhysomenewfunc)onali)eswillusefully
automatecertaintradeparameters.
Whilemechanicaltoolscanimplicitlycommunicatehowtheyworkbasedontheircon
struc)on,digitaltoolsmustbedesignedtocommunicatetheirpurpose,oerings,and
behaviors.Knowledgeworkersincorporatenewtechnologiesintotheirprac)cesbased
onunfoldingunderstandingsofhowavailabletoolsoperate(A,K2,K6).Eventhough
individualusersdeveloptheirownconceptualmodelsofatoolover)me,product
teamscanaZempttoshapetheseunderstandingsbydevelopingtargetmodelsand
strivingtocommunicatethemintheirapplica)ondesigns.
forknowledgework:
Whatorganizing,bigpicturementalmodelsdotargetedindividualscurrentlyhave
fortheworkprac)cesthatyourteamisstrivingtomediate?
Architect
Howdothemindsetsandconstraintsinherentindierenttasksorlargerac)vi)es
driveworkerstoadoptdierentframeworksforthinkingandac)ng?
Howmightyourteamuseyourinsightsintothesementalmodelsasabasisfor
envisioninginnova)veandcompellingconceptualmodelsforyourcompu)ngtool?
!
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Seealso:B4,C,E5,G1,L3,M1
Whatessen)al,highlevelopera)onalapproachesinyoursketchedapplica)onideas
couldreferenceandextenduponworkersexis)ngwaysofthinkingabouttheir
eorts?
Howmightindividualfunc)onali)esmakesimilarconnec)onstoworkerscurrent
understandings?
Whatnewanddierentconceptualfounda)onsmightworkersneedtounderstand
inordertosuccessfullymakeuseofyourcompu)ngtoolintheirownprac)ces?
Howcouldthesenewconceptualmodelsbeframedbytheirexis)ngmental
models?
Howmightpeopleindierentroles,usingapplica)ondisplaysthataretailored
totheirowniden))es,developdierentconceptualmodelsforyoursketched
compu)ngtools?Howcouldthisimpacttheircommongroundforcommunica)on?
Tocreatecompellingfunc)onalgestalts,productteamscanenvisionconceptualmodels
fortheirproductsthatareframedbyandbuilduponanalogiesandidiomsknownby
theirtargetedaudiences(C3,L2).Innova)vemodelsthatsimplyandcoherentlypres
entpredictablerela)onshipscanalsobequitesuccessful(F3).Complexapplica)ons
cancontainmul)plelevelsofnes)ngconceptualmodels,rangingfromtheoverarch
ingproductframework,toindividualfunc)onalareas(C6,B1),tofunc)onalvaria)ons
drivenbydieringpermissionsandiden)tytailoredviews(A2,C5).
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhowproposedconceptualmodelscould
shapeworkersexperiences,opportuni)estodriveusefulunderstandingsofhowan
applica)onessen)allyworkscanbelost.Intheabsenceofclearlycommunicated
conceptualmodels,peoplemayexperiencecompu)ngtoolsasarbitrarycollec)ons
ofcontrolsandpathways(K3),developingtheirownmurkyassembliesoffunc)onal
interpreta)on.EventhoughthesetoolscanbelearnableakercommiZedeortor
training(D2,D3,M2,K7),poten)allyvaluablefunc)onalitymayremainundiscovered,
misunderstood,ormisused,requiringaddi)onaldefensivemeasurestopreventerrors
(C9,G3).
45
Whatmightitsoundlikewhenahypothe)caluserdescribesoneofyourproposed
conceptualmodels?Whattakeawaysshouldtheyhaveaboutyourtoolspurpose,
oerings,andbehaviors?
Howmightyourteamsproposedconceptualmodelsbecommunicatedthrough
applica)ondesignandfunc)onalscaolding?Throughotherchannels,suchas
informa)vemarke)ngandintroductoryinstruc)on?
Howcouldyourapproachestocommunica)ngtargetconceptualmodels)einto
yourlargerideasaboutdesignstrategyandbrand?
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C2. Application Interaction Model

Knowledge work applications can benefit from a consistent
and overriding interaction model that defines a computing
tools shell of navigation and overall approach to interactivity.
Product teams can envision interaction models that are
complementary to targeted work practices, appropriate for
their sketched design strategies, and framed by workers
experiences with other tools.
46
What directions can your team generate for the deliberate

shells of your application concepts, including their approach
to containing, enabling, and shaping your sketched functionality
ideas? What types of interaction models could effectively
support targeted knowledge work in a way that embodies
your strategic focus?

forknowledgework:
Ascien)stseesthateachedgeofheranalysisapplica)onisapanelthatcanhave
dierentimpactsonthecentralvisualiza)onareaofthetool.Oneedgecontrols
whatdataisbeingdisplayed,whileanothercontrolshowselecteddataisvisualized
(seeillustra(on).
Whatinterac)onmodelsarecommonlyfoundinthecompu)ngtoolsthattargeted
individualscurrentlyuse?
Clinical
Scientist
Whichmodelsarenormallyassociatedwiththespecictasksandlargerac)vi)es
thatyourteamisstrivingtomediate?
Anancialtradersnewtradingapplica)onpresentsfourcolumns,eachwitha
dierentpurpose.Thelekcolumnhastablesthatdrivewhatisshowninthenext
twocolumns,whiletherightcolumnshowsmarketdataandothertradersac)on.
Anarchitectdiscoversthathernewbuildingmodelingapplica)onisorganizedbya
seriesofdierentviewsofaproject,witheachviewprovidingitsownsetofrelated
func)onality.Sincethetoolseemstohavecountlessfunc)ons,shendsthisorgani
za)onmethodtobeveryclearandeec)ve.
Whatlargerdesignandtechnologytrendscouldinformyouridea)onprocesson
thisimportanttopic?
Whichconven)onalinterac)onmodelscouldbewellsuitedtothequan)tyand
typeoffunc)onalityconceptsthatyourteamisconsidering?Whatbenetscould
reusingthesepaZernshaveforyourproductssuccess?Whatmodica)onsmight
theyrequire?
Whatadvancedanalogiestoothertypesofproductsmightyourteamdrawupon
whenthinkingaboutpossibleinterac)onmodelsforyourcompu)ngtool?
Interac)onmodels,intheparlanceofthisbook,arethehighestlevelexpressionsofan
applica)onsstructure.Thepopula)onofinterac)onmodelsusedinmanyknowledge
workdomainsdoesnotcontainmuchusefulbiodiversity,and,ingeneral,thereis
considerablepoten)alforproductteamstoexploremeaningfulinnova)oninthisarea.
Contemporaryconven)ons(L2,C3)areextensivelyrecycled,okenwiththeexpecta)on
thatthesestandardswilldriveecienciesinproductdevelopmentandadop)on.
Formanytechnologists,theselec)onofaninterac)onmodelseemstobesimplis)cally
dividedbetweeneitherageneral,menusonthetopworkspacemodel,wheretasks
arelargelyopenandunsequenced(B4,L1),orawizardlikemodel,wheresingletrack
processescanbehighlyconstrained(A4,C6).Withinthesebroadcategoriesthereis
considerableroomfortailoredsolu)ons,andproductteamscanimproveuponcon
ven)onalapproachesbyspecicallyop)mizingthemaroundtheirsketchedconcepts
formedia)ngwork(A,C5).Concernsaboutinterac)oneciency(D2,D3),mul)tasking
(G5),learnability(D7,K2,K5,K6),ndability(C4),andotherfactors,candriveteamsto
envisionnewapproachesorconsiderleveragingspecializedinterac)onmodelsfrom
otherdomains.Iconoclas)cinterac)onmodels(L5)canbedirectexpressionsofa
productsconceptualmodels(C1)ornovelhybridsofdierentdesignpaZerns.
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderdivergentapproachesfortheirappli
ca)onsinterac)onmodels,opportuni)estoappropriatelytailortheencompassing
structuresofcompu)ngtoolstotargetedworkprac)cescanbelost.Beyondlostoppor
tuni)esfortargetedinnova)on,resul)ngapplica)onframeworksmaynotadequately
supporttheowofworkersprac)cesorsucientlycommunicateatoolspurpose,
oerings,andbehaviors.
Seealso:B9,C,L,F,G2,J2,K1,K4,L4
Whattypesofinterac)onmodelscouldmatchtheembeddedconceptualmodels
inyoursketchedapplica)ondirec)ons?
Whichofyoursketchedfunc)onalityconceptscouldplayaprimaryroleinyour
interac)onmodelchoices?Whichshouldprobablynot?
Howmightyourteamtailortypicalinterac)onmodelfeaturestobeZersupport
andencompasscertainfunc)onalityideas?
Whatnovel,oreveniconoclas)cinterac)onmodelconceptsmightyouenvision?
Howcouldtheseconceptsembodyvaluableapproachesforsensemaking,
organiza)on,andinterac)veowintargetedworkprac)ces?
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Whatcoulditbeliketonavigatethroughtasksandlargerac)vi)esintheinterac
)onmodelsthatyourteamisconsidering?Whichmodelscouldbemorelikelyto
provideworkerswithasenseofcompellingengagementandaccomplishment?
Howcouldrequirementsformul)tasking,proceduraleciency,orinstruc)onal
clarityinuenceyourinterac)onmodeldecisions?
Whatimpactscoulddierentinterac)onmodelselec)onshaveonbrandand
brandingapproaches?
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Howmightyourinterac)veapplica)onscaleinfunc)onalityover)me?Whatim
pactscouldthesescalingscenarioshaveonyourteamsinterac)onmodelchoices?
C3. Levels of Interaction Patterns

Looking across the sketched functional offerings in a product
teams application concepts, there are often opportunities to
categorize and standardize certain repeating patterns. Teams
can capture and expand upon internal consistencies at different
levels of granularity, promoting eventual learnability, usability,
and implementation efficiencies within their computing tools.
Anarchitectndsthatthereisanoverallfeelofconsistencyinthedesignofhernew
buildingmodelingapplica)on,eventhougheachareaoftheproductseemscare
fullyop)mizedtosupportdierentac)ons.Acrosstheen)reapplica)on,dierent
toolsanddialogboxesarepresentedinapredictableandclearlymappedmanner
thatmakesthemeasytointerpretanduse(seeillustra(on).
Ascien)stdiscoversthattherearetwodis)nctways,withinthesameoverall
interface,thathernewanalysisapplica)onallowshertoact.Common,standard
analysismethodsaresupportedbyhighlydirec)ve,stepbystepscreens,whileless
predictableanalysesaresupportedbyaseriesofexibleworkspacesdevotedto
par)cularapproaches.
47
Everywhere I go in this
so!ware, there is this
overall feeling of high
quality consistency...
I imagine this tool
being created by a
single person, even
though I know it took
a whole team...
forknowledgework:
Architect
WhatvaluedoworkersndintheseknownandexpectedpaZerns?Whatdothey
thinkoftheconven)onsthattheycurrentlyuse?
LEVELS OF INTERACTION PATTERNS WITHIN APPLICATION
Conversely,productteamsthatfocustooheavilyonestablishingandapplyinginterac
)onpaZernscanoverlookopportuni)estoenvisiondesignconceptsthatarehighly
tailoredtotheworkprac)cesthattheyarestrivingtomediate(A).
Seealso:B1,C,F,G2,G3,J6,L,K1
Whatlargerdesignandtechnologytrendscouldinuenceyouridea)onabout
interac)onpaZerns?
Whatadvancedanalogiestoothertypesofproductsmightyourteamdrawupon
whenthinkingaboutappropriatepaZerns?
Whatinherentconsistenciesarepresentwithinthescopeofworkprac)ceyouare
targe)ng?Basedontheseconsistencies,whichofyourenvisionedfunc)onalareas
couldhavestrongsimilari)es?
Whileenvisioningapplica)ons,manyproductteamsgravitatetowardcopyinglowlevel,
literaluserinterfacepaZernsfromotherproductsthatthey,andpresumablytheir
targetedknowledgeworkers,arefamiliarwith.Thesevernaculardesignselec)onsare
okenmadeonaonebyonebasiswithinpar)cularfunc)onalityconcepts,without
consideringrequirementsandconsistenciesacrosstheen)retyofacompu)ngtool
(B9,C6).
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderthepoten)alroleofinterac)onpat
ternsatdierentlevelswithintheirapplica)onconcepts,resul)nginconsistenciesmay
hinderworkersabili)estodevelopusefulexpecta)ons.Withouttheseexpecta)ons,
peoplemayndneworinfrequentlyusedfunc)onalitymorediculttolearn(D2,D3,
K2,K5,K6).Wheninconsistenciesareno)ceable,theycanalsonega)velyimpact
individualspercep)onsofanapplica)onsquality(K12).
What,ifany,interac)onpaZernsdotargetedindividualsexpecttoseewhenusing
compu)ngtoolsintheworkprac)cesthatyourteamisstrivingtomediate?
WhatpaZerns,atdierentlevelsofgranularity,havebecomeastandardpartof
howknowledgeworkersunderstandtheircompu)ngtools?
Anancialtraderknowsthathistradingapplica)onhasdierentcategoriesof
screens.Whenhenavigatestotoolsandop)onsthathedoesnotuseveryoken,
herecognizessmallercomponentsthatfollowthesamemoldasscreensthathe
usesrepeatedlythroughouthisday.
Productteamscanenvisionmoreexpansivevaluefrominterac)onpaZernsbymap
pingthematmul)plelevelsofconvergence,star)ngatanapplica)onsinterac)on
model(C2)andworkingdownwardthroughseveral)ersofuserinterfacedetail(A4,
A5).Teamscanthenexperimentwithapplyingtheirnes)ngandinterrelatedpaZerns
acrosstheirsketchedfunc)onalityconcepts,envisioninghowknowledgeworkersmight
transfertheirexperiencesamonginterac)ons(C1,D7).
Scanning the breadth of your teams promising functionality

concepts, what typical or novel interaction patterns might you
identify and meaningfully reuse? How might your team organize
these valuable regularities into different tiers of patterns
within your application proposals, ranging from large to more
granular?
Withinthepar)cularsofyoursketchedfunc)onali)es,whatsmallerconsistencies
couldbecomeinternalstandards?
Howmightthereuseofinterac)onpaZernsinyourapplica)onpromotethe
transferofworkerslearninginoneinterac)veexperiencetootherinterac)ve
experiences?
Wherecouldthepar)cularsofworkersgoalsdrivemeaningfuldieren)a)onin
interac)ondesignresponses,ratherthanpaZernedstandardiza)on?
Whenintroducingnewinterac)onpaZernsintoworkersprac)ces,whatanalogies
mightyourteammaketoknowninterac)vityscenarios?
Applica!on Views
Dialogs and Panes
Smaller Components
Howmightyourideasaboutyourproductslargerconceptualandinterac)on
modelsimpactyourinterac)onpaZernchoices?
HowmighttheemerginglanguageofpaZernsinyoursketchedapplica)on
possibili)esrelateto,orevenestablish,thepaZernlanguageofabroaderfamily
ofproductsinyourrm?
C4. Pathways for Task and Activity Based Wayfinding

Effective pathways through interactive applications can be
structured to allow knowledge workers to navigate based
on the emergent flow of their own efforts. Product teams
can derive these pathways from the interrelations between
different operations, tasks, and larger activities in targeted
work practices.
How might your team organize the structuring flow of functional

options in your application concepts around understood
pathways of meaningful action? How could navigation
naturally and desirably unfold through the course of targeted
knowledge workers own decisions and efforts within your
computing tool?

#

Anancialtraderrarelyneedstoac)velylocateanentrypointtohisnextac)on
withinhistradingapplica)on.Thetoolisdesignedtosuittheowofhiswork,and
hefeelslikeitisintelligentenoughtoknowthedierentac)onsthathemight
wanttoaccomplishnext,providinghimwithquickwaystogetstarted
(seeillustra(on).
Ascien)strunsastandardtransforma)onalgorithmonsomeofherlabsclinical
data.Basedontheoutputofthisprocess,heranalysisapplica)onpresentsherwith
asetofsubsequentac)onsthatshemaywanttoperformnextinordertofurther
manipulatethecontent.
Anarchitectcopiesanddragsanewwallintoplacewithinherbuildingmodeling
applica)on.Amenuthenliststhepoten)alassocia)onsandaZributesthatshe
couldselectforthenewwall,basedonitsloca)onrela)vetootherelements.
Interac)veapplica)onsthataretailoredtospecicknowledgeworkprac)ces(A)can
reecttheowofthoseprac)cesbackatworkersastheyaccomplishtheirtasksand
largerac)vi)es(K3,K13).Thesereectedowscanallowworkerstousetheirexis)ng
mentalmodelsandskillstonavigatethroughcontextual,progressivelydisclosedinter
ac)ons(C3),ratherthanforcingthemtolearnhowtotranslatetheirgoalsintoac)ons
withinatoolsownarcaneconven)ons(C1,C2).
Productteamscanenvisionhowtheirproposedmappingsbetweenworkscenarios
andinterac)onobjects(B1,B8)couldtranslateintoclearanddirectpathwaysthrough
relatedinterfaces.Teamsearlyenvisioningoftheseroutescanfocusonprimarywork
scenarios,atalevelofdetailthatallowsthemtosketchviableapplica)onconcepts.
Pathwaymappingstypicallybecomeanimportantpartofaproductsoverallframework
(C),communica)ngatoolsavailablefunc)onali)esanditsrelevancefortargetedwork
prac)ces(K3).Certainpointsalongpathwayscanalsoappearwithinrelatedfunc)on
ali)es,outsideofanapplica)onspervasiveshell,asstatebased(B5,B6,C10)and
contextuallyrelevantnaviga)onop)ons.
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsidervaluablesupportforprac)cebased
waynding,resul)ngapplica)onscanfeelmorelikeacollec)onofdiscretefunc)ons
thanacohesive,narra)veexperience(G1).Inen)relydisjointedproducts,workers
mustrstdiscoverwhatfunc)onalityisavailabletothemandthenlearntonavigateto
appropriatefunc)onsinsequence.Formanyknowledgeworksitua)ons,usersmaynd
thissortofwayndingtobeexcessivelyeortultolearnanduseeec)vely(D2,K2,
K6)withoutmakingerrors(C9,G3).Thesenega)veeectsmayleadtoaconsiderable
amountofundiscoveredorinten)onallyunusedfunc)onality(D3,D4).
Seealso:D7,F,G,K5,K8,K9,M1
48
forknowledgework:
Howmighttheinterrela)onsbetweenopera)ons,tasks,andlargerac)vi)es
thatyourteamisstrivingtomediatebereectedinthestructuralowsofyour
applica)onconcepts?
Financial
Trader
Howmightyourteamsituateyoursketchedfunc)onali)eswithintheseessen)al
ows?
Whatfunc)onalareaswillcontainvolumesofcontentthatcouldbenetfromclear,
categoricalroutesugges)ons?

!
Whatmightitbeliketonavigatethroughdierentpathwaysaspartoftargeted
workprac)ces?Whichofyourteamspathwayideascouldbemorelikelytoprovide
workerswithasenseofcompellingengagementandaccomplishment?
"

Howcouldinterac)veroutesbemadetofeelasiftheyaretailoredtotheinherent
owofworkprac)ce,disclosingcontentandfunc)onalityprogressivelyinorderto
reduceexperiencedcomplexity?
Howmighttheinterac)onmodelsofyourteamsapplica)onconceptscommunicate
availablepathwaysofac)ontousers?Wouldworkersbenetfromamaporisit
enoughtopresentstatebased,contextuallyrelevantpathways?
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Wherecouldimportantpathwayop)onsbecontextually)edintoyoursketched
Howimportantisitforworkerstohaveanunderstandingofwheretheyareina
process?Whatwayndingcuescouldbeappropriateindierentscenarios?
Howdirec)veshouldinterac)vepathwaysbe?Wherecouldconstric)ve,
standardizingpathwaysundesirablylimitworkerseorts?
Howmighttheavailabilityofinterac)vepathwaysbeinuencedbyapplica)on
andinterac)onobjectstates?
Whatmighttheexperiencebelikewhenturningtoyourteamsproductfrom
workprac)cesthatareaccomplishedoutsideofthescreen,orwhentransi)oning
awayfromyourproductintootherpartsofworkac)vity?
C5. Permissions and Views Tailored to Workers Identities

Application displays that are tailored to knowledge workers
identities can support both organizational goals and workers
own preferred ranges of practice. Product teams can envision
how the content and functionalities within their computing tools
could be segmented into areas and views that are intended for
certain audiences within the same working culture.
Based on observed role segmentations and security needs in

the organizations that your team is targeting, what approaches
can you envision for meaningfully categorizing knowledge
workers identities in your application concepts? How might
these categories drive differing access and interactions with
certain functionalities and content?
'

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&&
Ascien)stlogsintoheranalysisapplica)ontoviewdatainoneofherlabsclinical
studies,knowingthatherloginiden)tywillallowhertouseallofthetoolsmany
op)ons.Shehasorganizedthissamestudyspermissionssothattechniciansinher
labcanonlyusetheanalysistooltouploadtheircompletedexperimentsand
manuallycheckthequalityoftheirdata(seeillustra(on).
forknowledgework:
Whatdivisionsoflabordotargetedorganiza)onscurrentlyprescribeforthework
prac)cesthatyourteamisstrivingtomediate?Whatrulescurrentlydictateaccess
tocertainworkplacear)facts?
Clinical
Scientist
Howareworkersiden))escurrentlymanagedwithintargetedorganiza)ons?
Howimportant,rela)vely,isthesecurityoftheseiden))es?
Anarchitectsetsupthepermissionsofanewprojectinherbuildingmodeling
applica)ontohavedierentviewsandop)onsforotherarchitectsworkingonthe
project;externalconsultants,suchascivilengineers;andeventheprojectsclient,
whowillonlybeabletoviewbuildingplansandrenderingsgeneratedatcertain
projectmilestones.
## $"!
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Anancialtraderknowsthat,withinthetradingapplica)onthatheuseseveryday,
therearedataviewsthatareonlyavailabletohisbosses.
Knowledgeworkersenac)ngdierentroleswithinanorganiza)onmayperformdif
ferentac)vi)es(C6)orcontributetothesameac)vityviaseparategoalsandprac)ces
(A7,A8).Inthecontextoftheseestablisheddivisionsinresponsibili)es,organiza)ons
mayhavespecicrequirementsforsegmen)nganinterac)veapplica)onsscopeto
meaningfullysuitcategorizediden))esintheirworkforces(A1,A2).Permissions
featuresincompu)ngtoolscanshapeeachusersabilitytoseeandmakeuseof
certaindataandinterac)onop)ons.
49
Howexibleorprescrip)vearedierentindividualsrolesinobservedprac)ce?
Dotheyactuallycorrespondtoorganiza)onalchartabstrac)ons,oraretargeted
workersbiggergeneraliststhantheyokenrealizeoradmit?
Whatlargerdesignandtechnologytrendscouldinuenceyourteamsidea)onon
thetopicofiden)tymanagementapproaches?
Howmightyourteammodelexis)ngpowerrela)onshipsandlevelsofresponsibility
withintargetedorganiza)onsinrela)ontoyoursketchedapplica)onconcepts?
Whichfunc)onalareasandinterac)onobjectsstandoutasbelongingtosome
categoriesofspecializedworkersbutnottoothers?
Collaborating
Scientists
Atwhatpointdoesitmakesenseforyourteamtostartthinkingofspecialized,role
basedpermissionsetsasfundamentallydierentviewsyourapplica)on,ratherthan
thesameinterac)veframewithsomefeaturesturnedonoro?
Productteamscanenvisionpermissionsconceptsthatmaptokeysegmenta)onneeds
anddesiredlevelsofexibility.Teamscanalsosketchstructuralapproachesfortailoring
applica)onviewstotheneedsofdierentusersegments,displayingavailablefunc)on
ality(A9)andcontent(B5,B7)inspecializedinterfacelayoutsandrelevantrepresenta
)onalforms(F).
Howmightseparate,permissionsbasedviewsdrivedesirablesimplicityand
decreasedlearningeort?
Whenproductteamsdonotadequatelyconsiderthepoten)alroleofapplica)onper
missionsandviewstailoredtoworkersiden))es,opportuni)estoclarifyinterac)ons
fordierentaudiencesegmentscanbelost.Resul)ngapplica)onsmaynotcontain
valuablebarrierstoaccessthatcanbeessen)alforsuppor)ngspecicculturesofwork
(C8).Someindividualsmayndthattheseproductspresentcontentandfunc)onality
intendedfortoomanydierentpeopleatthesame)me,makingthesetoolsexces
sivelyeortultolearnanduseeec)vely(D2,D3,K2,K6)withoutcrossingrolebased
boundariesandcommilngerrors(D4,C9,G3).
Whatimpactcouldiden)tybasedsegmenta)onshaveonthelargerconceptual
andinterac)onmodelsofyoursketchedproducts?
Conversely,whenpermissionsandtailoredviewsareappliedwithoutsucientlycon
sideringpoten)alimpactsoncollabora)onbetweenroles(C7,G4),workersmaynd
itmorediculttoestablishcommongroundforcommunica)on(F1,J2).
Seealso:A,B8,C,G7,J,M
Wheremightthesplinteringofacompu)ngtoolintodierentviewsintroduce
undesirablelimita)onsonindividualac)on,opportuni)esformodeerrors,
andotherbreakdowns?
Laboratory
Technicians
Other Staff
Whatimplica)onscoulddivergentapplica)onviewshaveforcollabora)onand
communica)onwithinyourcompu)ngtool?Howwillworkersmaintaincommon
ground?
Howmightyourteamsapproachesforpermissionsandiden)tybasedviewsrelate
toyourfunc)onalityconceptssuppor)ngcoopera)on,collabora)on,
andworkspaceawareness?

C6. Standardized Application Workflows

Some cooperative processes in knowledge work can be
supported by computing functionalities that facilitate entire
sequences of standardized effort. Product teams can envision
functionality concepts that could valuably distribute segments
of larger work processes among multiple users; however,
restrictive workflows may not always be an appropriate
design response.
50
What portions of the knowledge work that your team is

targeting truly follow standardized and routine processes
but still require human judgment and action? How might your
application concepts meaningfully structure and usefully reduce
burdens in these procedural flows for all involved?

"

!
forknowledgework:
Anancialtraderwantstoexecuteatradethatissolargethatitrequiressigno
fromhismanager.Thetradingapplica)ondisplaysalargeno)ca)ononthe
managersscreen,andthetwocoworkersshoutbackandforthacrossthetrading
ooraboutthemeritsofthepoten)aldeal.Eventually,themanagerindicateshis
approvalinhisownviewofthetradingapplica)on,whichthenexecutesthe
pendingtransac)on(seeillustra(on).
Ascien)stsetsupaworkrequestinherlabsinforma)onmanagementapplica)on
sothatacertaintechnicianwillrerunsomeclinicalsamples.Whenthetechnician
receivesthisworkrequest,hecanquicklytranslatetheexperimentalprotocolinto
hisownlaboratoryprocesses,runthesamples,andthenuploadthenewdatafor
thescien)sttoreview.
Anarchitectdenesastandardizedworkowinherbuildingmodelingapplica)on
thatwillusefullydrivehowherteamcollabora)velyuploads,evaluates,andcatego
rizesearlyideasforanewbuildingproject.
Whichtasksorlargerac)vi)esthatyourteamisstrivingtomediatearecurrently
partofstandardizedworkowprocesses?
Financial
Trader
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderthepoten)alroleofstandardizedwork
owsintheirapplica)onconcepts,opportuni)estotranslateexis)ngworkows,orto
createnewvalueinworkersexperiencesoflargerprocesses,canbelost.
Conversely,highlyskilledknowledgeworkersmaynotalwaysvaluenovelstandardiza
)onthatisrootedindistantno)onsofeciency,suchasthosesome)mesoutlined
inthenameofbusinessprocessredesign(D1,G5).
Seealso:A,B3,B5,C,D,E,F1,K1,K3,M
Whatvaluedocurrentworkowsprovideintargetedorganiza)ons?
Whataretheindividualmeasuresofsuccessfordierentsegmentsofexis)ng
workows?Foren)reworkows?
$

!
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Whatworkprocessesdobothknowledgeworkersandtheirorganiza)onswantto
standardizefurther?Wheremightorganiza)onalgoalsforworkowcrystalliza)on
showaclearmismatchwithworkersgoalsandpreferredwaysofprac)cing?
Howcouldyourapplica)onconceptsmaintainorexpanduponthevalueofexis)ng
workowprocesses?Howmighttheyprovidevaluablenewworkowop)ons?
Whenmightitbemoreappropriatetosupportstructuredworkwithintegrated
communica)onchannelsandclearobjectownershiprules,ratherthanregimented
andinexibleworkowtools?
Establishedprac)cesinknowledgeworkprofessionsmaybearliZleresemblance,either
literallyorinspirit,tohighlystandardized,scien)callymanagedassemblylines.It
canbeimportanttorecognize,however,thatevenwithinotherwisevariableac)vi)es
(A7,A8)theremayexistsomeconsistent,sequen)alsegmentsofestablishedand
repeatedworkprocess(A4).Requirementsfortheseworkowstandardiza)onscan
arisefromindividualworkers,theirorganiza)ons,orlargercommuni)esofprac)ce.
Productteamsconceptsformedia)ngworkowprocessescanhavesubstan)al
impactsontheirsketchedideasforcrossfunc)onalapplica)onframeworks(C1,C2).
Computermediatedworkowscanoutlinethenumberandtypeofstepstobecom
pleted,levelsofinstruc)veness(K2,K7),howhandoswilloccur(C5,G7,J3),andmany
otherimportantfactors.Knowledgeworkersmayvaluehowtheseprocessoriented
func)onali)esreduceundesiredeortthroughautoma)on(E3,E4)anddistribu)onof
eortstocolleagues(J).Appropriateworkowtoolsmayalsoimprovethepredictability
andqualityofcoopera)veoutputs(C9,G3,L1).
Whatotherar)factsandtechnologiesareinvolvedintheseprocesses?
Howmuchvisibilitymightworkerswantintotheircolleaguesac)vi)esand
workowcontribu)ons?Whatvaluecouldthisvisibilityprovide?
') )

Howmightseparateworkowviewsfordierentcontributorsdrivedesirable
simplicityanddecreasedlearningeort?
& %
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Howmightyourteamssketchedworkowfunc)onali)essupportinterpersonal
interac)onandcommunica)onatkeyjunctures?
Whatrolecouldexibilityandcustomiza)onplayinyourworkowconcepts?
Atwhatpointmightdesirablevariabili)eschallengetheusefulnessandviability
ofstandardizedworkowfunc)onality?
Trading
Manager
Whatimpactcouldextensiveworkowoeringshaveonthelargerconceptual
andinterac)onmodelsofyoursketchedproducts?
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*
Howmightyourteamsapproachesforstandardizedworkowsrelatetoyour
func)onalityconceptssuppor)ngpermissions,iden)tytailoredviews,coopera)on,
collabora)on,andworkspaceawareness?
C7. Structural Support of Workspace Awareness

Valuable functional support for cooperative or collaborative
knowledge work activities may impact the larger structure of
a computing tool. Product teams can envision pervasive cues
within their application concepts that could highlight significant
actions of other users acting in the same workspace.
Anarchitectknowsthatonepaneinherbuildingmodelingapplica)oncontainsa
varietyofinforma)onaboutwhathercollaboratorsaredoinginthesameproject
le.Sheusesthispanetounderstandwhoisworkinginthesamebuildingareas
thatsheis,aswellastoseewhoisavailableforconversa)on(seeillustra(on).
What structural, application level approaches might your team

envision to allow targeted knowledge workers to stay usefully
and meaningfully aware of others actions within the same data
locale? What might these awarenesses feel like in practice?
(

forknowledgework:
Howdotargetedindividualscurrentlykeeptrackoftheircolleaguesac)onsaspart
oftheworkprac)cesthatyourteamisstrivingtomediate?
How,specically,docurrentformsofsharedawarenesspromotetheeec)ve
execu)onoflooselycoordinatedortrulycollabora)vework?Howdotheyprevent
conicts?
Architect
Anancialtraderlearnsthatacertainareaofhistradingapplica)onwillvisually
indicatewhenanothertraderisac)ngonthesameinforma)onthatheis.This
no)ca)onallowstraderstopreventdiscoordina)onbyini)a)ngdiscussionsabout
theircurrentwork.
Ascien)stknowsthatany)meshelooksatindividualitemsinheranalysisapplica
)on,suchassampleswithinaclinicalstudy,aspecicareaofthescreenwillno)fy
herofrelatedac)onsbeingperformedbyothermembersofherlab.Also,whenshe
rstlogsintotheapplica)on,aspecialwelcomedisplaysummarizeskeychanges
thathavebeenmadetolabdatasinceshethelast)mesheaccessedthetool.
Whatbreakdownscurrentlyoccurduetoinsucientawareness?Couldthese
problemspresentopportuni)esforyourproduct?
Wheremighttheintroduc)onofyourteamscompu)ngtoolremoveimplicitand
subtleawarenesscuesfromtargetedworkprac)ces?
# 1 %

&

Whatlargerdesignandtechnologytrendscouldinuenceyourideasabouthow
workersmightremainappropriatelyawareofothersac)onswithinyourapplica)on
concepts?
Howmightyoursketchedapplica)onframeworksaidworkersbyprovidingvaluable
workspaceawarenesscuesatastructurallevel,acrossvariousfunc)onalareas?
Knowledgeworkersareokenhighlyskilledatunderstandinghowtheirownac)onst
intothecontextofcoopera)veandcollabora)veac)vi)esintheirorganiza)ons.Com
puterscanhavedrama)cimpactsonthisunderstanding.Forexample,wheninterac)ve
applica)onsbecomeakeyfocusofworkprac)ce,implicitvisibilityandcommunica)on
(J1)thatwasonce)edtothephysicalperformanceofworkcaneasilybecomehidden
oren)relylost(G4).
Productteamscanenvisionstructuralcuesthatcouldpromoteusefultypesofwork
spaceawarenessacrosstherangeoftasksandlargerac)vi)esthattheyarestrivingto
support(A7,C).Anapplica)onslargerframeworkcanincludefunc)onalityforcontact
facilita)on(J4)andotherfeaturesthathighlightsharedopportuni)esorpoten)al
conictswithinanetworkedenvironment(B7,J5,H3).Thesestructuralresponsescan
drama)callyimpactaproductsconceptualmodels(C1),interac)onmodel(C2),
andpermissionsfunc)onali)es(C5).
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhowworkspaceawarenesscouldbe
incorporatedintoanapplica)onconceptscrossfunc)onalframework,opportuni)esto
promotecoopera)onandcollabora)oncanbelost.Eventhoughenvisioningworkspace
awarenessonafunc)onbyfunc)onbasiscansolveindividualcollabora)onissues(G4),
withoutstructuralsupport,collaboratorsmayndthattheyhavedicultyplanning
largerac)vi)es(D2,D3),communica)ngeec)vely(J),distribu)ngeort(E),andpre
ven)ngconicts(C9,G3).
Conversely,toomuchvisibilityintotheac)onsofotherscanbedistrac)ng(D4)and
canpoten)allyleadtounwantedsurveillanceeects(A2,G7).
Seealso:A,B,F1,G,H,J2,J3,K,M1
51
Whattypesofac)onsinyourproductssharedworkspacescouldbe)edto
stronger,aZen)ongrabbingcues?Toweaker,almostsubliminal,cues?
Whoneedstoseevariouscues?Howmightawarenessinforma)onrelateto
individualspermissionsandtailoredviews?
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Atwhatpointmightusersofyourcompu)ngtoolfaceinforma)onoverloadfrom
awarenesscues?Whenmightitbemoreappropriateto)eworkspaceawareness
toindividualfunc)onsandcontextualareas,ratherthanyourtoolsoverarching
structure?
Howlongshouldspecicawarenesscueslastinyourapplica)onsframework?
Howmighttheybe)edtolongerterm,storedhistoriesforcertainfunc)onsand
interac)onobjects?
Whatimpactcouldoverarchingawarenessfunc)onalityhaveonthelarger
conceptualandinterac)onmodelsofyoursketchedproducts?
Whatunwantedsurveillanceeectscoulduninten)onallyoccurfrombroadcas)ng
specicac)onstootherworkers?

Howmightanystandardssetbyyourstructuralworkspaceawarenessdesigns
inuenceyourteamsenvisioningofawarenesscueswithinindividualfunc)onality
concepts?
C8. Defaults, Customization, and Automated Tailoring

Knowledge workers may want to make persistent changes
to default settings in order to tailor how they interact with
a computing tool. Product teams can endeavor to create
useful defaults; provide clear, consistent, and direct means of
changing them; and consider scenarios for useful automation
around some setting changes.
How might your team clarify and reduce the effort needed to
understand and set important parameters in your application
concepts? How could the interplay of appropriate default
values, manual customization, and automated tailoring enhance
your products effectiveness across a breadth of targeted
contexts?

!

Ascien)stmodiesacertainparametertoinuencehowheranalysisapplica)on
willautoma)callycomputeaderivedclinicalvariable.Akerdoublecheckingthe
eectsofthisparameterchangewithinhermostcommonlyusedvisualiza)onsand
procedures,shesetsthemodiedvalueasthedefaultselngforallnewstudies
(seeillustra(on).
Anarchitectndsthattheinputselngsofadrawingtoolinherbuildingmodeling
applica)onaremakingsomepartsofherworkunnecessarilypainstaking.Shenavi
gatestoasinglescreenthatcontainsallofherapplica)onpreferenceselngsand
decreasesthepar)culartoolssensi)vitytoinput.
Anancialtraderupdatesimportantautoma)ondefaultsinhistradingapplica)on
thatdictatehowthecompu)ngtoolwilladap)velyllinproposedinforma)on
underdierentcircumstances.
Inspecializedproductsforknowledgework,asingleparametercanmakeorbreakthe
eec)venessofanen)resystem.Productteamscanenvisiondefaultselngsfortheir
interac)veapplica)onsthatareop)mizedtocoverthemostcommonscenariosofuse
(A4)orthebroadestvarietyofworkprac)ce(A6,A7,A8).
Whendefaultselngshavethepoten)altoshapeworkersinterac)onsoroutcomes
inwaysthatarenotinalignmentwiththeirgoals,applica)onscanprovidecustomiza
)onfunc)onalitythatallowsforlocalmodica)onofkeyparameters(C5,F8).Prod
uctteamscanenvisionthesecustomiza)onsatthelevelofindividualworkers,larger
groups,oren)reorganiza)ons(B10).
forknowledgework:
Clinical
Scientist
#

!

Conversely,extensivechangestodefaultsmayreducerepresenta)onalcommonground
betweenworkers(F1,J2)thatisokenneededforeec)vecommunica)on(J)and
collabora)on(B7,C7,G4).
Seealso:A,C,F,I,K11,M4
Whichvariabili)esintheopera)ons,tasks,orlargerac)vi)esthatyourteamis
strivingtomediatemightleadtoagenuineneedforcustomiza)onop)ons?
Whichdefaultselngsinyourteamsapplica)onconceptswillindividualsand
organiza)onsexpecttohavesomecontrolover?Why?
Whichselngsstandoutaspivotalinyourteamssketchedideasforwork
media)on?Whichwillprobablynotcaptureworkersinterestsandmayonly
beaccessedrarely,ifatall?
Whatlargerdesignandtechnologytrendscouldinuenceyourideasabout
defaultsandlocaltailoringofselngswithinyourcompu)ngtool?
Whichdefaultsinyourapplica)onconceptscouldbeop)mizedbycoveringthe
mostcommonscenariosofuseintargetedorganiza)ons?
WhichdefaultsmightbebeZerop)mizedbyconsideringthebroadestvariety
ofworkprac)ce?
Whichparametersmightbeimpossibleforyourteamtosetdefaultsforwithout
localinputfromindividualworkersortheirorganiza)ons?
#

Wherecouldautomatedtailoringofselngsbeappropriate,useful,andclearly
executed?Mightitbemoreappropriateforsuchautoma)onstosuggestchanges
thatworkerscouldthenselectascustomiza)ons?
Howmightthescopeofasingleselngchangeapplytoindividualworkers,larger
groups,oren)reorganiza)ons?
Incarefullyselectedcases,workersmayappreciatesuggestedorautomatedtailoring
ofselngs(E3)basedontheirloggedbehaviorswithinanapplica)on.Toavoidconfu
sion,denersanddesignerscanenvisionwaystoclearlycommunicatetheseadap)ve
changes(B6,F11,H4)aswellasprovidemethodstoeasilyreinstateearliervalues(E6).
Whenproductteamsdonotsucientlyconsiderthepoten)alroleofdefaults,custom
iza)on,andautomatedtailoring,resul)ngcompu)ngtoolsmaynotbesuitablycon
guredorcongurableforthepar)cularsofknowledgework.Opportuni)esforclose
alignmentwithworkprac)cescanbelost,andindividualsmaystrugglethroughtheir
adop)onexperiences(K),poten)allycrea)ngandenac)ngexcessivelyeortulwork
arounds(D2,D3).
52
Howcouldacentralareaforselngschangeswithinyourapplica)onsframework
enhancetheclarityofrelatedtasks?
Howmightneworunexpectedchangestodefaultsbeaggedandmeaningfully
communicated?

"
#
"

Whatnega)veimpactscouldchangestodefaultshaveoncoopera)veand
collabora)vework?Howmighttheseimpactsbemi)gated?
C9. Error Prevention and Handling Conventions

To ensure that potential errors in mediated knowledge work
are preempted and managed in a consistent and appropriate
manner, product teams can develop internal conventions for
their application concepts. These standards can promote
learnability, usability, and implementation efficiencies.
Anancialtraderno)cesandappreciatesthedierentwaysthathistradingap
plica)onpreventshimfrommakingerrorsduringthecourseofhistypicallyhec)c
day.Forexample,thetoolpresentssmall,informa)veagsasheentersproblema)c
datasothathecanmakecorrec)onsinreal)me.And,whenhetriestocomplete
anac)onthatdoesnotmatchestablishedbusinessrules,thetooloverlaysclear,
cau)onarymessageswithsugges)onsforac)on(seeillustra(on).
Anarchitecthaslearnedthatherbuildingmodelingapplica)onprovidesconstraints
onherac)onsthatpreventherfrommakingerrorsinacategoricalvarietyofways,
whethersheissculp)ngtheshapesofabuildingdesignorenteringdataabout
theproper)esofapar)cularonscreenobject.
Ascien)stwantsclear,highlyvisiblemessagesinheranalysisapplica)onthat
preventherfrommakingpredictableandcommondataentrymistakeswhileshe
createsnewstudies.However,foranytasksthatinvolveexploringherlabsclinical
data,sheonlywantsmessagingofpossibleerrors,withoutanyhardlimita)onson
herac)ons.
!

"

Financial
Trader
Seealso:B6,C,E6,H2,H3,J4,J5,K5,M
forknowledgework:
Howdotheycurrentlypreventandhandletheseerrors?Couldthesesitua)ons
presentopportuni)esforyourproduct?
Wheremighttheintroduc)onofyourteamscompu)ngtoolcreatenew
possibili)esforhumanerrorintargetedworkprac)ces?
$

$

Howmightyoudivideupthepoolofpoten)alerrorscenariosthatyouhave
iden)edintomeaningfulclasses?Howcoulddierentapproachesand
perspec)vesonthiscategoriza)onprovideinsights?
preven)ngandhandlingclassesoferrorswithinyourcompu)ngtool?
Whatexis)ngconven)ons,fromabroadselec)onofinterac)onpaZernsin
contemporarycompu)ng,aremostrelevanttotheerrorclassesandcategories
thatyourteamhasiden)ed?
Whatdomainspecicerrorscenariosmightpresentopportuni)esforyourteam
toenvisionusefulandspecializederrorpreven)onorhandlingconven)ons?

$
#

Howcoulddierentlevelsoferrorseveritybeclearlyandconsistently
communicatedthroughoutyourapplica)onconcepts?
Whatspecialstandardsmightyourteamenvisiontopreventcri)calerrorsinhighly
direc)veways?Ontheothersideofthespectrum,whatclassesoferrorsdonot
requiresuchstrictpreven)onandshouldleaveusersinthelocusofcontrol?
Howmighttheseinternallyconsistentstandardsbecomeacomplementaryelement
ofyourproductslargeraesthe)cdirec)onandbrand?Whattoneandappearance
couldbemostappropriateforthesetextualandvisuallanguages?
TeamscanchoosemanyofthesepaZernsfromamongtheerrorconven)onsthatare
commonlyusedincontemporaryinterfacedesign(D7,L2).Someproductsmaycontain
unusual,domainspecicerrorclasses(A)thatcouldbenetfromidea)onofnovel,
tailoredpaZernsordisplayformats(F).
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderpoten)alconven)onsforpreven)ng
andhandlingerrors,resul)nginconsistencies(K13)mayfrustra)nglyhinderaworkers
abilitytoeec)velyaccomplishimportantgoals(L1).Peoplemayhavemoredicultly
learningsuchapplica)ons(D4,K5,K6,K7)andrecoveringfrommistakesmadewhileus
ingthem.Addi)onally,theirpercep)onsofproductqualityandu)litymaydecline(K12)
astheycreateandenactdefensiveworkarounds(D2,D3),suchasac)veversioningof
valuedcontent(H1).
Looking across the functionality concepts in your teams

sketched application possibilities, what common classes of
error situations might you identify? What interaction patterns
could consistently and appropriately prevent or handle each of
these error classes?
Whaterrorscenariosaretargetedindividualscurrentlyconcernedwithinthe
opera)ons,tasks,andlargerac)vi)esthatyourteamisstrivingtomediate?Why?
Withinthecomplexmentalopera)onsandsymbolicabstrac)onofcomputermedi
atedworkprac)ces,wecansafelyassumethatpeoplewillmakeerrors(G3).Thebest
envisioningresponsetoarecognizedpossibilityforusererrorisokentodesignaway
thecondi)onsunderwhichitmightarise.
Incaseswherethereareconic)ngrequirementsandhighexibilityneeds,product
teamsmaynditdiculttopreventerrorsstrictlybyenvisioningbehavioralconstraints
intheirfunc)onalityconcepts.Teamscanmeaningfullycategorizethesestubborn
errorcases,basedontheirseveri)esandinterac)onconsistencies(A4).Theycanthen
envisionpaZernsforerrorpreven)onandhandlingtoapplythroughouttheirsketched
applica)onconcepts(C3,E3,F10).
53
Howmightyoursketchederrormanagementstandardsrelateto,orevenestablish,
thepaZernlanguageofabroaderfamilyofproductsinyourrm?

# $

#
C10. Predictable Application States

High level state information can allow knowledge workers to assess whether an application is functioning properly, decide what
avenues of action are currently available to them, and plan the
ongoing flow of their efforts. Product teams can envision clearly
defined, appropriately simple, and well communicated overall
states for their computing tools.
Ascien)stknowsthatsomeop)onsinheranalysisapplica)onareunavailable
duringintensiveautomatedprocesses,suchasimpor)nglargeclinicaldatasetsor
runningextensiveanalyses.Sincetheac)onsthatarecurrentlyavailableduring
dierentstatesarealwaysobvious,itiseasyforhertogureoutwhatworkshecan
accomplishwhiletheproductisprocessingcomplexrequests(seeillustra(on).
Anarchitectindirectlylearnsallofthestatesofherbuildingmodelingapplica)on
duringthecourseasingleproject.Shenowknowsthatthetoolbehavesinspecial
wayswhenitis,forexample,openingabuildingmodel,crea)ngadetailedrender
ing,displayingproblema)careasofadesign,orasoccasionallyhappens,experienc
ingtechnicaldicul)es.
Anancialtraderexpectshistradingapplica)ontorunattopspeedwheneverhe
turnstouseit.Ifanissuedoesarisewithintheproductsopera)ons,hewantsthe
tooltobesmartenoughtodetecttheproblemassoonaspossibleandthentell
histeamwhattodoaboutit.
Withlimitedprocessingresources,networkconstraints,andothertechnicalboZle
necks,manycomputermediatedprocessesinknowledgeworkareinevitablyexperi
encedassomethingslowerthanreal)meresponsiveness(E3,E4).Forexample,users
ofanapplica)onmayquicklylearnthattheirvaluedtoolneedstoextensivelyini)alize
whenitislaunchedandtake)metosaveselngs(C8)whenworkisconcluded.
Deliberate,controlledpausesininterac)oncanalsobeimplementedbydesign.Atcer
tain)mes,ac)onsmaybedisabledwithinanapplica)on(C4)asameansofpreven)ng
errors(C9,G3)ordirec)ngworkerstowardcertainresponses.
54
What useful or necessary overall states might your team

envision for your application concepts (e.g. starting, loading,
normal, critical error)? How might these states consistently
communicate how your tool is currently operating, what it can
currently be used to accomplish, and when, if applicable, its
state will likely change again?
#

#

#

forknowledgework:
Whattechnicallimita)onsmightyourteamscompu)ngtoolfacewhenitisrun
ontheavailableinfrastructuresoftargetedorganiza)ons?
Clinical
Scientist
Howmightintegra)onintoothersystems,oruseofnetworkedresources,aect
goalsofnearreal)meresponsiveness?
Whatinterac)oncases,lookingacrossthebreadthofyoursketchedfunc)onality
concepts,mightbenetfromanapplica)onstatethatcouldappropriatelydirect
usersac)ons?

#

#

Whichinterac)onsorautomatedprocessesinyoursketchedfunc)onalityconcepts
arelikelytorequireprocessing)methatworkerswillprobablyexperienceasa
periodofwai)ng?
Whatcri)calerrorscouldbecomedefaultapplica)onstatesbyblockingac)onun)l
theyareresolved?
$
Howmuchdetailistoomuchdetailwhenconsideringyourlistofapplica)on
states?Whenmightseveralstatesthatarenamableandverydierentfromyour
teamsownperspec)vebebeZerpresentedtoyourproductsusersasasinglestate
category?

Howmightsimplicityinapplica)onstatespromotemoreaccurateconceptual
modelsofyourcompu)ngtool?
Whatinterac)vepathways,duetotechnicalrequirementsordenedconstraints
inworkprocesses,couldneedtobedisabledduringcertainstates?
Productteamscanenvisionappropriatestatesfortheirapplica)onconceptswithan
inten)onalfocusonclarityandsimplica)on.Workersdonottypicallyneedtobe
awareofmanyoftheinternal,behindthescenescondi)onsoftheircompu)ngtools
(K10,K11).Instead,teamscanfocusoniden)fyingapplica)onstatesthatcoulddirectly
inuencetheowofworkac)vity(D4),suchascondi)ons)edtocrucialerrorcases
orlengthyprocesseswhereindica)onofprogresscouldbeuseful(E5,F6,K4).
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhowtodeneandeec)velycommuni
cateapplica)onstates,resul)ngproductsmaycauseconfusionasworkersaZemptto
translatetheirgoalsintosituatedac)onsorlongertermplans(D3).Whencompu)ng
toolspresentvagueorconfusingstates,usersmayhavedicultydevelopinguseful
expecta)ons(D2,K2,K6,K7)aswellasaccurateconceptualmodelsofhowatool
essen)allyworks(C1).
Seealso:A,B5,C,D6,D7,F10,H2
Whatsetofhighlevelstatescouldcomprehensivelycoverkeyscenariosinyour
teamsapplica)onconcepts?
Howmightapplica)onstateinforma)onbecommunicatedbothinyourproducts
overallframeworkandaspartofcertainfunc)onalityconcepts?
!

#

"

#

Wheremightthesestatecategoriesbecometooconningforvariablework
prac)ces?Howmightconstrainingstatesbeeliminatedthroughredesignofyour
sketchedinterac)onmodels?
$%
Whichstatecategoriescouldbemoreappropriatelyenvisionedatthelevelof
interac)onobjectsratherthanpresidingattheapplica)onlevel?
D. Considering Workers Attentions
55
Valued computing tools can desirably fit

into the flow of thinking work: easing burdens,
removing distractions, and allowing people to
focus on challenging problems.
Inmanyprofessions,knowledgeworkersaZen)onscanbestretchedtotheirproverbial
limitsbymul)plethreadsofac)vityandsteadystreamsofinterrup)ons.Tobesuccess
fulintheirchosenvoca)ons,workersmaybecomeskilledates)ma)ngtheeortthat
incomingworkitemswillrequire,aZendingtopressingitems,selngasidelessurgent
needs,andrecognizingopportuni)estodelegateworkorotherwisemakeitless)me
consuming.
Designing for such a compelling pairing

requires a careful examination of current and
potential demands on peoples attention.
Theoverallloadplaceduponworkersemo)onsandcogni)veabili)escanbeaseri
ousconsidera)onforthedesignofinterac)veapplica)ons.Thestressinvolvedinsome
knowledgeworkprofessionshasbeen)edtohealthproblemsinthepeoplethatprac
)cethem.Whilepoorlydesignedonscreenapplica)onscanbeobviouscontributors
tothisstress,evencarefullydesignedproducts,inconjunc)onwithrelatedworkplace
demands,canrequiretaxinglevelsofconcentra)onthatmaybediculttoeec)vely
sustain.

can evaluate and explore how their sketched
offerings might impact the allocation and
sequence of knowledge workers efforts.
By taking time to explore the topic of attention
related needs and goals, teams can highlight
opportunities to tailor and extend their
products in truly useful and humane ways.
Althoughmanyproductteamsmaybrieydiscussthelimita)onsofhypothe)calusers
aZen)onswhentheyevaluatedetaileddesignop)ons,theymaybelesslikelytodo
sowhenconsideringtheirproductsoverarchingdesignstrategiesandpossibledesign
direc)ons.Withouttheseearlydiscussionsaboutpoten)alinuencesonknowledge
workersconcentra)onsandmentaleorts,teamsmaynotrecognizecertainoppor
tuni)estothoughtullyshapetheirdesignconceptsaroundimportantaZen)onalcon
sidera)onsun)lakerworkershaveactuallyadoptedresul)ngproductsandbegin
askingforcertaintypesofimprovements.
D1.Respectedtemposofwork
D2.Expectedeort
D3.Currentworkload,priorityofwork,andopportunitycosts
D4.Minimizingdistrac)onandfosteringconcentra)on
D5.Resumingwork
D6.Aler)ngandremindingcues
D7.Eventualhabitandautoma)city
Productteamscanusetheseideastoexplorepoten)alrolesfortheircompu)ngtools
intheongoingowofknowledgeworkersaZen)ons.Idea)onaroundworkersat
ten)onaldemandsinspecicsitua)onscanhelpteamsestablishkeydesignconstraints
anddriveexplora)onofappropriatedesignresponses.Itcanalsoallowteamstoun
coveropportuni)estoreduceaZen)onrelatedburdensthroughtargetedautoma)on
func)onali)es.
)onanddeterminingscope(A),Providingopportuni)estoooadeort(E),Clari
fyingcentralinterac)ons(G),andPromo)ngintegra)onintoworkprac)ce(K)
categories.
100APPLICATIONENVISIONINGIDEAS|D.CONSIDERINGWORKERSATTENTIONS
D1. Respected Tempos of Work

Knowledge work can have implicit paces and timings, based
in part on workers inherent mental and physical limitations as
human beings. By exploring potential changes to the pacing
of individual tasks and extended activities, product teams can
meaningfully envision how their interactive applications might
impact important tempos in workers practices.
Anancialtraderfollowsaverysimilarscheduleonmosteveryworkingday.Dur
inglargepartsofthisdailyrou)ne,hehasthepoten)altobeoverwhelmedwitha
steadystreamofincoming,discretedecisiontasks,mostofwhicharefacilitatedby
hishighperformancecompu)ngtools(seeillustra(on).
Anarchitectsprojectstypicallyspanovermonthsor,morecommonly,years.Her
workdaysareokenlong,withasustainedintensitylevelthatokenleadshertofeel
hurriedassheswitchesbetweenverydierenttasksduringdierentprojectphases.
Ascien)stisunderpressuretoquicklyunderstandclinicaldatainordertodeliver
exac)ngdiscoveriesaquicknessthatshefeelsonverydierent)mescales.She
appropriateswhatevercompu)ngtoolsshecantoclarifythebigpicturesofher
labsexperimentaloutputs,whileatthesame)medealingwithamyriadof)me
sensi)vedetailsthatareneededtokeepherstudiesrunningeec)vely.
Recurringtemposinknowledgeworkcanarisefromavarietyoffactorstobecomean
essen)alaspectofworkersexperiences(A,G1).Expecta)onsfortemposcanbesetby
professionalstandards,byspecicorganiza)onsorcommuni)esofprac)ce(A7,A8),
andbyindividualknowledgeworkers,whomayestablishrhythmstobringtheireorts
intobothinternalandexternalequilibriums.
56
Myworkhasadenite
rhythmtoitthat
actuallyhelpsmeto
thinkmoreclearly...
How could the interactive flow of your teams application

concepts desirably reflect the inherent pacing of targeted
knowledge work practices, rather than force unwanted slowing
or acceleration in users experiences? Where might positive
shifts be possible?
Duringthereallybusy
)mes,Iwontuseany
partofmysokware
thatslowsmedown...
forknowledgework:
Whattemposarecurrentlyfoundwithinthetasksandlargerac)vi)esthatyour
teamisstrivingtomediate?
Financial
Trader
Howdidthesetemposoriginate?Whatfactorshaveperpetuatedthem?
Howcancertainpacesand)mingsindierentthreadsofknowledgeworknest
andinterrelate?
MORNING
Wheredoconictssome)mesoccurduetomisunderstandingsaroundtempo?
Whenandwhydocollaboratorsbecomeoutofstep?Couldthesecurrent
problemspresentopportuni)esforyourteamsproduct?
Inthemorning,trading
volumecanbehighas
everyonecomesinand
tradesonnewinforma)on
fromakertheclosingbell
ofthepreviousday...
Whatdoindividualsandorganiza)onsthinkofcurrenttemposintargetedwork
prac)ces?Whatpartsoftheirworkwouldtheyliketoslowdownorspeedup?
Why?
Whatposi)veornega)veimpactsmightyoursketchedapplica)onconceptshave
onvarioustempos?Whatproblema)cchangesseemsucientlypossibletoimply
thatyourteammaywanttoredesignrelatedfunc)onali)es?
Howmighttheinherenttemposofyoursketchedfunc)onalityconceptsbereceived
byanagingknowledgeworkforce?
Productteamscanmodelhowestablishedtemposinknowledgeworknestintoone
another,runinparallelthreads,orinterrupteachother(A5).Theycaniden)fytempos
inspecicprac)ces,temposindailycycles,uniquetemposforindividualroles,and
collec)vetemposacrossthecourseoflongerterm,sharedgoalswithinanorganiza)on.
Interac)veapplica)onscanhavemajorimpactsonexis)ngtempos,tobothposi)ve
andnega)veeect.Asworkersadoptacompu)ngtool(K),theymaycomparethe
rhythmsimpliedbyitspathwaystotheirownexpecta)onsandpreferences.Valued
automa)onof)meconsumingandtediouswork(E3,E4)cancontributetoaposi)ve
evalua)on.Productsthatforceunwantedchangesintemposwithoutsuppor)nga
workersinternallocusofcontrol(E6)maycontributetoanega)veimpression,aswell
asasustainedeleva)oninstresslevel.
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhowtheirapplica)onconceptscouldin
uenceexis)ngtemposinknowledgeworkprac)ces,theyruntheriskofcrea)ngtools
thatareoutofstepwithusersdesiresandneeds.Resul)ngapplica)onsmaypush
workersthroughprocessestooquickly(C6),orperhapsmorecommonly,enforcein
terac)onpathwaysthataretooslowandextendedrela)vetoconven)onalordesired
pacing(C4,D3,D4).
Seealso:D,C8,E5,J1,J3,K6,K1,K13,M1,M4
Whatdrivescurrentvariabili)esintempo?Whatimpactscanindividualdierences,
workersroles,orspecicorganiza)onalapproacheshave?
Whatinterac)vityanddesigncommunica)oncouldposi)velyinuenceworkers
percep)onsofelapsed)meduringtheirexperienceswithyourteamscompu)ng
tool?
Howmightposi)vechangesintargetedtemposfactorintoyourproductsbrand?
Towardtheendoftheday,
whenthemarketis
movingfastbeforeclosing
)me,Ireallyneedmy
toolstorespondrapidly
andtounderstandwhatI
wanttodo...
ENDOFDAY
D2. Expected Effort

Knowledge workers develop useful expectations about how
much time and attention is required to successfully accomplish
different operations, tasks and larger activities. Product teams
can envision functionality concepts that could either meet or
exceed these expectations, providing justifications of sufficient
value whenever onscreen tools happen to require more work
instead of less.
57

forknowledgework:
Anarchitectexpectstheactofgroupingelementstogetherwithinherbuilding
modelingapplica)ontoberapidanddirect.Sheissurprisedwhensheisprompted
tospecifyseeminglyunimportantinforma)onaboutagroupingbeforeshecan
proceedwithunifyingit(seeillustra(on).
Anancialtradertestdrivinganewtradingapplica)onexpectstheop)malpath
waysforcertaincommontaskstobeasfastastheyareinthetoolthathecurrently
uses.Hisopinionsaboutnovelfunc)onalityaremoreopen.
Ascien)st,whilespecifyingtheaZributesofseveralclinicalsamplesinherlabsin
forma)onmanagementapplica)on,issurprisedbyhowquicklysheisabletoenter
requiredanddesiredinforma)onforeachsample.
Architect
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderworkersexpecta)onsofeortintar
getedopera)ons,tasks,andlargerac)vi)es,resul)ngapplica)onsmaycontaininterac
)onsthatusersviewastoodicultordemanding.Especiallywhenextraeortdoes
notprovideunderstoodandcompellingvalue,workersmaybelievethatthesetoolsare
basedonafaultyunderstandingoftheirneeds(A4,K3).Theymayalsofeelthat)me
spentoninappropriatelyeortultasksstressfullydetractsfrommoreimportantwork
outcomes(L1).
Conversely,applica)onscanforcetoomuchstreamliningofwork,removingcertain
interac)onsandawarenessesthatindividualsenjoyorvalueinaprac)calsense(C6).
Seealso:B10,C4,C8,D,G,J1,K8,K9,M1,M4
Howmucheortdotargetedworkerscurrentlyspendonthespecicopera)ons,
tasks,andlargerac)vi)esthatyourteamisstrivingtomediate?Whatbenchmarks
dotheyuse?
Whatdotargetedindividualsandorganiza)onsthinkofthesecurrentlevelsof
eort?
Dopeoplendanyoftheircurrentworkprac)cestoberepe))veortedious?

Knowledgeworkersokendevelopstrongopinionsaboutthe)meandaZen)on
requirementsofspecicworkprac)ces(A).Workersabili)estomakeaccuratees)ma
)onsofeortcanbeconsideredavaluedpartoftheirexper)se.Addi)onally,experi
encedindividualshaveokenbecomehighlyskilledatcomple)ngsomeopera)onsand
tasks,allowingthemtoinvestmuchlesseortintheseac)onsthannewprac))oners
(D7,K6).
Productteamscanstrivetomaketheamountofeortthatworkersexpendinan
interac)veapplica)onfeelcongruenttothebenetsthatatoolprovidesintheirwork
prac)ces.Peoplemayexpectsomeelementsoftheirworktobelesseortulaker
adop)ngcompu)ngtools(E,K),especiallyintedioustasksthattheyndlessengaging
andvaluableinthecontextoftheirlargergoals(D3,D4).Whenthecharacteris)csofa
func)onalityconceptresultinworkersneedingtoexpendmoreeortthanexpected,
teamscanaZempttoreframeusersexpecta)onsbycommunica)ngthevalueofthese
addi)onaleorts(C1,K2,K7).
What expectations of effort do targeted knowledge workers

have in the specific areas of work practice that your team is
targeting? Which of your teams functionality concepts will
likely beat those expectations? Which might be perceived
as problematically effortful to use?
Whatprac)cesdoknowledgeworkersnotwanttochange,despitehigheort
requirements?Why?
Whatgeneralexpecta)onsdoworkershaveabouttheimpactofcompu)ngtools
ontheeortneededtoaccomplishtheirworkplacegoals?
Howdoexpecta)onsofeortvaryacrosstargetedindividuals,roles,organiza)ons,
andotherfactors?
Whichofyourfunc)onalityconceptswilllikelyberecognizedassignicantly
reducingeortincertainac)vitycontexts?Isthisacompellingvalueproposi)on?

Wheremightworkersacceptaddi)onaleortinanewcompu)ngtoolifitwasseen
asprovidingaddi)onalvalue?Howcouldthatvaluetradeobeembodiedand
communicatedinyoursketchedfunc)onaloerings?
Whatdesignapproachesmightmakeworkfeellikeitistakinglesseortthanit
actuallyis?Whatadvancedanalogiestootherproductsanddomainscouldinform
yourteamsideasaboutreducingperceivedeort?
Howmightyourscenariosfordesirablereduc)onsineortfactorintothestoryof
yourproductsbrand?

D3. Current Workload, Priority of Work, and Opportunity Costs

Knowledge work often involves pools of collected work items
that can be generated by workers for themselves or can arrive
via structured handoffs and other communications. Product
teams can envision features that could support workers as they
strive to understand their current workload, assign priorities,
and then focus their efforts on certain items.
How might your teams functionality concepts allow targeted

knowledge workers to assess the workload that is currently
on their plate, prioritize what they want to accomplish, hide
or remove what they do not want to address, and work on
selected items until their plate is clean?

"#

forknowledgework:
Ascien)stviewsalistofalloftheexperimentsthathavebeenrecentlyrunfora
clinicalstudy,narrowinginontheitemsthatrequireherapprovalinorderfortheir
resultstobecopiedtoherlabsanalysisdatabase.Shescansthelistandchoosesto
reviewsamplesfromthemostinteres)ngexperimentalgrouprst(seeillustra(on).
Anancialtradervisuallyscansalistofoersinhistradingapplica)on.Thetrading
dayisalmostover,andsincehehasbeenrepeatedlydistractedbysomeinteres)ng
incomingoers,hedecidestoworkonlyontradesthatmatchtheprioritylistthat
hisgroupmadethismorning,beforethemarketsopened.
Anarchitecthasbeenassignedalonglistofareasinabuildingmodelthatshe
needstodetailoutwithinherbuildingmodelingapplica)on.Shedecidestoget
startedonthoseareasofthedrakmodelthatothermembersofherteamwillbe
workingspa)allyadjacenttosoon,leavinganumberofmessagesandno)ca)ons
unviewedun)lshehasmadesomeini)alprogress.
Knowledgeworkersareokenpassionateaboutaccomplishingcertaingoalsintheir
chosenvoca)ons.Thesegoalscanrangefrommacro,extendedvisionstomicro,day
todayintents.Whenfacedwith)melimita)onsanddecisionsaboutwhatworkto
accomplishnext,individualsmaypriori)zetheirop)onsandweightheopportunity
costsoftakingcertaincoursesofac)on(D1,D4).Alternately,theymaychoosetheir
nexttaskbasedonprovenheuris)cs.
Productteamscanenvisionfunc)onalityconceptsthatcouldvaluablysupportaware
nessandcri)caldecisionmakingaroundusersworkloads.Forexample,interac)ve
applica)onscangeneratetailoredinforma)onrepresenta)ons(E3,E4,F)thatorganize
currentworkitems(C5).Thesemanipulableviews(I2,I3)canincreasetheperceptual
salienceof)mesensi)veitemsanddemotelowerpriorityop)onsbasedontheir
denedstates(B5,B6).Onceuserschooseaworkitemtopursue,applica)onscan
providethemwithdirectpathwaystorelevantac)ons(C4).
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhowtheirapplica)onconceptscould
inuenceknowledgeworkersmanagementoftheirownworkloads,resul)ngtoolscan
forceuserstospendaddi)onal)meplanningandtrackingtheireorts(D2).Without
appropriateinforma)ondisplays,workersmayoverlookhighpriorityneeds,poten)ally
resul)ngin)mingerrorsandlostopportuni)es(C9,G3).Similarly,coopera)veand
collabora)veworkcanalsobeaectedwhenmul)pleworkersstruggletounderstand
thescopeofworkitemsthatrequire,orcouldbenetfrom,their
aZen)ons(B7,C7,G4).
Seealso:A,D,E,G5,I4,K13,M1,M4
58
Howdotargetedindividualscurrentlyassesstheirworkloadwhileaccomplishing
theprac)cesthatyourteamisstrivingtomediate?
Clinical
Scientist
Howdoknowledgeworkersandorganiza)onskeeptrackofthelargerpictureof
theircollec)veac)vi)es,insteadoffocusingonlyongranulartasks?
Wheredovariousworkitemsarrivefrom?Howdocolleaguesandcollaborators
stayalignedaroundeachothersprogress?
!

!

Howdoworkersestablishpriori)es?Howdotheyassessthepoten)alopportunity
costsofaddressingcertainworkitemsattheexpenseofothers?Dothesedecisions
followestablishedproceduresoraretheytypicallybasedmoreonimpromptu
judgments?
Whatbreakdownscurrentlyoccurinthesedecisionmakingtasks?Couldthese
Whatfactorscanchangethepriorityofaworkitem?Howdopeopleshikgears
toaddresshighprioritywork?
Whatcurrentlyhappenstocompleteditemsinordertoremovethemfromworkers
proverbialplatessothattheycanfocusonneedsthathaveyettobeaddressed?

!

Whatlargerdesigntrendsandadvancedanalogiestootherdomainscouldinuence
yourteamsideasaboutthoughtullyfacilita)ngthesedecisionsandac)ons?
Whatfunc)onalityconceptsmightyourteamsketchwiththegoalofsuppor)ng
workersexis)ngprac)cesforassessingworkload,assigningpriori)es,and
understandingopportunitycosts?
Whataddi)onalchallengesandpossibili)esformanagingworkloadcouldyour
compu)ngtoolpresent?
Howmightvolumesofdatabemeaningfullydisplayedinwaysthatcouldallow
workerstobeZerfocustheir)meandaZen)on?Howcoulddenedobjectstates
serveasabasisforclearlycommunica)ngpresentworkneeds?
!

!

Howmightyourteamsideasaboutcomprehensibleonscreenworkloadsrelate
toyourotherdesignresponsesforsuppor)ngworkinthecontextofvolumesof
informa)on?
Howmightyourapplica)onconceptsprovideaddi)onalsupportintheseareasfor
anagingknowledgeworkforce?
D4. Minimizing Distraction and Fostering Concentration

Knowledge workers are often interrupted from the immersive
flows of their own practices, and some of these interruptions
may undesirably pull them away from valued actions and
outcomes. Product teams can envision their functionality
concepts with the intention of minimizing unnecessary
distractions and other obstacles to workers concentrated
engagement in their present goals.
Where might your teams application concepts introduce

unwanted distractions into targeted workers practices?
How could your sketched functionalities reduce unwanted
interference while allowing for useful interruptions that may
enhance productivity and quality in knowledge work?

forknowledgework:
Anancialtraderquicklybooksapeaknumberoftrades,usingmul)plecommuni
ca)onchannelsinparallel.Whilehecanalwaysaccesswhatheneedstomakethese
importantdeals,histradingapplica)ondoesnotinterrupthimwithcertaintypesof
newinforma)onun)lhehascompletedalongseriesoftradeforms
(seeillustra(on).
Ascien)stperformsearlyexplora)onsofalargeclinicaldatasetinheranalysis
applica)on.Sincesheisjustgelngasenseforthedatasoverallshape,she
selectsacalmandminimalbrowsingmodethatturnsocertaindynamicfeatures
thatshesome)mesndsdistrac)ng.
Anarchitecthascompletedasetofconstruc)ondetailsinherbuildingmodeling
applica)on,akerworkingonthemforacoupleofhours.Whileshewaitsforthe
tooltomergeherrelevantlocalleswiththemasterbuildingmodel,severallower
priorityno)ca)ons,whichhadbeenwithheldwhileshewasac)velyworking,
appearonherscreen.
Themul)purposenatureofmanycompu)ngtechnologiescreatesopportuni)esfor
diversedistrac)onsthatcancontributetoorinterferewithpeopleaccomplishingtheir
goals(A).Whileproduc)veinterrup)onscanincludeinformalcollabora)onwithcol
leagues(A7,C7,G4)andother)melycommunica)on(J),unwanteddistrac)onscan
includeuninforma)vemessages(D6)andthesuddeninterven)onofunpredictable
processes(C1,G3,K5).
Productteamscaniden)fypartsoftheirsketchedfunc)onalityconceptswherecertain
distrac)onsmightbedamaging.Theycanthenenvisiondefensiveapproachesthatare
tailoredtothesebehavioralsitua)ons(D5,D6).Aspartoffosteringconcentra)oninat
ten)onintensivework,applica)onscanpromotethedirectsensethatworkersac)ons
are)ghtlycoupledtointerac)veresults(B3,G1).Thiscouplingcancontributetowhat
thepsychologistMihalyCsikszentmihalyihasdescribedasabsorbingowexperiences
(K13).
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhowtheirapplica)onconceptsmight
encourageproduc)veconcentra)on,opportuni)estopromotefocusedandengaging
userexperiencescanbelost.Resul)ngtoolsmaycontainamul)tudeoflowvaluedis
trac)onsthatcreateongoingstress(E6,D1),aredicultforworkerstoaccommodate
to(D2,D7),andcandetractfromthequalityandquan)tyofworkoutcomes(D3,L1).
Conversely,ifproductteamstakeminimizingunwanteddistrac)onstoofar,theymay
ruleouthighvaluefunc)onalityinthenameoftamingcomplexity.
Seealso:C8,C9,E,F9,K3,K6,K8,K10,M1
59
Whatinterrup)onsdotargetedindividualscurrentlyexperienceinthework
prac)cesthatyourteamisstrivingtomediate?
Financial
Trader
Whichinterrup)onsdoknowledgeworkersvalueascontribu)ngtotheirlarger
goals?
Whatdistrac)onscanhavenega)veimpactsonworkoutcomes?Howstrongly
dopeoplefeelabouttheseoutsideforces?
Whichworkprac)cescanrequireintensiveconcentra)on?

Whichtasksorlargerac)vi)escurrentlyallowworkerstoexperienceasa)sfying
senseofengagementundercertaincondi)ons?
Whichinterrup)onsfrequentlyleadtoobservableerrorsorreducethequalityand
quan)tyofworkersoutputs?Couldtheseproblemspresentopportuni)esforyour
teamsproduct?
Whatstrategiesdotargetedworkerscurrentlyusetotrytominimizeunwanted
distrac)ons?
Howmightyourteamssketchedapplica)onconceptsinuenceworkerscurrent
experiencesofdistrac)onandengagement?

!

Whatundesirabledistrac)onscouldyourcompu)ngtoolintroduce?What
approachesmightyourteamenvisiontolimitoreliminatethesefactorswithin
yoursketchedscenariosforworkmedia)on?
Howmightyourapplica)onconceptspromoteandenhanceexis)ngformsof
engagementinworkersexperiences?Howmightyoursketchedfunc)onali)es
desirablyintroducethistypeofengagementintootherprac)ces?
Howcouldyourteamsoeringpresentcalmingenvironmentsforworkerstoact
within,whileatthesame)meusefullydirec)ngtheiraZen)onswithrelevantand
appropriatelyweightedperceptualcues?

Wherecouldinterac)onsinyourproductmeaningfullypromoteastrongsense
ofdirect,)ghtlycoupledconnec)onwithonscreenobjects?
"

%

#$

%

#$

Howmightyourapplica)onconceptsprovideaddi)onalsupportintheseareas
foranagingknowledgeworkforce?
D5. Resuming Work

Knowledge workers activities often span more than one work
day. Within a given day, individuals may shift their attentions
back and forth among several different threads of work.
To reduce the effort needed to effectively resume previous
threads, product teams can envision useful cues that could
prompt workers recollections and outline current conditions
within a shared workspace.
Ascien)starrivesatherclinicallabandlaunchesheranalysisapplica)on.She
selectstheop)ontoresumeworkingonthelastprojectthatshehadopen,and
theapplica)ondisplayseveryelementofherviewjustasshehadlekit,including
areminderthatshehadenteredtotellherselfwhattodonext(seeillustra(on).
Anarchitectlogsoutofherbuildingmodelingapplica)onsothatshecanaZend
amee)ng,knowingthattheexactsameview,alongwithamessageabouther
colleaguescurrentprojecttasks,willbecalledupwhenshelogsbackinakerthe
mee)ngisover.
60
What could the experience be like when stepping away from,

and then returning to, your teams computing tool? How might
your application concepts support targeted knowledge workers
as they seek to invoke and reconstruct their previous mindsets
in order to pick up where they had left off in their evolving
activity contexts?
!

!

forknowledgework:
Clinical
Scientist
! !

Anancialtraderleavesanincompletetradeformopeninhistradingapplica)on
whilehebooksamore)mesensi)vedeal.Thehalfemptyformservesasaremind
erabouttheunnishedtradeandallowshimtoquicklyresumethetasklater.
Howdoesthestructureoftheirenvironmentscurrentlyhelpthemtorecalltheir
place?
Whatmemorycuesdotheypurposefullyaddforthemselves?Whatother
strategiesdotheyemploytomorequicklyandaccuratelyrefocustheiraZen)ons
onearlierthreads?
yourapplica)onconceptscouldsupportreconnec)onwithworkinprogress?
Howmightyourteamssketchedfunc)onali)esreducethedicultyofreturning
toearlierthreadsofwork?
Inordertoenvisionvaluablefunc)onalresponsesforresumingwork,productteams
canexaminecertaintasksandlargerac)vi)esthroughthelensofpoten)alinter
rup)ons(A,C5).Atanapplica)onlevel,productscanrememberthecontentsand
arrangementofadisplayexactlyasworkershadlekit(E3,E4,C4).Saveddisplaystates
canalsoreappearcontextually,whenusersreopenpar)cularinterac)onobjectsthat
theyhadpreviouslymodied,forexample(B1,B2,G1).Alternately,workerscanchoose
tosaveexplicitbookmarksthattheycanlaterreturnto(E1,E2,H1).
Whatapplica)onevents,suchaslogginginorreopeningapar)cularworkitem,
couldprovideusefulopportuni)estoimplicitlyrecreateworkersviewswithinyour
compu)ngtool?
Whatspecicinterac)onobjectsorapplica)onlevelelementscouldberestored
inwaysthatmayremindworkersoftheirplace?
Whatexplicitmethodsofbookmarkingorotherwisecatalogingworkprogress
mightworkersndvaluable?
Storedhistoricaltracesofcoopera)veac)oncanalsobeusefulwhenresumingwork
(H2,B5).Forexample,incaseswherecolleagueshavemodiedsharedinterac)on
objectsthatwerepreviouslyinuse(B6,H3),workersmaybenetfromaconciseupdate
onrelevantchangesthathavebeenmadeintheirabsence(C7,G4,D6).
Seealso:B7,D,E,H4,J4,J5,K13
Whataresomecommonscenariosforselngasidework?Whatdoknowledge
workershavetorememberwhenresumingtargetedtasksorlargerac)vi)es?
Whaterrorscanoccurwhenworkersresumepreviouseorts?Couldthese
Itcanbedicultforknowledgeworkerstogetbackintointerruptedeorts,even
akerrela)velyshortbreaks.Relevantcogni)vestatesdonotreappearattheipofa
proverbialswitch,thoughrecognizableexternalcuescanhelpworkerstoappropriately
returntheiraZen)onstowheretheyhadleko.
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhowindividualsmightpartfromand
returntodierentthreadsofknowledgework,resul)ngapplica)onsmayforceusersto
expendextraeortrecallingandrecrea)ngwheretheyhadleko(D2,D3).Incomplex
situa)ons,peoplemaymakenotablemistakeswhenaZemp)ngtogetbackintotheir
previousstatesoffocusedaZen)on(C9,G3).Inresponsetothesedicul)es,individu
alsmayresorttoworkarounds,suchascrea)ngexternalmemoryaidsatinterrup)on
points(H).
Howokendotargetedindividualscurrentlystepawayfromandreturntothework
Howmightsharedusesofapplica)oncontentpresentopportuni)estovaluably
highlightimportantchangesasworkersresumetheirpausedeorts?
Howmightyourteamsapproachesforworkresump)onrelatetoyourother
conceptsforsuppor)ngcogni)vetracing,coopera)on,collabora)on,and
workspaceawareness?
Howmightyourapplica)onconceptsprovideaddi)onalsupportintheseareas

D6. Alerting and Reminding Cues

Knowledge work often involves event driven signals and
actions, which the boundaries of computing displays may hide
from an applications users. Product teams can envision timely
and salient messaging that could reduce or eliminate the need
for workers to continuously monitor for certain events that
might impact the sequence or outcomes of their efforts.
61
What events in your teams application concepts will targeted

knowledge workers likely want to know about and monitor
for, either as insight into mediated work process or as event
driven support for their own memories over time? How might
the automated presentation of relevant messaging allow users
to stay attuned to these events without maintaining vigilant
attention for them?

Anancialtrader,whileanalyzingapoten)altradeinhismarketinforma)on
applica)on,ispresentedwithamessagethatremindshimthatanearlier,unrelated
oerisabouttoexpireinhistradingtool.Themessagealsoprovideshimwithdirect
op)onstoacceptordeclinethependingoer(seeillustra(on).
Anarchitectreceivesatextmessagefromherrenderingapplica)on,whichinforms
herthatalengthyimagecrea)onprocesshasjustbeenabandonedduetoacri)cal
error.Shestopswhatsheisdoingtondacomputer,logintothenetworkedrender
ingserver,evaluatetheincident,modifysomeselngs,andrestarttheprocess.
forknowledgework:
Financial
Trader
Howdotargetedindividualscurrentlyremindthemselvesofimportant,)me
sensi)veinforma)onintheworkprac)cesthatyourteamisstrivingtomediate?
Whatcondi)onsdotheymonitorforintheirac)vitycontexts?
Whichoftheautomatedfunc)onali)esthatyourteamhasenvisionedcould
poten)allybenetfromalertandreminderop)ons?Howmighttheseop)ons
providevaluebyreducingorelimina)ngeortthatwouldotherwisebeneeded
toaZendtoyourproductsworkings?

Ascien)streceivesanalertfromherlabsinforma)onmanagementapplica)on
thatallofthesamplesforaclinicalstudyhavebeenprocessedandthatthestudys
experimentaldatacannowbeanalyzed.
Whatinforma)onandcondi)onaleventsinyourapplica)onconceptsmight
workersliketohaveremindersaboutover)me?Howmighttheysetupthese
memorysuppor)ngmessages?
Ac)velyaZendingtomul)plethreadsofcomplexknowledgeworkatthesame)me
roughlyspeakingcanbementallytaxing,ifnotimpossible.Theabilitytoeec)ve
lymonitorforkeysitua)onsacrossmorethanonethreadofworkisokenconsidereda
usefulandvaluedskill.
Interac)veapplica)onswithfeaturesthatintensivelysupportcollabora)on(B7,C7,G4)
orautoma)on(E)canchangethenatureofwhatitmeanstoaZendtocondi)onaland
)mesensi)veevents.MaintainingdiligentaZen)onunderthesecircumstancescanbe
dicultforavarietyofreasons,generallyrootedinthesensethatprogressivedisclo
surecanokeneec)velyhideimportantreali)es.
Whenitisnotessen)alforknowledgeworkerstoac)velymonitoraprocess,product
teamscanenvisionconceptsforautomated(E3,E4)aler)ngandremindingcues.Rel
evant,visible,and)melymessagescanusefullyreduceoreliminatetheneedtoremain
vigilantforcertainapplica)on(C10)orobjectstates(B5,B6).Similartoappropriate
errormessaging(C9,G3),teamscangeneratetheseno)ca)onsfromastrongunder
standingofworkersgoals,avoidingunnecessarydistrac)on(D4)andprovidingdirect
accesstorelatedac)ons(G1,C4).
ooadaZen)onaleortthroughalertsandreminders,resul)ngtoolsmayrequire
workerstopersistentlyaZendtothepresenceorabsenceofcertaincuesinorderto
ecientlytransi)onthroughtheirprac)ces(A).Sincetheseautomatedmessagesare
commonlyincludedinmanygenresofcompu)ngtools,workersmayndvigilance
taskswithoutthesetriggeredno)ca)onstobe)ringandunnecessaryuser
experiences(D2,D3).
Seealso:C5,C8,D,E,H3,K7,K13
Whatrela)vepriori)escouldbeappropriateforthedierenttypesofalerts
andremindermessagesthatyourteamhassketched?
Howdirec)veshouldvarioustypesofmessagesbe?Whichcouldbestrictly
informa)onal?Whichmightworkersneedtoac)velyaddresswithinacertain
)meframe?

"

!

Howmightlowerpriorityaler)ngandremindingcuesbepresentedattransi)onal
seamsbetweenaZen)ondemandingtasksandlargerac)vi)es?
Whatcommunica)onchannelscouldbemosteec)vefordeliveringdierenttypes
ofalertandremindercontent?Isno)ca)onwithinyourcompu)ngtoolenough?
# $!
Howcouldinterrup)ngmessagespresentrelatedpathwaysofac)onsothat
targetedworkersdonotneedtolocaterelevantnaviga)onop)ons?
Howmightindividualuserscustomizetheirownalertsandreminderstocallout
thoseeventsthattheyvalueandtoignorethosethattheydonot?
"

Howmightthesemessagesbeexperiencedwithingroupsofcoopera)ngorac)vely
collabora)ngworkers?
Howmightyourteamsapproachesforalertsandremindersrelatetoyour
otherconceptsforsuppor)ngcogni)vetracing,coopera)on,collabora)on,and
workspaceawareness?Howcouldthesemessagesrelatewithyourproductserror
preven)onandhandlingconven)ons?
D7. Eventual Habit and Automaticity

Over time, knowledge workers learn to attend to certain
areas of their interactive applications, while deemphasizing
other pathways and content. Product teams can sketch their
functionality concepts with this sort of habitual learning in mind,
creating conditions where workers may develop adaptive, nearly
automatic approaches to accomplishing routine interactions.

Architect

Wherecouldworkprac)cesmediatedbyyourcompu)ngtoolberepeatedand
consistentenoughforworkerstoaZainadegreeofusefulautoma)city?
Howmightcertainpredictablebehaviorsinyourfunc)onalityconceptsallow
individualstoquicklynavigatetheirfrequentinterac)onsinincreasinglyeortless
waysover)me?

Whatnega)vehabitscouldworkersformwithinthechannelingowsofyour
sketchedapplica)onoerings?
Whaterrorsmightstemfromusersautoma)callyinterac)ngonscreeninsteadof
consideringtheuniquecharacteris)csoftheircurrentsitua)ons?
Whatdesignresponsesmightyourteamenvisiontoreduceoreliminatecertain
opportuni)esfornega)veadapta)onsandautoma)cityerrors?Howmightthese
methods)eintoyourlargererrorpreven)onandhandlingapproaches?
Withtheseinnatehumantendenciesinmind,productteamscaniden)fyareasintheir
sketcheddesignconceptswhereinterac)onsarelikelytobefrequentandmentalef
fortsarelikelytodecreaseduetoconsistentgoalsandthecrystalliza)onofstandard
approaches(A3,A4).Teamscanthenrenethesefunc)onalityconceptswiththegoal
ofpromo)ngworkersacquisi)onofadap)ve,tacitabili)es.Theserenementscan
include,forexample,clearanddirectnarra)vesofinterac)on(G1),uncomplicated
conceptualmodels(C1),andappropriateinstruc)onalframes(K2,K5,K6,K7).
Seealso:A,C8,D,E6,K8,K12,K13
Howmightyoursketchedfunc)onalityconceptsmeaningfullyreferenceworkers
exis)ng,produc)vehabits?
Whereinyourapplica)onconceptsmighttargetedworkersdevelopnewhabitual
behaviorsakerfrequentuseofcertainop)ons?
Knowledgeworkerscanshowsurprisingskillsforincorpora)ngnewar)factsintotheir
workprac)ces.Evenincaseswhereindividualsdonotrecognizethattheyhavethese
abili)es,peoplemayuselessandlessoftheirconsciousaZen)onsastheyrepeatedly
actonorwithnewar)factsinspecicac)vitycontexts(A,C4).
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhowworkersmightdevelophabitsand
automa)cityintheirapplica)onconcepts,opportuni)estofacilitatecertainformsof
masteryinusersexperiencescanbelost.Resul)ngproductsmayputtoomuchem
phasisonini)allearningratherthanaccommodatedusage,poten)allyleadingtothe
developmentofnega)vehabitsforthelongterm(K5).Workersmayalsoexperience
severefrustra)onwhenupdatedapplica)onsarenotbuiltfromanunderstandingof
theirlegacyoflearnedadapta)ons(M1).
Wherehavetargetedindividualsalreadydevelopedusefulhabitsandautoma)city
inthetasksandlargerac)vi)esthatyourteamisstrivingtomediate?
Whaterrorscurrentlyoccurduetoknowledgeworkersautoma)callyac)ngin
inappropriateways?Couldtheseproblemspresentopportuni)esforyourteams
product?
Ascien)st,havinglearnedapreferredpathwayfornarrowinginonsubsetsofvalu
abledatainheranalysisapplica)on,quicklymovesthroughaseriesofcomplex
visualiza)onsinaspecicsequence.
Inthesamevein,whileini)alinterac)ons(K2)inanewcompu)ngtoolmaydemand
workersintensiveaZen)ons(D2,D3,D4),over)me,peoplecandevelopvaryinglevels
ofadap)vehabitswithinrou)neandrela)velyunvaryingpathways.Insomesitua)ons,
highlyentrenchedhabitscandevelopintoautoma)city,meaningthatspecicopera
)onsorlargertasks(A5)mayeventuallyrequirelimitedconsciousconsidera)ononthe
partofapplica)onusers.
Assuming that targeted knowledge workers will eventually

adopt and frequently use your teams computing tool, how
might you examine your application concepts through the
lens of users eventual habituation and mastery? What
unpredictabilities could lead to errors by getting in the way
of valuable automaticity? Where might negative habits
develop?
forknowledgework:
Anarchitectworksthroughacascadeofdialogstochangeaveryspecicselng
inherbuildingmodelingapplica)on.Whensherstusedthetool,thisnaviga)on
seemedexcessivelyeortul.Now,shedoesnoteventhinkofitassheperforms
thetaskseeminglyautoma)cally(seeillustra(on).
Anancialtraderexpertlytabsthroughtheeldsinatradeform,enteringspecic
dataandmakingrelevantselec)ons.Tohelphimmoveontohisnexttrademore
rapidly,heisinthehabitofselec)nganop)onthatbooksacompletedtradeand
automa)callyopensanemptytradeform.
62

E. Providing Opportunities
to Offload Effort
Valued computing tools can desirably reduce
burdens in knowledge work while at the same
time promoting a sense of engagement and
agency.
Designing for such useful reductions requires a
deliberate and critical understanding of current
and potential efforts in work practice.
teams can map workers consistent and
routine burdens in order to locate potential
opportunities for supporting technologies.
By focusing on how effort might be offloaded
to an onscreen tool, teams can highlight cases
where higher order tasks and user experiences
might transformatively replace unwanted
actions and cognitive load.
63
Allofusfacelimita)onsinwhatwecanaccomplish.Thereareonlysomanyhoursin
aday,andourhumanmindscan,roughlyspeaking,onlyprocessorac)velyremember
somuchatanyone)me.
Knoweldgeworkersmakeuseofvaluedtoolstogetmoredoneandtomaketheirlives
feelsimpler.Peoplecanbecomeadeptatarrangingandmanipula)ngtheworldaround
themtomaketheirac)onseasier,therebyimprovingtheirabilitytoaccomplishcertain
outcomes.Byappropria)ngusefular)factsintotheirprac)ces,individualsandtheir
organiza)onscanposi)velytransformworkthatwouldotherwiserequiretediouslabor
orcomplexmentalopera)ons.
Productteamscanenvisionopportuni)esforknowledgeworkerstodistributeeort
amongthemselves,theircolleagues,andtheircompu)ngtools.Highlevelidea)on
aroundwhatpeoplearegoodatandwhatcomputersaregoodat,whileuseful,may
notdriveteamstosucientlyconsiderthepar)cularsofworkersspecializedmo)ves
andlocalcultures.Toarriveatpowerfulandvaluableooadingop)ons,teamscan
focusonpossibleintersec)onsofspecicburdensinworkprac)cesandpoten)altech
nologyresponsesthatcouldeitheralleviatetheseburdensoraugmentworkersrelated
abili)es.
E1.Ooadinglongtermmemoryeort
E2.Ooadingshorttermmemoryeort
E3.Automa)onoflowlevelopera)ons
E4.Automa)onoftaskorac)vityscenarios
E5.Visibilityintoautoma)on
E6.Internallocusofcontrol
Productteamscanusetheseideastoexplorepoten)altransforma)onsofworkprac
)cethroughthereduc)onofspecicmemoryburdensandappropriateautoma)on
ofopera)ons,tasks,orlargerac)vi)es.Agingworkforceswithinaproductsdemo
graphics,whomaybeexperiencingdecreasesinsomeoftheirfacul)es,mayndsuch
ooadingop)onstobeespeciallyvaluable.
)onanddeterminingscope(A),ConsideringworkersaZen)ons(D),Suppor)ng
outcomeexplora)onandcogni)vetracing(H),andFacilita)ngcommunica)on(J)
categories.
100APPLICATIONENVISIONINGIDEAS|E.PROVIDINGOPPORTUNITIESTOOFFLOADEFFORT
E1. Offloading Long Term Memory Effort

Certain information often needs to be remembered for some
time by knowledge workers and their organizations. Product
teams can envision functionality concepts that could record
and store this valued content, allowing workers to refer to their
computing tools instead of having to concentrate on keeping
certain items mentally available.
%

%

!

Anarchitect,whenfacedwithaprobleminhercurrentwork,opensupolderver
sionsofthesamebuildingprojectinherbuildingmodelingapplica)on.Sheusesthe
storedinforma)ontohelpherrememberhowshehadworkedwithcivilengineers
toresolvesimilarissuesintheirpast.
Anancialtraderuseshistradingapplica)ontoviewhisgroupsdealsfromyester
daysothathecanseehowmuchbusinesshedidwithapar)cularen)ty.Without
thetoolsstoredrecord,hewouldprobablyonlybeabletorecallafewofthebigger
)ckettransac)ons.
Knowledgeworkerscanfacedaun)ngmemoryburdensastheirac)vi)esprogressover
extendedperiodsof)me(A).Luckily,peoplearenottypicallyexpectedtorecallevery
thing;establishedworkprocesses(A4,C6)andculturalnorms(A1)okenimplicitlyor
explicitlyacknowledgethestrengthsandweaknessesofourlongtermmemories.These
accommoda)onscanbeespeciallyvisiblewhenworkac)vi)esrevolvearoundhigh
volumesofinforma)onrichar)facts(B1,I)orreferencelargeandconstantlyevolving
informa)onresources(I5,G6).
Sincecomputerscanexcelatstoringspecics,productteamscanenvisionfunc)onality
conceptsthatcouldallowworkerstorecord,locate,andrecognizevaluableinforma)on
ratherthanaZemp)ngtoengrainitin,andthenrecallitfrom,theirlongtermmemo
ries(D4).Applica)onfunc)onalitycanusefullyandmeaningfullyintegrateexis)ng
formsofexternalizedlongtermmemory(F2,G4,J2)thathavehistoricaltrajectories
withinorganiza)onsandlargerprofessions,suchasonlinedatarepositoriesorthe
formatsofcertainpaperrecords(J7,H1,H3).
Addi)onally,teamsconceptsforcollabora)onorientedfeaturescanindirectlyhelp
workerstodistributetheirremembranceeortsbyenablingthemtomoreeasilyreach
outtocolleaguesfortheirrecollec)ons(B7,F1,J5,H3).
inuenceworkerslongtermmemoryburdens,opportuni)estovaluablyreduceor
eliminatecertaintypesofunwantedmemoryeortcanbelost.Resul)ngproductsmay
increasepossibili)esforrecollec)onerror(C9,G3)orforceworkerstocreateandenact
eortulworkaroundsinordertopreventinforma)onfrombecominglost(D2,D3).
Seealso:B6,D,E,H,J4,M1,M4
What information do targeted knowledge workers struggle to

remember over extended periods of time in the work practices
that your team is striving to mediate? How might your application concepts structure, collect, preserve, and present valued
long term information in accessible and meaningful ways?
forknowledgework:
Ascien)stopensaleinheranalysisapplica)onthatcontainsdatafromaprevious
clinicalstudy.Sincetheoldstudysharessomesimilarparameterswithhercurrent
work,shereviewsthestoredinforma)ontoremindherselfwhichanalysisprocesses
hadpreviouslyledtovaluableinsights(seeillustra(on).
64
Howdotargetedindividualscurrentlyrecordandkeeptrackofinforma)onthat
theywouldotherwiseneedtorecallfromtheirownlongtermmemories?
Clinical
Scientist
Whatar)factsdoknowledgeworkerscreateinordertoooadtheirmemory
eortsandmakeinforma)onavailabletomul)plepeopleover)me?
Whendoworkersturntothesear)facts?Whatroledotheyplayintargeted
opera)ons,tasks,andlargerac)vi)es?
%

"
Whatlongtermrecollec)onerrorsarecommon?Couldtheseproblemspresent
opportuni)esforyourteamsproduct?
Howmuchemphasisdoindividualworkersandlargergroupsplaceonthecrea)on
andmaintenanceofcollec)ve,organiza)onalmemories?
howyourcompu)ngtoolmightooadcertainlongtermmemoryeorts?
Howmightexis)ngprocessesforpersonalandorganiza)onalmemorybe
incorporatedintoyoursketchedfunc)onalityconcepts?

#

Whichmemorycuingfeaturesofexis)ngar)factscouldbeenhancedwithinyour
applica)onsdisplays?Howmightyourteamtailortherepresenta)onsofcertain
interac)onobjectsinordertosupportworkersownmemorystrategies?
Whatnewdatainyourapplica)onconceptscouldleadtonewsourcesofmemory
load?Howmightyourproductusefullyrecordandpresentthiscontentinways
thatcouldalleviatethesepoten)alburdens?
Duringwhattasksandlargerac)vi)escouldpeoplebenetfrombeingabletoeasily
anddirectlyaccessrelevantstoredinforma)on?Whatmighttheseaccesspoints
andpathwayslooklikeinyoursketchedfunc)onalityconcepts?
Whatlifeexpectancycoulddierenttypesofstoredinforma)onhave?Couldstored
contenteverbecomeahindranceorsourceofcluZerinworkersac)vi)es?

%

$

Howmightyourapplica)onconceptsprovideaddi)onallongtermmemorysupport
E2. Offloading Short Term Memory Effort

Knowledge workers short term memories have inherent limits,
even in the context of familiar work practices. To support key
short term memory challenges in computer mediated work,
product teams can envision concepts for persistently presenting
workers with recent cues and information that is pertinent to
their goals.
65
What information do targeted knowledge workers struggle to

remember for short intervals while accomplishing the operations
and larger tasks that your team is striving to mediate? How
might your application concepts store and display relevant
short term information in accessible and meaningful ways?
!

"

forknowledgework:
Anancialtraderusesashorthandfunc)oninhistradingapplica)ontoenterkey
informa)onaboutalistofdealsthatheisnego)a)ngonthephone.Akerthecall
iscomplete,heisabletotransformhisquicknotesintheshorthandfunc)oninto
asetofseparate,fullydetailedandbookedtrades(seeillustra(on).
Ascien)stzoomsinonaprogressivelynarrowersetofclinicaldatainheranalysis
applica)on.Akerspendingamomentinspec)ngasmallgroupingofdataatavery
granularlevel,shequicklyzoomsouttorememberwhichregionoftheclinical
resultssetshewaslookingat.Asmallboxtracesthepreviouszoomareawithin
itslargercontext.
Anarchitectstopswhatsheisdoinginherbuildingmodelingapplica)ontoquickly
placedraksofthreestructuralfeatures.Shethenagseachplaceholderfeature
asworkinprogress,whichchangesthemtoarecognizablecolor.Thepresenceof
thesecoloredvolumesinherviewremindsherwhatshewantstoworkonnext.
Weallworkfromtheunderstandingthatpeoplecanonlyac)velymaintainsomuch
newinforma)onatonce.Thelimita)onsofshorttermmemoryareawellcharacterized
aspectofhumancogni)on.Althoughknowledgeworkerscanbecomeskilledatkeeping
domaininforma)onattheforefrontoftheirthoughts,theymayalsodevelopoppor
tunis)capproachesforusingexternalresourcestomi)gatetheirinherentmemory
limita)ons(A).Forexample,workersmaykeeprelevantinforma)onneartohandby
prin)ngimportantscreencontents(J7),leavingusefuldocumentsopen(G5,F1,F2),
andwri)ngshorthandnoteswhiletheywork(H4,J5).
Productteamscanenvisionfunc)onalityconceptsthatcouldsupportworkersdesires
totheirooadshorttermmemoryeorts(C3).Thissupportcanalsotaketheform
oftargetedrenementsofexis)ngfunc)onalop)ons.Forexample,applica)onscan
providefastaccesstorecentinforma)oneitherthroughcon)nuousdisplayorbyon
demandaccessviaclearinterac)onpathways(C4,F9,G6).
inuenceworkersshorttermmemoryburdens,opportuni)estovaluablyreduceor
eliminatecertaintypesofunwantedmemoryeortcanbelost.Resul)ngproductsmay
promotepossibili)esforerrorinrecall(C9,G3)orforceworkerstocreateandenact
eortulworkaroundsinordertopreventinforma)onfrombecominglost(D2,D3).
Conversely,explicitfunc)onalityanddesignresponsesinsupportofshorttermmemory
canbelimi)ngordistrac)ng(A9,D4),especiallyincaseswhereteamsdonotconsider
progressivedisclosureofrecentcontentasviablesupport.
Seealso:B2,D,E,F8,G4,H,J2,M1,M4
Whatstrategiesdotargetedindividualscurrentlyusetokeeptrackofopera)ve
informa)onthattheyneedtohavementallyavailableoreec)velynearby
tosuccessfullyaccomplishtheirwork?
Financial
Trader
Whatar)factsdoknowledgeworkerscreateinordertoooadtheirshortterm
memoryeorts?Howtransitoryaretheseobjects?
Whattypesofac)veinforma)ondotargetedworkersokenforgetwhenthey
areinterrupted?

howyourcompu)ngtoolmightooadcertainshorttermmemoryeorts?
$ %
Whichmemorycuingfeaturesofexis)ngar)factscouldbeenhancedwithinyour
applica)onsdisplays?Howmightyourteamtailortherepresenta)onsofcertain
interac)onobjectsinordertosupportworkersownmemorystrategies?
Wheremightnaviga)onthroughyoursketchedfunc)onalityconceptsintroduce
newshorttermmemoryload?Howmightpersistentlypresen)ngrecentand
relevantinforma)onreduceoreliminatesomeoftheseburdens?

#

Whatfunc)onalityconceptsorsmallerdesignresponsesmightyourteamenvision
toallowworkerstoexplicitlyrecordorhighlightspecicinforma)onthattheywant
torememberintheshortterm?
$ %
Whatprogramma)cmethodscouldvaluablyiden)fycategoriesofac)ve
informa)onandabstractlyindicatetheseitemswithcompactandlearnablecues?
Howmightyourteamsconceptsforsuppor)ngindividualsshorttermmemory
inuencecommongroundandcollabora)onissharedworkspaces?
Whatlifeexpectancycoulddierenttypesofshortterminforma)onhave?When
couldthepersistentpresenceofthissuppor)ngcontentbecomeahindranceor
sourceofcluZerinworkersac)vi)es?
Howmightyourapplica)onconceptsprovideaddi)onalshorttermmemory
supportforanagingknowledgeworkforce?

E3. Automation of Low Level Operations

Knowledge workers may experience certain frequent, highly
granular work operations as redundant or excessively rigorous.
To reduce or eliminate efforts around certain tedious or exacting
operations, product teams can envision small, highly targeted
automations within their sketched functionality concepts.

Anarchitectscursorsnapstotheedgeofaformthatsheistryingtoencloseinher
buildingmodelingapplica)on.Sincesheisfamiliarwiththetoolsbehaviors,she
an)cipatesthecorrec)onand,asaresult,spendsless)meposi)oninghercursor
accurately(seeillustra(on).
Architect
Whichopera)onsinyourconceptsforworkmedia)onmightbeusefullyautomated
underthegeneralgoalofreducinguserseorts?

Seealso:B5,C10,D,E,I,M
smallautoma)onsinyourcompu)ngtool?
Whatpredic)veac)ons,usefulsugges)ons,slightcorrec)ons,andrenedinterface
tailoringcouldyourapplica)onconceptsautoma)callyprovide?
Howmighttheseautomatedopera)onsreducetheincidenceofpredictableerrors
andcorrec)veinterac)ons?Howcouldthedesignofthesefeaturesrelatetoyour
productslargererrorpreven)onandhandlingapproaches?
Couldcertainsmallautoma)onsbenetfromclearlycommunicatedconceptual
models,orcouldsomeofthemprovidejustasmuchvalueiftheyaretypically
overlooked?

Howmightyourenvisionedautoma)onsimpactworkerssenseofcontrol?
Inwhatcasesmighttargetedindividualsseetheseautoma)onsasunpredictable
ordistrac)ngnuisances?
Whatinterac)onmethodscouldallowuserstorecognizeandoverridetheeects
ofcertainautoma)ons?
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhowsmallopera)onsinknowledgework
couldbeusefullyautomated,opportuni)estoreduceworkerseorts(D2,D3)andto
preventcertaintypesoferrors(C9,G3)canbelost.Dependingontheirpreviousexperi
enceswithothercompu)nginterac)ons,workersmayseetheabsenceofsomesmall
automa)onsasannoyingoversightsinaproductsdesign(M1).
Conversely,inmanycases,thesesmallautoma)onssimplycannotbemeaningfully
envisionedduetobroadvariabili)esintargetedworkprac)ces(A6,A7,A8).When
misapplied,automa)onofopera)onscanbecomeafrustra)nghindrancetothe
experienceofdirectnessincompu)nginterac)ons(D4).
Whatdiscreteopera)onsintheworkprac)cesthatyourteamisstrivingtomediate
arestandard,exac)ng,andtedious?Whatdotargetedindividualsthinkofthese
opera)ons?
Wheremightyourteamssketchedfunc)onali)esintroducenewopera)onsthat
couldalsotthestandard,exac)ng,andtediousdescrip)on?
Thetermcomputerisfamouslyderivedfromthespecializedjobthatthetechnology
ini)allyreplacedthenowex)nctprofessionofmanuallycompu)ngmathema)cal
problemsforscience,engineering,andbusinessneeds.Sincethat)me,developments
incompu)nghaveonlyextendedthisfoundingno)onofooadingwellcharacterized
andpredictableopera)onsinknowledgework(A4,A5).
Productteamscanenvisionhowtheirinterac)veapplica)onsmightaugmentspecic
workprac)cesbyperformingsmall,useful,andlearnableop)miza)onsinthecontext
ofusersac)ons.Toensurethatthesesmallinterven)onsarevisibleandunderstand
able(E5),compu)ngtoolscanprovidecuestoindicatewhereautoma)onshave
occurred,aswellashowtheireectsmayberemoved(C4,D6,H2).Dependingon
workersexpecta)onsofcontrol(E6),thesegranularautoma)onscanbethesubject
ofcustomiza)onchoices(C8,K11).
How might your teams functional offerings remove or scaffold

certain consistent, granular knowledge work operations
with highly specific automations? How could these small
automations advance targeted workers larger, goal directed
tasks in useful ways that they may not even recognize?
forknowledgework:
Anancialtraderisbookingadealinhistradingapplica)on.Ashellsindata,the
applica)onpredica)velydefaultssubsequentelds,whichhethensimplytabs
throughifheagreeswiththevaluesthatthesystemhasentered.
Ascien)stselectsadierentlterforagraphwithinheranalysisapplica)on,and
thetransformedrepresenta)onofclinicaldatainstantlyappears.Withoutthe
applica)onsautoma)onofthegraphingopera)onsneededtoupdatethisdisplay,
theresul)ngtransforma)onwouldhavetakensignicant)meandeorttomanu
allycomplete.
66
Whatselngsandcustomiza)onfunc)onalitycanyourteamenvisiontohelp
ensurethatautoma)onswilloperateinaccordancewithworkersgoals?How
couldtheseselngsbeclearlyandcontextuallyaccessed?

E4. Automation of Task or Activity Scenarios

In certain situations, entire tasks or larger activities in
knowledge work can become extremely routine, describable,
and tedious. In response to these cases, product teams can
envision concepts for targeted automation functionality, which
can change the nature of work by allowing individuals to focus
more of their efforts on less routine and higher value efforts.
Ascien)stdesignsaworkowinherlabsinforma)onmanagementapplica)on.In
thisworkow,labtechnicianswillfeedpreparedsamplesintolaboratoryrobo)cs,
whichwillautoma)callygatherexperimentaldata.Herlabscomputerswillthen
automa)callyperformanumberofalgorithmictransforma)onsonthedatabefore
storingtheresultsinarepositorywhereshecanthenanalyzeitgraphically
(seeillustra(on).
Anarchitectentersparametersforthebeginningandendingofacurvedshapein
herbuildingmodelingapplica)on.Thecompu)ngtoolextrapolatestheen)resur
faceoftheform,includingsomeofitsengineeringandconstruc)ondetails,based
uponasetofcustomizedfunc)onalrulesanddenedmaterialproper)es.
Anancialtraderbooksatransac)oninhistradingapplica)onandthenimmedi
atelyfocuseshisaZen)ononhisnextpoten)aldeal.Behindthescenes,awhole
seriesofcrucialsmalltasksareautoma)callyprocessedacrossanumberofsystems
tomakethecompletedtransac)onareality.
Historically,automa)onwasanearlyfocusintheapplica)onofcompu)ngtomany
workplaces.Todaysproductteamsdevelopingknowledgeworktoolsmayndthat
valuableopportuni)esforextensiveautoma)onofexis)ngworkprac)ces(A)arenot
especiallyprevalentinthemarketsthattheytarget.Incertaincases,however,custom
izable(C8)automa)onoftasksorlargerac)vi)escanprovidetransforma)vevaluein
thecontextofworkersstatusquoprac)ces(A9)andoverarchingorganiza)onalgoals.
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhowlargerunitsofworkprac)cemight
beusefullyautomated,opportuni)estoreduceoreliminateunwantedeort(D2,D3),
preventcertaintypesoferrors(C9,G3),anddriveprecise,highqualityoutputs(A4)can
belost.Adop)nghighlymanualapplica)onsmayleadtopeoplespendingthesame
amountof)me,orevenmore)me,onlessdesirable,lowerlevelworkanduser
experiences.Theselowerlevelac)onsareokenaccomplishedattheexpenseof
othertasksthatmaybeZercontributetoworkersdesiredoutputs(L1)andlarger
goals(A5).
Conversely,whenmisapplied,largerscaleautoma)onscanerodeindividualssenseof
control(E6)anddrivecorrec)onsandworkaroundsthatmayrequiremoreeortthan
doingworkwithoutautomatedsupport(D4).Workersmayplaceahighvalueonhow
theycurrentlyaccomplishthetasksandlargerac)vi)esthatproductteamsperceive
asprimecandidatesforautomatedoerings(A4,C6,E5).Evenincaseswherepeople
desirelargerscaleautoma)ons,targetedworkprac)cesmaycontainprohibi)ve
requirementsforexibility(A6,A7,A8).
Seealso:C10,D,E,F6,I,K4,K10,M
/

Clinical
Scientist
% -,(&,('!(',*(%%#" .!(&)-,'$))%!,('+

67
Is your team targeting any tasks or larger activities that have

highly predictable and standard series of operations? What
functionality concepts might you envision to automate these
sequences? What could be gained or lost, from the perspectives of targeted knowledge workers and their organizations,
in the adoption of such expansive automations?
forknowledgework:
Whichoftheworkprac)cesthatyourteamisstrivingtomediatecouldbe
ra)onalizedtotheextentwhereautoma)onmaybeafeasibleop)on?
Whattasksorlargerac)vi)es,inprac)ce,presenttoomuchvariabilityfor
suchfunc)onalitytobeeec)velydenedandused?
Whichworkprocessesdotargetedknowledgeworkersndtediousand)me
consuming?Howdotheserou)neprocessescurrentlydistractfrommore
meaningfulandhigherorderpursuits?
Whatestablishedprocessesdoworkersvalueintheircurrentform,without
automa)on?Why?
Whichprocessesinyoursketchedapplica)onconceptsmightbeusefullyautomated
underthegeneralgoalofreducinguserseorts?Whatvaluecouldtargeted
organiza)onsgainfromextensiveautoma)onsinthecontextoftheirlargergoals
andoverlappingac)vi)es?

Howmightautomatedprocessesimpacttargetedworkersdesiredsenseof
meaningfulvisibility,directcontrol,andselfdeterminingagency?

substan)alautoma)onsinyourcompu)ngtool?

Howmightthestrengthsofcompu)ngbeappliedtovaluableandappropriate
automa)onscenariosinyourproductsscope?

Howcouldlargerscaleautoma)onsreducetheincidenceofcertainerrorsor
improvethequalityofcertainworkoutputs?Whatotherbenetscouldresult?
Whatmighttheuserexperiencesofprovidinginputsandreceivingoutputsbelike
inyoursketchedfunc)onalityconcepts?Willworkersneedtoac)velymonitor
yourteamsenvisionedautoma)ons?Whatalertsandcuescouldguidetheir
observa)onsandawarenesses?
Whatinterac)onmethodscouldallowuserstolocateandoverridetheeects
ofspecicautomatedsteps?Howmightindividualsrecognizeandrecoverfrom
certaincasesofproblema)cautoma)on?
Whatselngsandcustomiza)onfunc)onali)escouldhelpensurethatautomated
processeswilloperateinaccordancewiththegoalsoftargetedindividualsand
organiza)ons?
E5. Visibility into Automation

To help ensure that knowledge workers are not deskilled when
they adopt new or revised computing tools, product teams can
envision functionality concepts that could provide users with
meaningful and useful visibilities into the underlying aspects of
certain automated processes.
68
How much visibility might targeted knowledge workers value

when encountering or actively using each of the automated
offerings in your teams sketched application concepts?
When could such visibility be useful; what might it look like;
what meaning could it provide; and how present might it be
in workers experiences?

$

Anancialtraderreceivesaseriesofautomatedsugges)onsinhistradingapplica
)on,basedondatathatheenteredearlierintheday.Whilereviewingtheseauto
matedsugges)ons,hecanseethereasonswhytheapplica)onhasrecommended
eachpoten)altradeandthenmakehisdecisionsbasedonawidervarietyofcriteria
thatsimplycannotbeautomated(seeillustra(on).
Ascien)stwatchesasheranalysisapplica)onpullsfromanumberofonlinedata
basestoconstructavisualiza)on.Thetoolcolorcodescontentbasedonitssource,
highligh)nganywhereconic)nginforma)onisavailablefromdierentdatabases
sothatshecanmakedecisionsaboutwhichcontenttouse.
Anarchitectreviewsalogofac)onstakenbythesocalledmaterialsmanagerin
herbuildingmodelingapplica)on.Shewantstoseeifsheagreeswiththedeci
sionsitmadewhileupda)ngacertainaZributeacrosstheen)retyofalarge
buildingmodel.
Onscreenuserinterfacesinherentlyhidemanyofatoolsinnerworkings.Some)mes
thisopaquenessisuseful;other)mesitcandeskill.Outsideofhighlystandardized
processes(A4,C6),valuedtechnologiesinknowledgeworkmaynotfunc)onasblack
boxesthatobscureeverythingthatoccursbetweenthereceiptofinputsandthedeliv
eryofoutputs(G7,J3,L1).
Topreserveworkersskillsinspecicprac)ces,productteamscanprovideusefuland
comprehensiblevisibilityintothedetailsofaninterac)veapplica)onsautomated
ac)ons.Appropriateviewsofautomatedprocedurescanhelpworkersbuildaccurate
conceptualmodelsofatoolsfunc)oning(C1),plantheowoftheirworkaroundit,
andmoreeec)velyevaluatecri)calincidents(F6).
Productteamscanexploretheno)onofvisibilityaspartofenvisioningfunc)onality
conceptsthatautomateopera)ons,tasks,orlargerac)vi)es,keepinginmindthatthe
importanceoftransparencycanescalateathigherlevelsofthishierarchy(A5).Atthe
leveloftasksorlargerac)vi)es,teamscanenvisionop)onsforworkerstomonitor
relevantinforma)onaboutautomatedprocessesinreal)me(B5,D6,C10)orto
reviewstoredlogsofautomatedac)onsakerthefact(H2,H3,I7).
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderthepoten)alroleofvisibilityintotheir
automa)onconcepts,resul)ngapplica)onsmayleaveworkersfeelinghamstrungand
withoutdesirablecontrol(E6).Sinceevenwelldesignedautomatedrou)nescan
encounterproblemsthatrequirehumanjudgment(A,C9,G3),workersmayndthat
diagnosingandxingissuesintheseopaquesystemstakessignicantlymoreeort
thantheautoma)onwaspurportedtosaveintherstplace(D2,D3).
Seealso:C5,C8,E,I6,K,M1,M4
forknowledgework:
Whatautoma)onsarecurrentlypartoftheworkprac)cesthatyourteamisstriving
tomediate?Whatbaselineexpecta)onsdotargetedworkershaveforvisibilityinto
automa)onprocesses?
Financial
Trader
Whatlargerdesignandtechnologytrendscouldinuenceyourteamsideas
abouthowvisibilityintoautoma)onmightprovidevaluetotargetedindividuals
andorganiza)ons?

Howmightalackofautoma)onvisibilitycreatedeskillingbarrierstoadop)on
andlongtermsuccessforyourproduct?
Whatinforma)onaboutautomatedopera)onscouldbeimportantinthecontext
ofdierentvisibilityscenarios?

!

Whichofyourteamssketchedautoma)onideasmightsafelyremainablackbox?
Atwhatpointcouldpervasivevisibilitybegintodetractfromtheooadingvalue
ofthesefunc)onali)es?
Whatrolemightcertainvisibili)esplayduringusersini)altes)ngofyour
compu)ngtoolduringtheiradop)onprocesses?
$

$ "

Whatvaluemightvisibilityintosmallerautoma)onsprovide?Howmightthis
informa)onlinkouttoappropriateselngsandinstruc)onalcontent?
How,specically,couldvisibilityintolargerautomatedprocessesprovidevaluein
targetedworkersprac)ces?Coulditprimarilybeusedforreal)memonitoring
ormightitbecomemoreofatoolforretrospec)veinves)ga)on?
Whatspecializedrepresenta)onsmightyourteamenvisiontoclearlyencapsulate
andcommunicateinforma)onaboutautomatedprocesses?Howmighttheoutputs
ofautomatedprocessesbearmeaningfulandtraceablesignaturesoftheir
crea)on?
Howmightearlyexperiencesoftransparencyhelpknowledgeworkersbuild
appropriateconceptualmodelsofautoma)onfunc)onali)es?

#

$

Howcouldrenedautoma)ontransparencyhelpworkerstorecoverfromany
cri)calincidentsandstandarderrorcases?Howmightyourvisibilityconcepts)e
intoyoursketcheddesignresponsesforerrorhandlingandfunc)onalhistories?
Whatcustomiza)onop)onscouldallowtargetedindividualsandorganiza)onsto
tailorautoma)onvisibilitytomeettheirlocalneeds?
E6. Internal Locus of Control

Knowledge workers may sometimes feel that interactive applications hijack their work practices in undesirable and stress
inducing ways. Product teams can envision their functionality
concepts with the intention of promoting a sense of control and
mastery in workers experiences, even as computing tools
usefully perform complex actions on their behalf.
69
What aspects of your teams automation concepts might

detract from targeted knowledge workers sense of agency
and skilled accomplishment? How might your computing
tool allow workers to have desirable levels of control over the
initiation, steering, and completion of automated processes?
!

!

forknowledgework:
Anarchitectrunsatolerancecheckingfunc)oninherbuildingmodelingapplica)on
tocheckwhetheronesec)onofadesignmeetsaspecicbuildingcode.Wherethe
automatedfunc)ondiscoversapoten)alviola)on,itgiveshertheopportunityto
ignorethendingbasedonherowninterpreta)onofthepar)cularcodesdescrip
)on(seeillustra(on).
Ascien)stlikesthatthelatestversionofheranalysisapplica)onallowsherto
interveneinreal)mewhensheseesthatautomatedalgorithmsarenotproducing
desiredoutcomes.Inthepreviousversionofthesameapplica)on,shecouldnot
interruptlengthyanalysestomakechanges.
Anancialtraderturnsotheautoma)ctradingfunc)oninhistradingapplica)on,
whichnormallytakescareoflowvalue,uncontroversialtransac)ons.Accomplish
ingthesedealsmanually,whenhehas)me,giveshimabeZersenseofhisgroups
standardbusiness.
Whatautoma)onsarecurrentlypartoftheworkprac)cesthatyourteamisstriving
tomediate?Whatdotargetedindividualsthinkabouttheirlevelofcontrolover
thesetechnologies?
Architect
Whatproblemscurrentlyoccurduetoworkersfeelingthattheyarebeing
controlledorreinedinbycertainstandardizedar)factsandcompu)ngtools?
Couldtheseproblemspresentopportuni)esforyourteamsproduct?
Whatcategoricalclassesoflocalneedsintargetedorganiza)onsmightinuence
workerspercep)onsofcontrolandaugmen)ngalignment?
!

Whatanalogiesandlanguagemightyourteamusetodescribetherela)onship
betweenuserandproductthatyouarestrivingtocreate?Whatimplica)ons
couldthisdescribedrela)onshiphaveonbrand?
Howmightyouenvisionautoma)onfunc)onali)esasac)onableextensionsof
workersskills,ratherthandistantandselfopera)ngreplacementsforthem?
Knowledgeworkersmayplaceahighvalueonhowtheircompu)ngtoolsautoma)cally
performcertaincomplexac)ons(E3,E4).Butratherthanexperiencingthesetoolsas
yetmoretechnologythatrunsitself,workersmaywantsomemeasureofcontrolover
automa)ons(A4,D2),especiallywhentheycaninuencethecharacterofen)retasks
orlargerac)vi)es(A5,C8,K2,K4).
Topromoteworkerssensethattheyareatthelocusofcontrol,productteamscan
envisionopportuni)esforuserstoappropriatelycontributetheirownskillstothe
ini)a)on,steering,andcomple)onofautomatedprocesses(C4,G1).
Howcouldthinkingaboutautoma)onasjustanothertoolinworkersavailable
repertoiresallowyourteamtosketchmoreappropriatefunc)onalityconcepts?
Howmightalackofcontrolovercertainaspectsofyourproductcreatedeskilling
barrierstoitsadop)onandlongtermsuccess?

Howmightdesiredlevelsofcontrolchangeover)measusersincreasinglytrust
yourcompu)ngtool?
Whatselngsandop)onsmightyourteamenvisiontogivetargetedindividualsand
organiza)onsmeaningfulinuenceoverautoma)onfunc)onali)esinthecontextof
theirlocalwaysofworking?
Over)me,workersmaybuildcondenceinhowanapplica)onperformsandcontrib
utestotheirworkoutcomes(K13,L1),eventuallybecomingcomfortableenoughto
surrendermorecompletecontrolofsomeac)ons(D4,D7).Productteamscanpromote
thesedesirableendstatesbyconcep)ngfeaturesthatcouldallowworkerstotransi)on
throughsuchlevelsofcondenceattheirownpace.
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhowknowledgeworkersmightretainan
internallocusofcontrolwhileusingcompu)ngtoolsthatpowerfullyshapetheirprac
)ces,usersmayndthatresul)ngapplica)onsstressfullyandinappropriatelymake
decisionsortakeac)onsagainsttheirinten)ons.Workersmaybelievethattheyare
beingdeskilledbythesecompu)ngtools(E5,D3),whichcaninuencetheirdecisions
aboutwhetherornottofullyadoptthemintotheirowneorts(K).
Conversely,applica)onscanintroducetoomuchcontrol,crea)ngunnecessary
opportuni)esforerrors(C9,G3)anddistrac)ngusersfromlargergoals(D1).
Seealso:A,C1,E,M1
Whatinterac)vescenariosandbehaviorsmightprovideuserswithadirectand
engagingsenseofcontroloveryourcompu)ngtoolsac)ons?

!

Howmuchcontrolmightbetoomuchcontrol?Whatconstraintscouldusefully
promotereduc)onsineort,clariedinterac)veexperiences,reducedlikelihood
oferrors,andthecondentcrea)onofdesiredoutputs?
#
"
$
Whatcontextscouldrequireautoma)ontobehighlystandardized,ratherthan
modiableonacasebycasebasisatthediscre)onofindividualworkers?
F. Enhancing Information Representation

Valued computing tools can represent
information in concise and tailored ways that
are well suited to knowledge workers goals
and mental models.
Designing such useful representations requires
a deliberate understanding of how people
might understand and act upon content.
can critically examine how information is
currently represented, looking for opportunities
to display important content in enhanced or
even transformative ways.
70
Recordedinforma)on,whetherinsideoroutsideofaninterac)veapplica)on,existsin
specicrepresenta)onalforms.Aplainpagelledwithuniformtextisonesuchform,
alongwithanynumberofothertextuallayouts,tables,maps,andgraphs.Asworkers
repeatedlycreate,actwith,acton,andcommunicatethroughcertainrepresenta)onal
forms,thesestandardscanbecomepowerfulculturalconven)onsthatdeneand
directsharedapproachestothinkingwithinlocalcommuni)esofprac)ceorthe
en)retyofaprofession.
Somerepresenta)onalformscanfacilitatespeciccogni)vetransforma)onsandwork
prac)cesbeZerthanothers.AsHerbertSimonwrote,solvingaproblemsimplymeans
represen)ngitsoastomakethesolu)ontransparent.Poorrepresenta)onalalign
mentcaninterferewithaccomplishment,requiringaddi)onalthoughtandac)on.
Manuallycrea)ngsomerepresenta)onscanrequireconsiderableeortcalcula)ng
values,layingoutadocumentspace,plolngpoints,llinginareas.Bycomparison,
interac)veapplica)onscanmakegenera)ngstandardrepresenta)onalformsnearly
eortlessfortheirusers,openingupopportuni)esfortherapidexplora)onofnovel
perspec)vesonselectedinforma)onsets.
F1.Coordinatedrepresenta)onalelements
By taking time to generate diverse ideas for

their products information displays, teams
can situate new and existing content in
comprehensible views that ease navigation
burdens and make complex conclusions
perceptually clear.
F2.Establishedgenresofinforma)onrepresenta)on
F3.Novelinforma)onrepresenta)ons
F4.Supportforvisualiza)onatdierentlevels
F5.Compara)verepresenta)ons
F6.Instrumentalresultsrepresenta)ons
F7.Highlyfunc)onaltables
F8.Representa)onaltransforma)ons
F9.Simultaneousorsequen)aluseofrepresenta)ons
F10.Symbolicvisuallanguages
F11.Representa)onalcodesandcontext
Productteamscanusetheseideastoexplorearangeofconceptsformedia)ngwork
prac)cesthroughthedynamicgenera)onanduseofdierenttypesofinforma)on
representa)on.Theseidea)oneortsmayhelpteamstoemphasizetheimportanceof
exis)ngrepresenta)onalformsortouncovervaluableopportuni)esforrepresenta)on
alinnova)on.Concep)ngfocusedonrepresenta)oncanalsoallowteamstoconsider
meaningfulextensionsandinterac)vetransforma)onsofcertaininforma)ondisplays,
withthegoaloffurthertailoringthemtowardmeaningfulwaysofthinkingandac)ng.
Thecentralno)onofthiscategoryismostcloselyrelatedtotheExploringwork
media)onanddeterminingscope(A),Deninginterac)onobjects(B),Facilita)ng
communica)on(J),andAimingforaesthe)cuserexperiences(L)categories.
100APPLICATIONENVISIONINGIDEAS|F.ENHANCINGINFORMATIONREPRESENTATION
F1. Coordinated Representational Elements

Elements within and between information representations can
have coordinated facets, reducing efforts that would otherwise
be needed to usefully bring them into alignment as part of
certain operations or larger tasks. Product teams can envision
coordinations that could transform effortful mental work into
visual judgments and direct manipulations of interrelated
external artifacts.
What mental transformations and artifactual alignments do

knowledge workers frequently employ in order to manipulate
information in goal directed ways? What concepts might your
team generate to implicitly coordinate certain meaningfully
related elements in your sketched information representations?
How might individuals create their own coordinations in the
context of your computing tool while performing targeted
work practices?

#

!

Ascien)stintui)velytransformsaviewofclinicaldatainheranalysisapplica)on.
Shegivesnoconsidera)ontotheelegantmeansbywhicheachtransforma)onstays
insynchwithotheronscreenviews,savinghertheeortofhavingtothinkthrough
andmanuallynavigatetheserela)onships(seeillustra(on).
Anarchitectndsiteasytouseprintoutsfromherbuildingmodelingapplica)on
inconjunc)onwiththesamebuildingmodelonherscreen.Boththeprintedand
onscreenversionsprovidethesamealigningfeatures,allowingforquickorienta)on
andcomparison.
Anancialtraderviewsinforma)oninhistradingapplica)onandhismarketinfor
ma)onapplica)onatthesame)me.Hechangesthedaterangesineachtooltothe
sameintervalsothathecaneyeballrela)onshipsbetweenthedisplays.
Clinical
Scientist
#

!
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhowspecicelementsofinforma)on
representa)onsmightbecoordinatedinsideandaroundtheirsketchedapplica)on
concepts,opportuni)estosupportorposi)velytransformthenatureofcertainwork
prac)cescanbelost.Whenteamsoverlookcoordina)onsthatarecurrentlyinuse,
workersmayndresul)ngtoolstobedisrup)veandfrustra)ng,crea)ngneweorts
thatwerenotpreviouslynecessary(D3,F11).Teamsmayalsooverlookopportuni)es
fornovelcoordina)onswithotherelementsinworkersrepresenta)onalenvirons(A1),
whetherinternally,withinaproductsownfunc)onali)es,(C4,F9)orexternally,
withotherar)facts,bothonscreenando.
Seealso:B3,F,G5,I,J6,J7,K5,K6,K13
forknowledgework:
Whatcoordina)onswithinandbetweeninforma)onrepresenta)ons,orbetween
certainrepresenta)onsandtheirlargercontexts,dopeoplecurrentlyuseaspart
Whatvaluedocurrentcoordina)onsprovidetotargetedindividualsandorganiza
)ons?Whatfunc)onalroledotheseexis)ngalignmentsplay?Whatproblemsdo
theysolve?
Whichcoordina)onshavebecomeestablishedelementsofrou)neopera)ons
andlargertasks?Whicharetypicallymoreimpromptuandvariable?
Whatissuescanariseduetorepresenta)onaldiscoordina)ons?Couldthese
Ashumanbeings,weareskilledatmakinguseofandconstruc)ngtheworldaround
ustoenhanceourabilitytoperformcomplexmentalac)vi)es(A).Usingtheseskills,
knowledgeworkersokencometounderstandhowdierenttypesofinforma)on
representa)onsttogether(B1,F1),providingopportuni)estoreduceeort(E)
andaZen)onaldemands(D)intheirwork.
Whilepeoplemustthemselvesmakecoordina)onsausefulrealityintheirownprac
)ces(A6,A7,A8),productteamscanenvisionhowtheirinterac)veapplica)onsmight
promotespecicthreadsofmeaningfulrepresenta)onalconnec)on.Thesecoordina
)onscantransformworkbymodifyingorremovingspecicmentaltransforma)ons
(D2),changingthenatureof,orpoten)allyelimina)ng,en)reopera)onsorlarger
tasks.Inaddi)ontoreducingindividualsworkloadsinvaluableways,clearrepresen
ta)onalcoordina)onscanalsoenhancecommunica)onandcollabora)on(C7,G4,
J2).Akerextensiveuse,workersmaybecomesoaccustomedtocertainfacetsbeing
coordinatedthattheserela)onshipsmayfadefromthought,evenasvaluablelinkages
arefrequentlyexploited(D4,D7).
71
Whichexis)ngcoordina)onswillprobablynotbenecessaryinthecontextofyour
compu)ngtool?Whichmightbecomemoreimportant?

"

Howmightyourteamincorporatethevaluableintentsbehindexis)ngcoordina)ons
intoyoursketchedapplica)onconcepts?Whatcharacteris)csofearlierrepresenta
)onalformsandinterac)onscouldbemeaningfullypreservedinyourproduct?
Whatnewcoordina)onsmightyouenvisiontoooadeortandclarifyrela)on
shipsinthecontextofyoursketchedfunc)onalityoerings?
Whatinterac)onandvisualdesignresponsescoulddrawaZen)ontoandperceptu
allyenhancecertaincoordina)ons?
Howmightyourapplica)onconceptspresentbydesignlayoutconsistenciesthat
userscouldintui)velyactwithin,ratherthanhavingtoconsciouslyexpendeort
inordertoaligncertainrepresenta)onalfacets?

"

#

Howmightworkerscreatetheirownrepresenta)onalcoordia)onsbyrearranging
orreclassifyinginforma)onwithinyourapplica)onconcepts?
Howcouldtheoutputsofyourteamscompu)ngtoolretainusefulalignmentswith
onscreeninstan)a)onsofthesamestoredcontent?
Howmightrepresenta)onalcoordina)onsplayaroleintargetedworkerscoopera
)on,collabora)on,andcommunica)onprac)ces?
F2. Established Genres of Information Representation

Knowledge workers reuse established representational formats
to create new meaning in a shared interpretive context and
to valuably define boundaries for their efforts. Product teams
can envision concepts for how these existing genres could
be recreated, reinterpreted, and usefully extended in their
interactive applications.
AnancialtraderokensaysthatheknowstradeformsbeZerthanheknowshis
ownname.Hehasusedvariousformsatthedierentrmswherehehasworked,
thoughallofthemhavehadthesameessen)alorganiza)onandformat
(seeillustra(on).
Anarchitectusesherbuildingmodelingapplica)ontogeneratethetypesofdraw
ingsthataretradi)onallyexpectedasarchitecturaloutputs.Whilesheusedtolabor
overtheplansthemselves,herteamnowspendsmore)mefocusingondierent
viewsofacomprehensivevirtualmodel,fromwhichdrawingscanbegenerated.
Ascien)stviewsthegene)cexpressiondatafromalargeseriesofclinicalexperi
mentsinheranalysisapplica)on.Thedataisdisplayedinaheatplot,whichshe
isveryfamiliarwithakerhavingseensimilarvisualsinresearchpublica)ons.
Knowledgeworkerscanbecomehighlyskilledatmakinguseofinforma)onrepresenta
)onsthathavebecomestandardswithintheirownprac)ces,theirorganiza)ons,and
theirlargerprofessions(A,B1).Whiletheevolu)onofsomerepresenta)onalgenres
canhavefairlylonghistoricaltrajectories,otherestablishedformatsmayhavebeen
rela)velyxedandunwaveringsincetheyrstappearedinworkerseorts.Theterm
genreitselfimpliesacertainvaguenessinpar)culars,andnamedtypesofinforma)on
representa)onmayholddiversevaria)onsthatworkersrecognizeashaving
afamilialsameness.
What central and long standing representational genres do

knowledge workers commonly recreate, derive meaning from,
and collaborate around as part of targeted work practices?
How might your team incorporate and advance these valued
formats within your application concepts?

forknowledgework:
Howhaveestablishedgenresofrepresenta)onevolvedover)meinthetasks
andlargerac)vi)esthatyourteamisstrivingtomediate?
Financial
Trader
How,specically,dopeopleusetheseknownrepresenta)ons?Howdodened
formatsscopeandshapeworkerseorts?
Whatdotargetedindividualsandtheirorganiza)onsthinkoftheirstandard
informa)ondesigns?Whatbenetsarethesegenresseenasproviding?
Dotargetedworkersviewestablishedformatsasessen)allyimmutableorarethey
opentoextendingthembasedonemergentneedsanddesignpossibili)es?

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Whaterrorsandmisinterpreta)onscancommonlybetracedbacktothe
characteris)csofestablishedrepresenta)ons?Couldtheseproblemspresent
opportuni)esforyourteamsproduct?
'

Howmighttheonscreenrepresenta)onsofyourenvisionedinterac)onobjects
directlyreferenceanyestablishedinforma)onar)factsthatyouhavederived
themfrom?
!

Howcouldpreservingexis)nginforma)ondesignshelpworkersapplytheirexis)ng
skillsanddecreasetheirlearningeortsduringtheadop)onofanewproduct?
Wheremightachangeinformatprovidesucientvaluetojus)fyaddi)onaleort
onthepartofusers?
Whichexis)ngrepresenta)onalgenrescouldbetranslatedintoyoursketched
applica)onconceptsfairlydirectly?Whichmightrequireextensionormodica)on
inordertoeec)velymakethetransi)onintoyourcompu)ngtool?
Productteamscanenvisionfunc)onalityconceptsthatusefullyincorporateextant
representa)onalformats.Theseestablishedgenrescanbeextendedwithincompu)ng
toolstosupportknownvaria)onsinworkersgoalsandapproaches(A6,A7,A8),new
coordina)onswithotherrepresenta)ons(F1),explora)onofpoten)aloutcomes(H),
integralcommunica)on(J1)andcollabora)on(C7,G4,J4),andlongterm,
organiza)onalmemory(E1,I7).
Whenproductteamsdonotsucientlyconsiderthepoten)alimportanceofestab
lishedgenresofinforma)onrepresenta)onintheirapplica)onconcepts,knowledge
workersmaynotrecognizeresul)ngoeringsasbeingrelevantfortheirowngoals,
methods,androles(K3,L3).Unconsideredrerepresenta)onoffamiliarcontentmay
leadtoacertaintypeofdeskilling(E6).Withoutfamiliardisplaysofcommonlyrefer
encedinforma)onobjects,usersmayndcompu)ngtoolstobeexcessivelyeortul
tolearnanduse(D2,D3,K2,K6).
Conversely,thetendencyfordirect,literaltransla)onofestablishedoinegenrescan
preventproductteamsfromconsideringhownovelonscreenextensionsoralternate
representa)onsofcontent(F3,F11)mightbeZermeetworkersgoals.
Seealso:B3,E,F,G2,I,J2,L
72

*

+

+

Howmightyourteamsadapta)onsofcommonrepresenta)onalgenresprovide
userswithnewopportuni)esforusefulcoordina)ons,viewtransforma)ons,
interac)veexplora)ons,integralcommunica)on,onscreencollabora)on,and
organiza)onalmemory?
Howmightcertaininterac)onswithknowndisplaysofmeaningfulcontentpromote
emo)onalresponsesthatareconducivetoaZen)ve,focusedthinking?
Howmightexis)nggenresserveasaninspira)onalreferenceforenvisioningother,
seeminglyunrelatedfunc)onalityconcepts?
Whatimpactmightthereuseofknownrepresenta)onshaveondesignstrategyand
brand?Whatcoulditmean,inabiggerpicturesense,toconserva)velyadvance
knowledgeworkinyourtargetedmarkets?
F3. Novel Information Representations

Interactive applications can aggregate and display stored data
in new ways that are highly useful and meaningful in knowledge
work. Within their broader ideas about the advancement of
targeted work practices, product teams can identify and explore
potential opportunities for new representations of information.

Anarchitectusesaspecialviewinherbuildingmodelingapplica)ontoseewhat
changeshavebeenmadetoaprojectover)me.Theviewcolorsregionsofthe
buildingmodelbasedonhowfrequentlytheyhavebeenmodied.Italsoprovides
a)melinesliderthatallowshertonavigatethroughdierentversionsofthedesign
(seeillustra(on).
Ascien)stndsthatheranalysisapplica)onincludesbothrepresenta)onsthatare
commontoherclinicalresearcheldandinteres)ngnewvisualiza)onsthatsheis
notfamiliarwith.Akerllingthenewrepresenta)onswithrecentdatafromher
lab,sheimmediatelyseestheirrelevancetoherwork.
Anancialtraderusesanewinterac)vegraphicinhismarketinforma)onapplica
)ontoviewadvancinganddecliningmarketsectors.
Adop)ngcompu)ngintoanac)vityokenmeansmakingsenseofnewformsofvisual
informa)on.Someestablishedrepresenta)onalneeds(F2)maybebeZermetbyin
forma)onformatsthataremoresuitabletoonscreendisplay.Exis)ngrepresenta)onal
genresmaynotscaletoadequatelypresentthevolumesofcontentthatcanarisewhen
media)ngworkwithonscreenapplica)ons(F4,I).Beyondthesedrivers,theintroduc
)onofcompu)ngpowerintoworkcanitselfopenuppossibili)esformeaningfulinno
va)onthroughtheautomatedgenera)onofcomplexrepresenta)onalforms(E3,E4).
Productteamscanenvisioninnova)verepresenta)onsthataretailoredtopeoples
mo)va)onsinspecictasksorlargerac)vi)es.Commonlyusedrepresenta)onscan
bemadenovelthroughusefulextensionsandmodica)ons,poten)allyforthesakeof
clearercoordina)onwithotherdataviews(F1).Teamscanalsointroducenovelrepre
senta)onsfromotherdomainsbymakinglateraljumpstotangen)allyrelatedgenres
basedonsimilari)esinpurpose,contents,andusage(A,F11).
Seealso:C3,F,G2,H,L5,K5,K7,M4
How might any deficiencies in current information representations suggest opportunities for representing application content
in new ways? What compelling opportunities for representational redesign can be found in your teams sketched functionality concepts? What might these new displays look like, and how
could they provide sufficient value to justify knowledge workers
learning to use them?
forknowledgework:
Architect
Whatexis)nginforma)onrepresenta)onscurrentlyleadtobreakdownsinthe
workprac)cesthatyourteamisstrivingtomediate?Couldtheseproblemspresent
Whichestablishedrepresenta)onsmaynottranslatewellintoyourapplica)on
conceptsor,moregenerally,acomputerscreen?

Whichnovelworksitua)onswithinyoursketchedfunc)onalityconceptscouldbe
madeclearer,lesseortul,lesspronetoerror,andotherwisemoreeec)vewith
newrepresenta)onalformats?
Howmighttheaggrega)onoflargevolumesofapplica)oncontentsuggest
opportuni)esfornewrepresenta)onalcontainersthataretailoredtomeet
unaddressed,okenhigherlevel,goals?
informa)oninyourapplica)onconceptscouldbevaluablyrepresented?
Whatinnova)verepresenta)onsofdata,whetherradicallyredesignedoren)rely
novel,mightyourteamsketchasvaluableaddi)onstotargetedworkprac)ces?

Basedonyourunderstandingofworkersgoals,theircurrentusageof
representa)ons,andotherfactors,whatanalogousdisplaysfromotherdomains
couldbeapplicabletoyourenvisionedcompu)ngtool?
Howmightnewformsofrepresenta)onbeusefullyandmeaningfullycoordinated
withotherinforma)oninyourapplica)onconcepts?
Howmightcertaininterac)onswithnoveldisplayspromoteemo)onalresponses
thatareconducivetoaZen)ve,focusedthinking?
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderthepoten)alroleofnovelinforma)on
representa)onswithintheirconceptsforworkmedia)on,opportuni)estoreduceor
desirablytransformcogni)veeort(E),aswellaspromotenewtypesofgoaloriented
understanding,canbelost.
Conversely,establishedgenresofinforma)onrepresenta)onshouldokenberespected
astheformatsthatknowledgeworkersbelievetobethemostappropriateforac
complishingtheirgoals(K3,K12).Professionalshaveokendevelopedextensiveskills
aroundtheuseofexis)ngrepresenta)ons(D7,K6),whichmaypreventthemfrom
seeingvalueinnewapproaches(K2).Withoutacorrespondingunderstandingoftheir
advantagesandinterpreta)on,peoplemayperceivenovelinforma)ondisplaysasbeing
arbitraryandmisguided.
73
Whataretargetedworkersini)alimpressionsofyourteamssketchesofnovel
informa)onrepresenta)ons?Howmighttheirpercep)onschangeakermore
thoroughconsidera)onandinterac)on?

!

Howcouldyourcompu)ngtoolintroduceandframethevalueofitsnovel
representa)ons?Whatinstruc)onandini)alscaoldingmightbeuseful?
Whatimpactmighttheinclusionofnewinforma)onrepresenta)onshaveondesign
strategyandbrand?Whatcoulditmean,inabiggerpicturesense,todisrup)vely
advanceknowledgeworkinyourtargetedmarkets?
F4. Support for Visualization at Different Levels

Computing tools can aggregate volumes of content that may
be unprecedented within a knowledge work domain. Product
teams can envision functionality concepts that could allow
workers to visualize aggregated information at different levels
of granularity from valuable, goal oriented perspectives.
How might the storage of large volumes of information in your

teams application concepts provide opportunities for innovative
interactions and insights in targeted knowledge work?
What types of information representation could make sense
at different levels of content aggregation? How might these
scaling perspectives be usefully interlinked in support of
certain analytical goals?

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Ascien)stnavigatesthroughdierentviewsofclinicaldatainheranalysisappli
ca)on,narrowinginonareasthatshowinteres)ngtrends.Assheselectscertain
subsetsofdata,shechangesthetoolsviewtoemployspecializedvisualiza)ons
fordetailedinspec)onofsmallerresultsets(seeillustra(on).
forknowledgework:
Clinical
Scientist
Anancialtraderuseshismarketinforma)onapplica)ontoreviewrecentmove
mentsinarangeofmarketsectors.Heselectsahighvolumesectorwhereadvances
leddeclines,andthevisualiza)onzoomsinontheselectedareatodisplayits
subsectors,alongwiththeirindividualdirec)onali)es.
Anarchitectisusingherbuildingmodelingapplica)ontoreviewacolleaguesproj
ect.Sheviewstheen)rebuilding,renderedasifitactuallyexistedonitslargesite,
thenzoomsintothefrontentryspace,op)ngtoviewonlyconstruc)onnotesover
unrenderedwireframes.
Manyestablishedgenresofrepresenta)oninknowledgeworkareessen)allyabout
anindividualworkitemorsomethingthatworkersthinkofasadis)ncttypeofar)fact
(B1,F2).Alongsidethesegroundlevelviews,someworkersmaybeaccustomedto
usingrepresenta)onsthatusefullydisplaycontentaboutanumberofitemssimultane
ously(I1,I5).Computergeneratedinforma)onrepresenta)onscantakethiseleva)on
ofscopeconsiderablyfurther,presen)nghighlevelviewsfromthecloudslooking
meaningfullydownatdierentaggrega)onsofgroundlevelinforma)on.
Productteamscanenvisionnovel,interconnectedseriesofrepresenta)onsatscaling
levelsofdataconcentra)on.Theseseriesmayprovidecompellingsupportforexis)ng
taskprocesses,orpresentnewtoolsinsupportofindividualsandorganiza)onslarger
goals.Interac)onswithhierarchicallevelsofinforma)onrepresenta)oncanfacilitate
exploratoryinforma)onseeking(A6,G5),promotenewtypesofunderstanding,and
facilitatenewapproachestoanaly)calthinking.Novellevelsofinforma)onaggrega)on
(F3)canbetailoredtosupportrelevantproblemsolvingapproaches(A)andtoprovide
clearpathwaystosubsequentac)ons(C4).
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderthepoten)alroleofmul)plelevelsof
contentvisualiza)onintheirapplica)onconcepts,opportuni)estoprovideinnova)ve
newsourcesofvaluecanbelost(A9).
Conversely,insomedomains,knowledgeworkrevolvesarounden)relydiscreteitems
inclearlyar)culatedprocesses(A4,C6).Inthesecases,individualsandorganiza)ons
maynotperceivehigherlevelvisualiza)onsasbeingespeciallyvaluableaddi)onsto
theireorts(D1,D4).
Seealso:C3,E2,F,G2,H,I,K2,K6,L
74
&'

!

Wheremightvolumesofstoreddataoverloadtherepresenta)onsthatpeople
currentlyuseintheworkprac)cesthatyourteamisstrivingtomediate?
Whymighttargetedindividualsandorganiza)onswanttovisualizeinforma)onat
dierentlevelsofaggrega)on?Whatproblemscouldscalinglevelsofinforma)on
representa)onsolve?
Howmightnewlevelsofinforma)ondisplaymeetunaddressedgoalsintargeted
tasksorlargerac)vi)es?Whataspectsofthesenewdisplayscouldooadeort
orenhancecertainlinesofanaly)calthoughtandexplora)vesensemaking?
Basedonyourteamsunderstandingofworkersgoals,theircurrentusageofrepre
senta)ons,andotherfactors,whatanalogousdisplaysfromotherdomainscould
beapplicabletoyourenvisioneddirec)onsforscalingdatavisualiza)ons?
informa)oninyourapplica)onconceptscouldbevaluablyrepresentedand
navigatedatdierentlevelsofconcentra)on?

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Whatnovelconceptsmightyourteamsketchforhighervolumeinforma)onrepre
senta)onsthataretailoredtotargetedknowledgeworkgoals?
Howcouldworkersusefullynavigatethroughconnec)onsbetweendierentlevels
orrepresentedinforma)on?Whatmeaningfulframeworksandinterac)vetransi
)onsmightyourteamenvisiontoclarifytherela)onshipsbetweenrepresenta)onal
strata?
Howcouldyourcompu)ngtoolintroduceandframethevalueofnewsystemsof
interrelateddisplays?Whatinstruc)onandini)alscaoldingmightbeusefulwhile
individualsarelearningtousethesenewrepresenta)ons?
Howmightyourteamsideasaboutsuppor)ngvisualiza)onatdierentlevelsrelate
informa)on?
Whatimpactmighttheinclusionofnewvisualiza)onapproacheshaveondesign
strategyandbrand?Whatcoulditmean,inabiggerpicturesense,todisrup)vely
advanceknowledgeworkinyourtargetedmarkets?
F5. Comparative Representations

Knowledge work can involve standard comparisons, based on
known and meaningful criteria, between work artifacts. Product
teams can envision functionality concepts that automate certain
comparisons between interaction objects and display resulting
outcomes in representations that highlight any distinctions that
are pertinent to workers goals.
75
What comparisons do targeted knowledge workers frequently

make in the work practices that your team is striving to mediate? What specialized information representations could allow
workers to accomplish valuable comparisons by quickly interpreting emphasized distinctions between selected interaction
objects?

"

Anancialtraderchoosesanop)oninhistradingapplica)ontocompareallavail
ableoersforapar)cularsecurity.Aspecialvisualiza)onhighlightsthedierences
betweensixoersthatarecurrentlyavailable,visuallyemphasizingthemostimpor
tantcharacteris)csandthemagnitudeoftheirdiscrepancies(seeillustra(on).
Ascien)stselectstwocategoriesofclinicaldatainheranalysisapplica)onsothat
shecanviewasummaryofdierencesbetweenthem.Theapplica)onpresents
herwithavisualiza)onthatgraphicallyillustrateskeydis)nc)onsinthedataacross
severalvariables.
Anarchitectusesafeatureinherbuildingmodelingapplica)ontocomparetwo
savedversionsofapar)cularoorplaninahospitalproposal.Theresul)ngviewis
acompositethatassignseachversionacolorandremovesallfeaturesthatarepre
ciselyshared.Onlythedierencesremainsalient,inbrightcolorsthatcalloutwhich
versionofthemodelisthesourceofeachdiscrepancy.
Knowledgeworkersokenmakecomparisonsmanually,withoutspecializedrepresenta
)onsforthetask,byplacingmul)pleprintouts(J7),onscreenwindows,orotherar)
factswithintheirvisualeldandscanningper)nentfeatures(B1,G5).Insomecases,
individualsandorganiza)onsmaydenestandardinforma)ondisplaysthatcrystallize
andboundcertaincompara)vetasks(F2).
Interac)veapplica)onscanexcelatautoma)ngcomparisons(E3,E4)anddisplaying
resul)ngoutputsinrepresenta)onalformatsthatcalloutmeaningfuldis)nc)onsin
informa)veways(A).
Toenvisiondisplaysthatmakecompara)veconclusionsclear(C4,G1,F10),product
teamscanexploreconceptsforadap)ngestablishedrepresenta)onsalreadyusedwith
intargetedworkprac)ces.Teamscanalsoideatearoundworkersconcretecomparison
needsinordertogenerateconceptsformorenovelrepresenta)ons(F3,K6).Depend
ingonthebasesofcomparison(B6)andhowstandardindividualsdecisionmaking
criteriaare(A4,A8,C8,F6),eec)vecompara)verepresenta)onsmaybecategorically
dierentfromhowtheobjectsundercomparisonaretypicallydisplayed(F8).
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderthepoten)alroleofcompara)verep
resenta)onsintheirapplica)onconcepts,opportuni)estoimprovecertaintypesof
decisionmakingandreduceoreliminatetedious,repe))veopera)onscanbelost.
Peoplemayndtheexac)ngnatureofmanuallycomparingapplica)oncontenttobe
excessivelyeortul(D2,D3,K2)anderrorprone(C9,G3),increasingtheirshortterm
memoryburdens(E2)andreducing)mespentontheirhigherordergoals.
Seealso:B3,E,F,G6,I,J6,K4,K5,L
forknowledgework:
Whattypesofinforma)onar)factsdotargetedindividualsfrequentlycompare?
Financial
Trader
Whataresomecommonbasesofcomparison?Whichcanbeespeciallyimportant
intargetedopera)ons,tasks,andlargerac)vi)es?
Whichcomparisonsarecurrentlyaccomplishedmanually,byworkersplacing
mul)pleinforma)onrepresenta)onsintheirvisualelds,switchingbackandforth
betweenscreens,orotheradhocmethods?

!
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Whatcompara)verepresenta)onsdoworkerscurrentlyuseintheirestablished
prac)ces?Whatvaluedotheseformatsprovide?
Whatmemoryeortsandcogni)veloadareinvolvedinpar)culartypesof
comparisons?Aretheseactsrela)velyeasytoaccomplish,ordotheypresent
burdensthatcouldbevaluablyreducedbyyourteamsproduct?
Wheremightautomatedcomparisonsofapplica)oncontentprovidevaluablenew
supportforanaly)caljudgmentsandexplora)vesensemakingintargetedwork
prac)ces?
howinforma)oninyourapplica)onconceptscouldbecompara)velydisplayed?

!

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"

"

Whatimprovementsandextensionsmightyouenvisionforexis)ngcompara)ve
representa)onsaspartofincorpora)ngthemintoyourapplica)onconcepts?
Whatnovelcompara)vedisplaysmightyourteamsketch,basedonyour
understandingofworkersgoalsandcurrentprac)ces?
Howcouldyourcompu)ngtoolintroduceandframethevalueofnovelcompara)ve
representa)ons?Whatinstruc)onandini)alscaoldingmightbeusefulwhile
individualsarelearningtousethesenewdisplays?
F6. Instrumental Results Representations

For knowledge work processes where the desired user experience is highly automated, push button simplicity, product
teams can envision distilled representations of resulting
information outputs that could facilitate rapid judgments
within targeted work practices.
Ascien)stusesheranalysisapplica)ontotestwhetheranyofthesubjectsinher
clinicalstudy,basedonasubsetoftheiruploadedgene)cinforma)on,haveapre
disposi)onforcertainwellcharacterizedcondi)ons.Sheissurprisedbyhoweasy
thistestistorunandhowconciselytheresultsaredisplayed(seeillustra(on).
Anarchitectrunsatestinherbuildingmodelingapplica)ontosimulatehowlight
willpassthroughwindowsintoabuildingsinterioroverthecourseofaday.Almost
immediately,thetoolhighlightsareasofthemodelsoorplanthatdonotreceive
athresholdvalueofnaturallight.
Anancialtraderseesaglitchinhistradingapplica)onandchoosestotestthe
connec)onbetweenhistoolandaninforma)onvendor.Thetestautoma)cally
progressesthroughaseriesofchecks,thendisplaysaconclusivepassingresult.
Ascertainprocessesbecomestandardizedandincreasinglyautomated(E3,E4)in
knowledgework,individualsmaybegintoexpectthera)onalityofwhatDavisBaird
hascalledinstrumentalobjec)vity.Intheseuserexperiences,whicharecommonin
matureconsumerproductgenres,certaintasksorevenen)reac)vi)es(A5)thatwere
previouslyeortulandrequiredspecializedskillsbecomestreamlined(A4)toafew
simpleinput(B1,B3)andoutputsteps(L1).
Asasideeectofautoma)oninaninstrumentalobjec)vitystyle,workersconcep
tualmodelsofunderlyingprocessesmaybecomeuncri)cal,limited,orevendistorted
(C1,D4,K7).Theselossesinunderstandingmaybeviewedasaposi)veimpact,asan
acceptabletrend,orasaclearproblembycertainindividuals,communi)esofprac)ce,
organiza)ons,andprofessionsatlarge.
Withthesepoten)aleectsinmind,productteamscanenvisionhowautomatedsce
nariosintheirsketchedfunc)onalityconceptscouldresultininforma)onrepresenta
)onsthatprovideuserstheanswersthattheyareseeking,embeddedwithinrelevant
context.Thesera)onalizedoutputscanalsoclarifypoten)alnextsteps(B5,B6)by
presen)ngpathwayop)onswithinthelargernarra)veofworkersac)vi)es(C4,G1).
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderthepoten)alroleofinstrumentalresults
representa)onsintheirapplica)onconcepts,opportuni)estocreatemeaningful
innova)onsinsummarizedinforma)ondisplaycanbelost.Whenworkersexpect
thesehighlyconciseanddirec)veoutputs,anythingelsemayseemunnecessarily
complicated(D2,D3)anddiculttolearn(K2,K6).
Conversely,insomecases,dis)lledrepresenta)onsofautoma)onresultscaninappro
priatelyoversimplifyworkoutcomesinmisleadingways,especiallywhenfunc)onality
toviewmoredetailed,underlyinginforma)onisnotprovided(E5,F4,G3,K5).
Seealso:A,C9,D6,E,F,I,J,K4,K12
76
Which of the knowledge work tasks or larger activities that

your team is striving to mediate could be valuably supported
by automations that result in easy to interpret, instrumental
outputs? How might these results be distilled into meaningful
representations of clearly actionable information?

!

!

forknowledgework:
Whatdotargetedindividualsandorganiza)onsthinkaboutthesimplica)onof
certainworkprac)cesintoinstrumentalinputsandoutputs?
Clinical
Scientist
Whattypesofinstrumentalresultsrepresenta)onsdoknowledgeworkerscurrently
use?
Whichexis)ngtaskshaveconven)onallybecomesoautomatedthateven
experiencedworkershavenearlyforgoZenhowtheycouldbeaccomplished
withouttheircurrenttechnologicalsupport?
#

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!

Whataretargetedworkersexpecta)onsaboutpushbuZonsimplicityinthe
ac)vitycontextsthatyourteamistarge)ng?
Whereinyourteamsapplica)onconceptsmightyouvaluablycul)vatethissort
ofhighlytrustedooadinginnewscenarios?Whatstandardandtediouswork
prac)cescouldbeautomatedtoanextentwherepeoplemaynotneedtomonitor
orcomprehendtheirinnerworkings?
Wheremightthiskindofsimplicitybecomeanunwantedbarriertoworkersbeing
abletousetheirownanaly)cal,sensemaking,andproceduralskillsinnegrained
ways?
Whatlargerdesignandtechnologytrendscouldinuenceyourteamsideas
abouthowoutputcontentinyourapplica)onconceptscouldbeinstrumentally
represented?

!

Whatanalogousrepresenta)onalconven)onsmightyoureference,orapply
directlyaspaZerns,toyourenvisionedoutputdisplays?Howmighttheseanalogies
enhanceusersintui)veunderstandingofcertainreadouts?
Whatstandardoutputstatesmightyoursketchedautoma)onconceptsresultin?
Howcouldthesestatesdriveappropriatevaria)onsinrepresenta)onalresponses,
aswellastheclearpresenta)onofrelevantpathwaysforsubsequentac)ons?

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Howmightinstrumentalresultsdisplayssurfaceambigui)esanderrorsinthe
execu)onofrulebasedprocessing?Howcouldtheserepresenta)onsreference
yourlargerstandardsforerrorpreven)onandhandling?
?
F7. Highly Functional Tables

Tabular representations are pervasive in knowledge work.
Based on an understanding of how various tables in an
application concept might be used, product teams can envision
functionalities to powerfully transform and extend gridded
content to meet certain goals and analytical conditions.
77

Anancialtradertypicallyhasseveralofhistradingapplica)onstablesopenonhis
screensatthesame)me,displayingavailableassets,oers,bookeddeals,tradebal
ances,andothermeaningfulcategoriesofinforma)on.Whilemakingtradingdeci
sions,heokensearchesandmanipulatesthesetabularviewstolocateandexamine
specicinforma)on(seeillustra(on).
Anarchitectusestablesinherbuildingmodelingapplica)onasalternateorcomple
mentaryviewstothe3Dbuildingforminaprojectsle.Shendsthatthesetables
areokenusefulwhensheislookingfornamedobjectsinadesignthatshecannot
remembertheloca)onofspa)ally.
Ascien)stfrequentlyusestablesinheranalysisapplica)oninconjunc)onwith
graphicalvisualiza)onsofclinicaldata.WhenshehasspoZedaninteres)ngtrend
inaninterac)vegraph,thecomplementarytablescontainthedetailedinforma)on
thatsheneedsinordertomakesenseofspecicresultsfromavarietyofexac)ng
perspec)ves.
forknowledgework:
Financial
Trader

Whenknowledgeworkersareaccustomedtousingpowerfultablefunc)onsinother
applica)ons,suchasspreadsheetproducts,theymaydevelophighexpecta)onsof
griddeddisplaysintheirothercompu)ngtools.Insomecases,extensivetablerequire
mentscanbesucientlymetthroughlightweightinteroperabilitywithotherproducts
(K8)ortheabilitytoexportselectedsetsoftabulardata(K9).
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsidertheappropriateleveloffunc)onalityfor
varioustableswithintheirapplica)onconcepts,resul)ngproductsmaypresentknowl
edgeworkerswithinconsistentandunderdevelopedop)onsrela)vetotheirneedsand
expecta)ons.Whenusershavetoextensivelyscanthroughrowsandcolumns(D2,D3),
theymayoverlookimportantinforma)onandincorporatelessrelevantcontentinto
theirworkoutcomes(G3,K5,L1).
Seealso:B5,B6,C3,C4,C8,G2,G5,F,H,J4,J5
Howaretablescurrentlyusedintheworkprac)cesthatyourteamisstrivingto
mediate?Mightothertypesofinforma)onrepresenta)onsupportthesegoals
moreeec)vely?
Whatexpecta)onsfortablefunc)onali)eshavetargetedindividualsdeveloped
fromusingotherinterac)veapplica)ons?Whatstandardorunusualtableop)ons
dotheyvalueintheircompu)ngtools?
Whatopportuni)esfortabularrepresenta)onareinherentinyourteamssketched
func)onalityconcepts?Howmightthesetablesbesupplementedwithalternate
viewsofthesameapplica)oncontent?
Whatdesignop)onsmightyouenvisionwiththegoalofmakingyourproducts
tablesmorethanjustatlistsofdata?Howmighttheinterac)veandcontextual
appearanceofcertainvisualcuescallaZen)ontoimportantlineitems?
Tables,oneoftheoldestformsofinforma)onrepresenta)on,areacrucialfocusin
manyknowledgeworkdomains.Withininterac)veapplica)ons,tablescanbecome
highlydynamicandtransformabledisplaysofcontent(E3,F8,I6).
Productteamscanenvisionsystemicapproachesfortablefunc)onali)esacrosstheir
sketchedideasforworkmedia)on.Forexample,teamscandenecategoriesoftables
withintheirapplica)onconceptsandthenconsidertheleveloffunc)onalcomplexity
neededforeachcategory.Classica)onoftablescanbedrivenbythevolumeofdata
thattheywilllikelycontain(I)andthespecicsofhowtheyareindentedtobeusedin
workersprac)ces(A).Usefulfunc)onalresponsesfortabularviewscanincludecom
prehensivesearch(I2),reorganiza)onandcustomiza)on(I1,C8),lteringandsor)ng
(I3),searchprogramming(K11),prin)ng(J7),anddirectdataentryinterac)ons(B2).
How might your team categorize tables across your sketched

functionality concepts based on the volume of their potential
contents and their associated goals in targeted knowledge
work? What types of interactive offerings could be usefully
and consistently applied to different categories of tables? How
might other representations coordinate with gridded views as
part of certain operations and larger tasks?
Whatfunc)onalop)onscouldbevaluablefordierentcategoriesoftableswithin
yourapplica)onconcepts?Howmightcertainop)onssupportworkersinforma)on
seeking,contentorganizing,andsensemakinggoals?

Whichgridsinyourteamsenvisionedfunc)onalareascouldbecomeafrequent
focusofworkersaZen)onsandac)vi)es?Howmightmoreextensivefunc)onality,
suchasspecializedsearching,ltering,andsor)ngop)ons,providevalueinthese
centraltables?
Whichlistsinyoursketchedapplica)ondirec)ons,bycontrast,couldbenetfrom
thesimplicityofverylimitedfunc)onality?
Wheremightinterac)onrequirementsbeextensiveenoughtosuggestthatworkers
prac)cescouldbebeZersupportedthroughclearanddirecttransferofcontentto
asupplementary,featurerichcompu)ngtool,suchasaspreadsheet?

Howmightyourteamsideasabouthighlyfunc)onaltablesrelatetoyourother
designresponsesforsuppor)ngworkinthecontextofvolumesofinforma)on?
F8. Representational Transformations

Knowledge workers may use a single information representation as part of accomplishing very different work practices.
To support differing needs from a single information display,
product teams can envision functionality concepts that could
allow workers to meaningfully tailor how a representation
classifies and presents selected content.
78
Which of your teams sketched information representations

could be used in multiple work practices especially in
distinct information seeking and sense making efforts?
What functional options might allow targeted knowledge
workers to visually transform these representations in
support of certain characteristic or emergent needs?

"
"

Anarchitectlikesthatshecanchangethecontentsofviewsinherbuildingmodel
ingapplica)onbasedonwhathercurrentgoalshappentobe.Forexample,shecan
viewthe3Dmodelasafullcolor,renderedbuildingform,orastransparentwire
framegeometry.Shealsohasop)onstovisuallyhighlightdierentfeaturesofa
buildingsdesignthathavecertainiden))estaggedtothem,suchasven)la)on
orligh)ngsystems(seeillustra(on).
forknowledgework:
Inwhichseparatetasksorlargerac)vi)esdotargetedindividualsusethesame
informa)onrepresenta)ons?Howdotheseusagesvary?
Architect
Howmightdieringusesofasinglerepresenta)onsuggestopportuni)esfor
valuablytransformingittomeetimportantscenariosintargetedwork?
Anancialtraderwantstocloseoutthedaybyincreasinghistradingvolumewith
someofhisbestbusinessrela)onships.Hechoosesop)onsintheincomingoers
tableinhistradingapplica)onthatwillreducetheextremelylonglistofpoten)al
dealstoavisuallycategorizedsetofpromisingproposalsmadebyhispreferred
rms.
howinforma)ondisplaysinyourapplica)onconceptscouldbemanipulatedaround
diversegoalsandconstraints?
Ascien)stislookingforoutlierdataintheresultsofaclinicalstudy.Shechangesa
colorcodingschemeinheranalysisapplica)onsothatonlydatapointswithvery
highorverylowvaluesarehighlightedinadynamicvisualiza)on.
Howmightinterac)vetransi)onsbetweenyoursketchedviewtransforma)ons
promotecertaintypesofclarityandmeaning?Howcouldthesenaviga)onac)ons
drawperceptuallinkagesthatmayenhancecoordina)onsinuserseorts?
Knowledgeworkersmayadoptvaluedinforma)onrepresenta)onsintoavarietyofdif
ferentprac)ces(K),establishingorimprovising(A6,G5)approachestousingadisplayin
thecontextofdiversemo)va)onsandconstraints.Workersmayhavegonesofarasto
developsmallvariantsofokenusedrepresenta)onsinordertoadvancetheirapplica
bilityinpar)culartasksorlargerac)vi)es(A5,F,D4).
Atwhatpointmightatransformedinforma)onrepresenta)onbecomeanen)rely
dierentviewofapplica)oncontent,ratherthanadierenttakeonthesametype
ofdisplay?
Whatvisualchangesmightyourteamenvisiontousefullyhighlightvarioustypes
ofmeaningfuldierenceswithinasingledisplay?

#

" #
Whatdemographicandlocaliza)onrequirementsmightyourteamconsiderwhile
envisioningrepresenta)onaltransforma)ons?
Howmightcertaingoaldriven,interac)vedisplaychangespromoteemo)onal
responsesthatareconducivetoaZen)ve,focusedthinking?
Productteamscanenvisionfunc)onalityconceptsthatcouldallowworkerstovisually
reclassifyandreformatdisplaysofapplica)oncontentinordertobeZerhighlightcer
tainfeaturesininforma)onsets(B6,F3,J4).Bytakingadvantageofourinnatehuman
abilitytorecognizevisualpaZerns(F7),thesetransforma)onscansignicantlyreduce
theeortthatworkersneedtoexpend(E3,E4)inordertoaccomplishspecicinforma
)onseeking(I2,I3)andsensemakinggoals.
Itisworthno)ngthatsuppor)ngcertaintransforma)onsofinforma)ondisplaysdoes
notmeanremovingmeaningfuldefaultsforthem(C4).Teamscanbalanceno)onsof
representa)onalexibility(A9,C8,E6,M4)withrequirementsforini)allearnabilityand
ongoingusability(D7,K)inkeyscenarios.
Whencouldtransformedviewsbecomeindividualspreferredperspec)veson
applica)oncontent?Whatop)onscouldusefullyfacilitatecustomizabledefaults?
%% " #
% #
" !

$

Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhowsketchedrepresenta)onsintheir
applica)onconceptscouldbeappropriatelytransformedtomeetworkersvaryingori
enta)ons,opportuni)estoreduceeort(D2,D3)andpromotenewsourcesofclarity
canbelost.Resul)ngcompu)ngtoolsmaynotsucientlysupportexis)nglocalprac
)ces(A8).Perhapsmostimportantly,usersmaynotuncoverandincorporatevaluable
insightsintotheirworkoutputs(L1).
Seealso:A,C5,F,H,I,L

"
%

"
%$
!

%
"

Howmighttransforma)onofsharedrepresenta)onsleadtobreakdownsin
commongroundforcommunica)onandcollabora)on?
Howcouldyourcompu)ngtoolintroduceandframethevalueofcertainview
transforma)ons?Whatinstruc)onandini)alscaoldingmightbeusefulwhile
individualsarelearningtousethesenewdisplaymethods?
Howmightyourteamsideasaboutrepresenta)onaltransforma)onsrelateto
yourotherdesignresponsesforsuppor)ngworkinthecontextofvolumesof
informa)on?
F9. Simultaneous or Sequential Use of Representations

Knowledge workers may use more than one information
representation, of the same or different content, to accomplish
certain operations or larger tasks. To support workers
abilities to meaningfully act from the context of different data
perspectives, product teams can envision concepts that present
certain displays in parallel or allow for rapid switching between
related views.

!

Anancialtraderselectsasingleoerfromatableinhistradingapplica)on,then
optstoviewalargedisplayofhistoricalgraphsrelatedtotheoer.Sincethepro
poseddealdoesnotlookadvantageous,hemoveson.Tobrowsepoten)aldeals
moreeec)vely,hesetsuphisscreenstoviewtheapplica)onslargetableofoers
andsomerelatedgraphsatthesame)mesothathecanquicklyinves)gatehistori
caldataforeachproposalthatheselects(seeillustra(on).
Financial
Trader
79
How might close onscreen relationships between coordinated

displays of information provide value in the knowledge work
practices that your team is striving to mediate? What sequential
or simultaneous arrangements of content in your application
concepts could allow targeted workers to more easily see key
relationships or interact through them more directly?
forknowledgework:
Whattypesofinforma)onar)factsarecurrentlyusedinconjunc)onwitheach
otherintargetedtasksandlargerac)vi)es?
Whenandhowdoworkersusecoordinatedaspectsofthesear)factsinparallel
orinsequences?Whatvaluedotheseconnec)vi)esprovide?
Howmightyourteamusetheseunderstandingstoenvisionusefulpossibili)esfor
rela)onshipsbetweenviewsinyoursketchedapplica)ondirec)ons?
Anarchitectistaskedwithcheckingtheligh)ngmodica)onsthataconsultantjust
completed.Shesupplementsthemain3Dvisualiza)oninherbuildingmodeling
applica)onwithaoorplanthathighlightsallligh)ngelements,aswellasatable
thatlistsalloftheligh)ngxturesinthecurrentdesignandtheirlinkedproduct
specica)ons.
#
#

informa)onrepresenta)onscouldbedisplayedinconjunc)onwithoneanotherin
yourcompu)ngtool?
Ascien)stswitchesbetweendierentvisualiza)onsinheranalysisapplica)on,
someofwhichsherarelyuses,hopingtounexpectedlydiscoversomeinsightabout
asmallbutinteres)ngcollec)onofsampleswithinalargeclinicaldataset.

Howmightyourteamsideasfornoveldataviewsbeusedinconjunc)onwithmore
establishedrepresenta)onsofdomaincontent?
Someknowledgeworktasksorlargerac)vi)escanrequire,oratleastbenetfrom,the
useofmul)ple,coordinatedrepresenta)ons(A5,F1).Workersmayactonandthrough
anumberofdierenttypesofinforma)onatthesame)me,eachintheirowntailored
format.Addi)onally,peoplemayndvalueinviewingmul)pleperspec)vesonthe
samecontent,orthesametypeofcontent,poten)allyatdierentlevelsofdetail(F4).
Interac)veapplica)onscanfacilitaterepresenta)onaljuxtaposi)onsthatworkerscur
rentlyndvaluablewhileatthesame)meopeningupopportuni)estoquicklyview
informa)onfrommoreorienta)ons.Productteamscanenvisionapplica)onconcepts
thatcoulddynamicallydisplaymul)pleviewsofstoredcontentinmeaningfulcongura
)ons(E3,E4).Theycanalsosketchdefaultarrangementsandsequencesofinforma)on
displaysthatcouldsimplifycommonscenariosinworkersprac)ces(A4,K6).Where
addi)onalexibilitymaybeusefulorrequired(A9,F8),teamscanconsidercustomiza
)onop)onsfortailoringonscreenperspec)vesinsupportofspecicmo)va)onsand
constraints(A8,C8,E6,M4).
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhowknowledgeworkersmightsimulta
neouslyviewandtransi)onthroughmul)pleinforma)onrepresenta)ons,opportuni
)estopromotevaluablecoordina)ons,interac)oneciencies(C4,G2),andinsights
acrossviewscanbelost.Importantrepresenta)onsmaybecomeisolatedinlimi)ng
andxedframes,poten)allyleadingtouserfrustra)on(D2,D3,D4),increased
memoryburdens(E1,E2),andexcessprin)ng(J7).
Seealso:A,C,F,G5,H,I,J2
Howmightrelateddisplaysbemeaningfullysequenced?Whatdynamicpathways
couldlinkandbridgehigherlevelviewsofapplica)oncontentwithknownand
establishedlowerlevelviews?
#

#

Howmightinterac)vetransi)onsbetweenyoursketchedviewspromotecertain
typesofclarityandmeaning?Howcouldthesenaviga)onac)onsdrawperceptual
linkagesthatmayenhancecoordina)onsinuserseorts?
Whatimplica)onsmightyourideasaboutrela)ngvariousinforma)on
representa)onshaveontheoverarchingframeworksofyourapplica)onconcepts?
Atwhatpointmighttargetedindividualsperceivenewdisplayfunc)onali)esas
beingtoocomplexfortheirownworkprac)ces?Howmightyourapplica)on
conceptsretainarenedclarityandappropriatelevelsofsimplicity?
Howcouldyourcompu)ngtoolintroduceandframethevalueofmul)pleviewsof
applica)oncontent?Whatinstruc)onandini)alscaoldingmightbeusefulwhile
individualsarelearningtousethesenewdisplaypossibili)es?

"

Howmightyourteamsideasforsimultaneousandsequen)alrepresenta)onsrelate
informa)on?
F10. Symbolic Visual Languages

Symbology can be a central component of interactive applications, adding clarity and emotive style to representations of
onscreen objects, interactive options, information categories,
or messaging content. Product teams can envision symbolic
approaches for their application concepts that meaningfully
advance and extend known visual languages.
80
What symbolic conventions are currently used in the knowledge

work practices that your team is striving to mediate? While
referencing these existing languages and the conventional
iconographies of interactive applications, what new concepts
might your team envision to symbolically communicate
information and affordances in your application concepts?

Ascien)stnavigatesavisualiza)oninheranalysisapplica)onthatdisplaysthe
resultsofaclinicalstudyastheyrelatetoknownfunc)onalpathwaysofhuman
biology.Dierentelementsofthesebiologicalpathwaysarerepresentedas
specialized,interconnected,iconicsymbols,whichbecomehighlightedbasedon
theirrela)onshiptotheclinicaldatasetthatsheisinves)ga)ng(seeillustra(on).
Anarchitectappreciatesthathernewbuildingmodelingapplica)onincorporates
alargeselec)onofsymbolsthatareconven)onallyusedinarchitecturaldrawings,
alongwithsomepoten)allyusefulnewones.
Anancialtraderhascustomizedcertaintablesinhistradingapplica)ontoinclude
categoricaliconsbasedonarowscontents.Duringstressful)mesinthetrading
day,hevalueshowthesesmallcuesallowhimtoquicklyinterpretincoming
informa)onwithoutscanningmanyspecics.
forknowledgework:
Howaresymbolicvisuallanguagescurrentlybeingusedinthelargerprofessions
andindustriesthatyourteamistarge)ng?
Clinical
Scientist
Whatsymbologiesaretargetedindividualsfamiliarwithfrominterac)onswith
otherproductsandotherlifeexperiences?
Howmightyourteamusetheseknownconven)onsasastar)ngpointtoenvision
meaningfulandbrandedsymbolicvisuallanguagesinyourapplica)onconcepts?

yourideasabouthowsymbologycouldtakeshapeinyourcompu)ngtool?
Wherecouldsymbolicinforma)onrepresenta)onbeaneec)vemeansof
designcommunica)oninyourteamsfunc)onalityconceptsandinforma)on
representa)ons?Whatclarifyingandenhancingvaluecouldsymbolsprovidein
varioussitua)ons?
Symbolicvisuallanguagescanrangefromcolorcodingtoliteraliconography.These
languagescanservemanypurposes,bothwithinanapplica)onsoverallframework(C)
andembeddedwithinitsinforma)onrepresenta)ons.Iconicsymbolsareokenused
torepresentdierentvarie)esofinterac)onobjects,aswellasentrypointstovarious
interac)vepathways,asinaconven)onaltoolbarormenuofop)ons(C3,C4).Non
textual,symboliccuescanprovidevalueasindicatorsofcategory(B5,B6)orasa
methodofcommunica)ngsometypesofmessagingandinstruc)onalcontent
(K2,K7,C9,G3).
Whatinforma)onrichandrealestateconstrainedfunc)onalareascouldbenet
fromiconiccommunica)onofapplica)oncontent?Howmightperceptuallysalient
cuescalloutimportantinforma)on?
Wherecouldsymbolicrepresenta)onsimprovetheinterpreta)onofinstruc)ons
andtextualdescrip)ons?
Howmightyourrequirementsforlearnabilityinvariousfunc)onalareasinuence
yourdecisionsaboutwheretoapplymeaningfulsymboliccues?
Productteamscanenvisionapproachestosymboliclanguagethatarebuiltonboth
contemporaryconven)onsinapplica)ondesign(L2)andspecializedsymbolicsystems
thathaveevolvedwithintargetedknowledgeworkdomains(A1).Theseestablished
forms(F2)canbeincorporatedintoproductsessen)allyasis(K3)orcanserveasa
founda)onforfurtherconcep)ng(L3,L4)andstyling.
Howmightyourteamsdesignresponsesforsymboliclanguagesrelatetoyourideas
aboutillustra)vecontent?
Howmightyourteamenvisionthesymboliccommunica)oninyourapplica)on
conceptsasanoverallsystemthatisacomplementaryelementofalargeraesthe)c
direc)onandbrand?
Sincesharedinterpreta)onofabstractedsymbolsisokenanissue,especiallyacross
cultures(K1),supplementalinforma)onaboutsymboliccuesmaybenecessaryorat
leastrecommendable(F11,K5).Thissuppor)ngcontentmaybepersistentlyvisibleor
madeavailableupondemand,dependingonavarietyoffactors,includingpredicted
frequencyofuse.
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderthepoten)alroleofsymbolicvisual
languagesintheirapplica)onconcepts,opportuni)estoeec)velycommunicate
certaintypesofinforma)oncanbelost.Withoutthereduc)vevisualpowerofsymbolic
representa)on,knowledgeworkersmayndsomedisplaysinresul)ngapplica)onsto
bediculttoquicklyassessandsomehowuncompelling(D4).
Seealso:A,C8,D7,F,L
Whatarethedemographicsinyourtargetedmarkets?Howmightyourconceptsfor
symboliccontentbeinterpretedbydierentculturalaudiences?

!

"#

$
%

F11. Representational Codes and Context

Information representations may require supporting content in
order to be interpreted correctly by knowledge workers. Product
teams can envision how different representational forms in their
sketched application concepts could be clarified with useful
labels and keys, as well as descriptions of current data scope.
81
What explanatory content about abstract codes and data

contexts could help targeted knowledge workers to more
effectively learn and actively use certain representations?
How might supporting cues and information be contextually
presented or made interactively available in order to clarify
workers interpretive acts?
It is so easy to lose
track on the screen
of where I am in this
huge building
structure that my
team is working on...
Anarchitectsome)mesgetsconfusedwhilerapidlynaviga)ngthevirtualspaceof
herbuildingmodelingapplica)on.Sheokenturnsontheapplica)onsscaleindictor
andasmalloverviewmapofthebuildingmodel,bothofwhichhelphertoorient
herselfwithoutdevo)ngmuchofherconsciousaZen)ontowaynding
(seeillustra(on).
forknowledgework:
Whatsuppor)ngcontentdotargetedindividualscurrentlyreferencewhileusing
informa)onrepresenta)onsintheopera)onsandlargertasksthatyourteamis
strivingtomediate?
Architect
Anancialtraderlearninganewtradingapplica)onleavesareferencedialogopen
ononeofhismonitorssothathecanquicklyrefertoitslegendwheneverheis
unsureofasymbolsmeaning.
Howmightexis)nginterpre)vecuesandexplanatoryinforma)on,ortheir
underlyingintents,beincorporatedintoyourteamsfunc)onalityconcepts?
Whatadvancedanalogiestoothertypesofinforma)ondisplaymightyoudraw
uponwhenenvisioningusefulrepresenta)onalcodesandcontextsforyour
sketchedapplica)ondirec)ons?
Ascien)stneedsthevisualiza)onsinheranalysisapplica)ontoalwaysbeframed
bygraphicscales.Withoutthem,shendsiteasytojumptoincorrectconclusions
whilequicklyswitchingthroughdierentviewsofherlabsclinicaldata.
Whataddi)onalsuppor)ngconven)onscouldprovidevalueinthevaried
representa)onsthatyourteamhasenvisioned?Couldspecicdatadisplays
valuablyincludefurtherlabels,keys,orscopeindica)on?
Evenhighlyexperiencedknowledgeworkersmayndthatcertainrepresenta)onal
viewsarenotselfexplanatory,evenakerextendeduse.Workerscanbenetfrom,
orpoten)allyneed,certainkindsofsuppor)ngcontentinordertomakeagivendata
displaymeaningfulintheirownprac)ces(A).
Howmightsupportforcertainrepresenta)onsrelateto,orliterallyconnectwith,
appropriateinstruc)onalcontentinyourcompu)ngtoolshelpfunc)onali)es?
Howcouldkeyinstancesofrepresenta)onalsupportbemadeparallelwithyour
productserrorpreven)onandhandlingconven)ons?
Especiallywhenfunc)onalityconceptscontaininnova)venewdisplays(F3,F4),product
teamscanenvisionsuppor)nginforma)onthatcouldscaoldini)allearningofabstract
representa)ons(K2).Thistypeofcontentmaybereferredtoinfrequentlyakerusers
havelearnedatool,thoughitmays)llbehighlyvaluedwhenneededduringongoing
interac)ons(C4,E1).Topreventpercep)onsofcluZerinlongtermuse(D4),suchsup
por)ngcontentmaybeop)onallyviewed,withchoicestopresentorhideitthrough
progressivedisclosure(C3)ordisplaycustomiza)onfeatures(C8,A9).
Wherecouldpersistentpresenta)onofrepresenta)onalcodesandcontext
providevalueinworkersprac)ces?
Whenmighttargetedworkerscometoviewsuppor)ngcontentascluZeraker
theyhavelearnedhowtointerpretavisualdisplay?Howmightcertaincodesand
contextcuesbeinterac)velyhiddenordisplayedinsupportofthesescenarios?
Incaseswhereworkerscouldbefrequentlyswitchingbackandforthbetweendisplays
(F9)orusingasinglerepresenta)ontolookatdierentdata(F8),productteamscan
considerhowimportantinterpre)vecuesandexplanatoryinforma)oncouldbecome
meaningfullyintegratedintorepresenta)onalformats(D7).Inthesecases,the
suppor)ngdis)nc)onmaybesomewhatar)cial.
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderpoten)alsuppor)ngcontentforthe
abstractrepresenta)onsintheirapplica)onconcepts,avarietyofissuescanarise.In
theabsenceofneededinforma)on,workersmayndthatresul)ngtoolsaredicult
toadopt(K6).Theymayneedtorepeatedlyturntoassistanceoutsideoftheirfocus
withinadisplay(K7,J),poten)allycrea)ngandenac)ngworkaroundstoascertainthe
meaningsofcertainscreens(D2,D3).Peoplemayalsocommitinterpreta)veerrors
withoutrealizing(C9,G3,K5),whichcanbeeec)velyimpossibletopreventthrough
applica)onlogicandcaneec)velydecreasetheoverallqualityandquan)tyofwork
outcomes(L1).
Seealso:B3,F,G6,I4,I5,J7,K
Whatcustomiza)onsmightyourteamprovidetoallowtargetedindividualsand
organiza)onstotailorrepresenta)onalaidstotheirownlocalneeds?
This scale indicator helps me to

realize that I am intently
focusing on something at a
much smaller scale than I
think I am...
And this overview map helps

me to know what part of the
building Im zoomed in on, without having to zoom out and
then zoom back in...
G. Clarifying Central Interactions

Valued computing tools can support
knowledge workers primary goals with truly
compelling arcs of interaction.
The design of these central interactions
can make or brake users perceptions of an
onscreen product.
can simultaneously consider potential design
strategies at both the macro, framework level,
and at the lower level of important individual
scenarios.
By taking time to explore divergent directions
for a products central experiences, teams
can discover important new design factors
while at the same time addressing some more
common needs in the design of onscreen
pathways.
82
Whenusinganewcompu)ngtool,peopledonottypicallyweighallofitsavailable
op)onsequally.Instead,theymayheavilyweightheiruserexperienceswithinasmall
subsetofsupportedworkprac)ces,givingthoseareasadispropor)onateemphasis
intheirlargerjudgementsofatoolsoverallvalue.Withthiseectinmind,product
teamslargerideasaboutdesignstrategyandscopingokenneedtobethoughtthrough
atthelevelofthesecrucialinterac)onsbeforetheirapplica)onconceptscantrulybe
consideredviable.
Achallengeforteamsenvisioningspecicinterac)onsistonottakesketchingcertain
detailssofarastolimitthebreadthoftheirexplora)ons.Conversa)onsaboutspecic
func)onalityconceptscaneasilyreturntotherela)velyuncri)calstraighttothedetails
progression,limi)ngmeaningfulconcep)ngaroundthedierentshapesthatkey
experiencesmighttake.Duringapplica'onenvisioning,sketchingrela)velygranular
interac)onscanmeanworkingthroughdesignpossibili)eswithonlyasmuchdetail
asisnecessarytoestablishtheirkeyaZributesandassesstheirviability.
Asproductteamsmovefromhighlevelmodelsofworkmedia)ondowntosketching
ideasforcentralinterac)ons,theymayiden)fysomecharacteris)cfactorsthatoken
applytocompu)ngtoolsforknowledgework.Thesecommonchallengesandopportu
ni)escanbepresentwhetheranenvisionedproductisinamature,understoodgenre
orrepresentsanovel,disrup)vetechnology.
G1.Narra)veexperiences
G2.Levelsofselec)onandac)onscope
G3.Errorpreven)onandhandlinginindividualinterac)ons
G4.Workspaceawarenessembeddedininterac)ons
G5.Impromptutangentsandjuxtaposi)ons
G6.Contextualpushofrelatedinforma)on
G7.Transi)oningworkfromprivatetopublicview
Productteamscanusetheseideastoexploreconceptsforeec)velytransla)ngbig
pictureideasaboutworkmedia)onintomoreconcreteuserexperiencescenarios.
Someextraidea)onaroundimportantfunc)onalityconceptscanhelpteamsdrivehigh
levelconsidera)onsdowntocrucialinterac)ons,withoutgelnglostineverydeni
)on,design,andimplementa)ondetail.Thisaddi)onalconcep)ngcanalsoprovide
denersanddesignerswithmoreopportuni)estodiscoverandmodelfactorsthat
couldbepivotalacrossmanyoftheirproductsinterac)vethreads.
)onanddeterminingscope(A),Deninginterac)onobjects(B),Establishingan
applica)onframework(C),andConsideringworkersaZen)ons(D)categories.
100APPLICATIONENVISIONINGIDEAS|G.CLARIFYINGCENTRALINTERACTIONS
G1. Narrative Experiences

Knowledge workers can develop strong and useful expectations
regarding how their work is initiated, progressed through, and
concluded. To enhance users experiences of their computing
tools, product teams can reference workers existing narratives
or seek to establish new ones within their application concepts.
Anancialtraderworksthroughtheprocessofbookingtradesoverandoveragain
inhistradingapplica)on,expertlyreadinganoer,analyzingitscontextandvalue,
makinghisdecision,andaccomplishinghischosenac)on.Each)mehehasnished
thisstory,hecancondentlymoveon(seeillustra(on).
Anarchitectlearnstoplanforcertainstepswhenmanagingthepoten)alchaosof
proposedchangesinherbuildingmodelingapplica)on.Proposedaltera)onstoa
buildingdesignaresubmiZedbydierentconsultantsviathesamesharedtool,
thencollabora)velyresolved,beforebeingsignedobycontrollingmembersof
theoverallteam.
Ascien)stlearnsheranalysisapplica)onsexportprocesssowellthatsheeventu
allystructuressomeofheranalysisapproachesbasedonthestepwise,useful
stepwiseowofexpor)ngresultsfromastudysdatabase.
83

#
"
#

Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhownarra)vecouldplayaroleintheir
toolspoten)aluserexperiences,opportuni)esforapplica)onstopresentameaning
ful,predictable,andcomfor)ngsenseofcon)nuitycanbelost.Workersmayexperi
encetheinappropriatelyconstructedorappliednarra)vesofresul)ngproductsas
limi)ngandmismatchedsimplica)ons(D7,K13).
Conversely,notallfunc)onalityconceptscontainthesamepossibili)esforinterac)ve
narra)ve.While,forexample,toolsintendedtosupportstandardizedworkowcan
provideastrongnarra)vesense(C6),applica)onscenteredaroundanopen,exible
workspacemaynothaveenoughpreordainedrela)onbetweenac)onstoformthe
basisofextendedandmeaningfulnarra)vestructures(A5).
Seealso:C3,C7,D,F2,G,J3
forknowledgework:
Howimportantaretargetedindividualscurrentcogni)vescriptsinthetasksand
largerac)vi)esthatyourteamisstrivingtomediate?
Financial
Trader
Howestablishedandconsistentarecertainnarra)ves?Doworkerssharevery
similarproceduralstoriesintheirprofessionalcultures,orarethesestructuresmore
variedwithinandacrosstargetedorganiza)ons?
Howhavepar)cularstoriesaboutworkapproachesbeenlearnedandtaughtwithin
communi)esofprac)ce?

!
Knowledgeworkerslearnanddevelopdierentnarra)vemodelsthatcandrivetheir
expecta)onsandac)onsincertainsitua)ons.Workersobservedskillscanbeheavily
basedinthecogni)vescriptsthat,roughlyspeaking,containtheabstractedandemo
)onalstoriesbehindtheireorts.Thesenarra)vesrepresentworkprac)cesasindi
vidualswithinaculturethinkofthem,notastheymaybedirectlyobservedperforming
them(A).
Productteamscanenvisionwaystoadaptandextendthesenarra)vemodelsasapart
ofpeoplesinterac)onswithintheircompu)ngtools.Forexample,teamscanleverage
someofacommunitysexis)ngnarra)vestointrinsicallycommunicatehowagiven
func)oncouldbeusedinapar)cularac)vity(B8,C1,K2).Some)mesworkersexis)ng
narra)vesdonoten)relycorrespondtoaproductteamsstrategicideasaboutmedi
a)ngworkortocertainsketchedinterac)vi)esintheirapplica)onconcepts(C2,C4).
Inthesesitua)ons,teamscanenvisionnewnarra)ves,framedbythosethatworkers
alreadyknow,inordertoprovideastrongsenseofini)a)on,progress,climax,and
concludingfeedback.
How do targeted knowledge workers describe the narratives of

their current work practices? How might your teams individual
functionality concepts fit within these existing narratives? How
might they communicate new narratives that are grounded in
your sketched applications conceptual models?
Howdoexis)ngnarra)vesstart,progress,climax,andconclude?Whichexcep)ons
andirregulari)esdotheyreference?
Howdoindividualsinternalscriptsencapsulatenormal,archetypalsitua)ons?
Howcommonissuchnormalcyinobservedprac)ce?
Whatusefulsimplica)onsdoworkerscurrentstoriesprovide?Howdothese
simplica)onssteerandscopeeortinvaluableways?
Whatdoexis)ngstoriesleaveout?Whatmighttheseomissionstellyourteam
aboutrelatedautoma)city,expecta)onsofeort,tacitknowledge,percep)onsof
value,andotherimportantconsidera)onsformedia)ngworkwithtechnology?

!

Whatpathwaysofinterac)onandprogressivedisclosureinyourteamsapplica)on
conceptscouldmeaningfullyreectanddovetailwithworkersexis)ngnarra)ves?
Whatnovelfunc)onalityconceptscouldbenetfromagroundingfocusinnarra)ve
structure?Howmightthestructureofnewstorieshelpuserstobuildappropriate
conceptualmodelsofyourteamscompu)ngtool?
Whichofyourproductsenvisionedfunc)onalareasdoesnotnecessarilylend
itselftopreordained,bakedinnarra)vestructures,beyondsmallerinterac)ve
expecta)onsthatare)edtocertainopera)ons?
Howmightyourteamsvariousnarra)veideasbeincorporatedintoyoursketched
direc)onsforinstruc)onalcontentandotherscaoldingforeec)veadop)on?
#

#
#

Whatimpactmightyourchoicesaboutnarra)vestructuresinyourapplica)on
conceptshaveonyourproductslargerdesignstrategyandbrand?
G2. Levels of Selection and Action Scope

A single interaction within a computing application can have
minute or expansive consequences on stored information.
To promote knowledge workers understanding the potential
impacts of their action choices, product teams can envision
clear levels of selection and other informative scope cues
within their functionality concepts.
How might the complex interrelations of interaction objects

in your teams application concepts be clarified into different
levels of selectability? How might the potential impacts of
available interaction choices be clearly communicated in
different selection cases?
#
"

forknowledgework:
Ascien)stselectsapar)culardatapointwithinonespecicgroupofclinicalresults
beingdisplayedinheranalysisapplica)on.Shethenappliesameaningfulcolor
codetothatsinglepoint,beforezoomingupwardtoviewitinthecontextofamuch
largersetofdata,containinghundredsofbrightlycoloredresultgroupsthatform
massivecloudsofindividualdatapoints(seeillustra(on).
Anancialtraderselectsallofthecomponentsofalargetradeproposalsothathe
canapplythesamerateacrosseachsecurity.Hethenchoosesafewhighervalue
securi)esandadjuststheirindividualratesupwardinordertobalanceouttheover
alldealtoreectmarketreali)es.
Anarchitectselectsaspecicsegmentofalargeexteriorwallinherbuildingmodel
ingapplica)on.Shethenappliesafunc)onalaZributetoit,andthecompu)ngtool
presentsherop)onstoeitherapplythesamepropertytoallwallsegmentstagged
inthesameclassortocreateanewclassaspartofapplyingthematerialtrait.
Selectanobject,takeanac)on.Thisconven)onalapproachtoonscreeninterac)on
canbecomeexceedinglycomplexwhenapplica)onsarehighlytailoredtospecialized
workprac)ces.Indomainspecictools,datarichdisplays,rela)onallinkagesbetween
interac)onobjects(B4),andothercomplica)ngfactorscancreatesitua)onswhere
knowledgeworkersnditdiculttoiden)fywhattheyhaveselectedandtopredict
theoutcomesofcertainac)ons.
Productteamscaniden)fyareasoftheirapplica)onconceptswhereobjectselec)on
andac)onscopemaypresentinterac)onissues(A).Theycanthenac)velyenvision
approachesforclarifyingthesekeycases.Dependingonthecharacterofeachcase,
teamsmaydenestandard,learnableselec)onapproachesbasedinestablishedinter
ac)onconven)ons(C3,L2)orcreatemorenovelsolu)onstomeetuniqueconstraints
(A9).Selec)oncuescanoccuratavarietyoflevels,rangingfromanen)reapplica)on
view,(C2)towholeclassesofinterac)onobjects(B5,B6),toindividualobjectswithin
agivenrepresenta)on(B1,F).
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhowclearlevelsofselec)oncouldallow
knowledgeworkerstocorrectlychoosethedesiredscopeoftheirac)ons,resul)ng
toolsmaycontainseeminglystraightorwardinterac)onsthatleadtoconfusingand
poten)allydamagingresults(C9,G3)thatmaybediculttorecoverfrom(H2,H3).
Whenworkersexperiencetheactofselec)ngindividualobjectswithinnestedorover
lappingstructuresaseortul(D2,D3),thesenseofdirectnessintheirinterac)ons
canbecomeobstructed(B3,D4).Theseobstruc)onscanforcepeopletofocuson
obeyingacompu)ngtoolsinherentrulesratherthansimplyac)ngtomeettheir
owngoals,evenakerextendeduse.
Seealso:B,C,G,K2,K5,K6,K7
84
Whatnewopportuni)esforlargescaleac)oncouldprovidevalueinthework
Clinical
Scientist
Lookingacrossyoursketchedfunc)onalityconcepts,howmightyoucategorizethe
dierentlevelsofscopethatasingleinterac)veac)oncouldhave?
Whatusefulconceptualmodelscouldshapeyourdesignideasaboutvariouslevels
ofinterac)onscope?
"

Howmightiden)edlevelsofscopebeclearlyrepresentedincorrespondinglevels
ofselec)on?
Whatcommonlyunderstoodselec)onconven)onscouldyourteamusefullyapply
throughoutyourapplica)onconcepts?
Whatnovelselec)onapproachesmightyourteamenvisionbasedonyourideas
aboutpar)cular,nonstandardselec)onscenarios?
Howmightdierentlevelsofselec)ondrivethecontextualpresenta)onof
targeted,goalorientedavenuesofac)on?

!

Whatvisualcues,instruc)vemessaging,andbehavioralconstraintscouldprevent
unexpectedandunwantedeectsthatwouldotherwisecascadeviaunrecognized
linkagesbetweeninterrelatedinterac)onobjects?
Howmightaninterac)onsconcludingfeedbackconveythescopeofobjectsthatit
impacted?Howcouldthismessaging,inconjunc)onwithundofunc)onality,turn
intoanotherformoferrorpreven)on?
Howmightyourteamenvisionthegraphicaldepic)onsofselec)oncuesasan
overallsystemthatisacomplementaryelementofalargeraesthe)cdirec)on
andbrand?

!

G3. Error Prevention and Handling in Individual Interactions

Computing tools can prevent certain harmful effects of human
error in specific knowledge work operations and larger tasks.
Product teams can attempt to adhere to their own, internally
consistent conventions across their sketched functionality
concepts in order to eliminate the ability to commit certain
errors, confirm workers intentions, and handle problems when
they occur.
Looking within the central functionalities that your team has

envisioned, what error cases could present key problems in
targeted work practices? How might your team use constraints
in interactive behaviors, consistent patterns and conventions, or
tailored design solutions to prevent and handle these concrete
situations?
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forknowledgework:
Anarchitectusesherbuildingmodelingapplica)ontochangetheaZributesofa
materialusedthroughoutadevelopingdesign.Toconrmthatshewantstomake
theextensivechange,theapplica)onpresentsherwithatotalcountofbuilding
elementsthatwouldbemodied.Akershehasappliedthechangeacrossthe
model,anumberofareashaveerrorsymbolsaZachedtothem,indica)ngwhere
buildingcodesmaynowbeviolated(seeillustra(on).
Ascien)stlowersathresholdinheranalysisapplica)ontothelowestvaluethatthe
underlyinganalysisalgorithmwillallow.Thisinterac)veconstraintimplicitlypre
ventsherfrommakinganerrorbyremovingtheopportunitytodropthethreshold
sofarastomaketheanalysisinvalid.
Anancialtraderaddsonetoomanyzerostoanumberofsharesinhistrading
applica)on.Thetoolrapidlyinformshimthatthereisinsucientquan)tyinthe
organiza)onsholdingstocompletethetransac)on.
Whaterrorscenariosaretargetedindividualscurrentlyconcernedwithinthe
opera)ons,tasks,andlargerac)vi)esthatyourteamisstrivingtomediate?Why?
Architect
Howdotheycurrentlypreventandhandletheseerrors?Couldthesesitua)ons
presentopportuni)esforyourproduct?
Whatkeyerrorcasescouldariseaspartofspecicinterac)onswithinyourteams
func)onalityconcepts?Whatimportantnewcasesmighttheabstrac)onof
interac)vecompu)ngintroduce?
#
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Howmightyoucategorizetheseverityofeacherrorcasethatyouhaveiden)ed?
Whichcouldleadtolossofinforma)on,unrecognizedandproblema)coutcomes,
compromisedsecurity,orcollabora)veconict?
preven)ngandhandlingclassesoferrorswithinyourcompu)ngtoolsvarious
interac)onoerings?
Individualac)onsinknowledgeworkcanpresentcertaindisposi)onsforpeopleto
commiterrors.Onscreenapplica)onscanreducetheincidenceofsomeoftheseexist
ingcaseswhileatthesame)meintroducingnewerrorpossibili)es.
Productteamscaninves)gateandiden)fypoten)alcasesofhumanerrorintheir
sketchedconceptsformedia)ngopera)ons,tasks,orlargerac)vi)es(A).Iden)ed
errorcasescanokenbepreventedoreliminatedthroughmindfulitera)onofaprod
uctsbehavioralconstraintsorbyprovidingworkersopportuni)estoimplicitlycross
checktheirownac)ons.Forthoseerrorcasesthatcannoteec)velybedesignedout
ofrenedfunc)onalityconcepts(C2,C3,K5),teamscanapplytheirowninternallycon
sistentconven)onsforerrorpreven)onandhandling(C9).Evenwhentheconstraints
ofuniqueerrorcasesrequirenovelerrormanagementsolu)ons,teamscanseekto
maintainmeaningfulfamilyresemblanceswiththeirtoolslargerstandards.
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhowdamagingerrorcasescouldbeuse
fullyremovedormanagedwithinkeyinterac)onsintheirconceptsformedia)ngwork,
resul)ngproductsmaypresentworkerswithunexpectedandunwantedoutcomesthat
arediculttorecoverfrom(H2,H3).Poorerrorpreven)onandunsa)sfactorymes
sagingcanbecomeacommoncomplaintinonscreentoolsforknowledgework(M1).
Workerspercep)onsofproductqualityandu)litymayalsodecline(K12)astheyare
driventoadoptdefensiveworkarounds,suchasac)veversioning(H1).
Conversely,toomuchemphasisonerrorpreven)oncanbedistrac)ng(D3,D4),feel
controlling,orleadtoalackofdesirableexibility(A4,A9).
Seealso:C10,D7,E3,G,J4,J5,K2,K6,K7,M3
85
Especiallyforpoten)allyseriouscases,howmightyourteamredesignyoursketched
func)onalityconceptsinordertoeec)velyremovethepossibilityforerrors?
#
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Whatcrosscheckscouldallowworkerstoac)velypreventerrorsontheirown
behalf?

Howmightthelargererrorpreven)onandhandingconven)onsyouhave
envisionedforyourapplica)onconceptsapplytospecicerrorcases?
Couldanyindividualerrorcasesbenetfromorrequirenovelerrormanagement
solu)onsthatfalloutsideofyourinternallyconsistent,topdownpaZerns?How
mightthesesolu)onsreferencetheaesthe)csandtoneofyourlargerstandards?
Wherecouldrecoveryfromerrorsbesupportedsolelythroughundofunc)onality,
ratherthanmoreaZen)ondemandingmethods?
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Wheremightconstrainingorfrequentinterac)onswitherrorpreven)onand
handlingfeaturesfrustra)nglyconictwithcommonorlocalneedsinwork
prac)ces?

G4. Workspace Awareness Embedded in Interactions

To promote valuable awarenesses among colleagues acting in
shared application workspaces, product teams can envision
targeted cues in their functionality concepts that could signal
the performance of specific operations and larger tasks.
Anancialtraderseehiscolleaguestransac)onsappearinthebooksofhistrading
applica)on.WhenhebeginsenteringtheaZributesofanewtrade,suchasase
curityname,therosterautoma)callylterstoshowhimrecenttradeswithsimilar
characteris)cs.Italsodisplaysthenameofanytradersinhisrmthataresimulta
neouslyenteringthesamesecurityintotheirowntradeforms(seeillustra(on).
Anarchitectworkinginherbuildingmodelingapplica)onseesdistantpor)onsof
themodelsubtlyashascolleaguessavechangestothem.Thesevisualno)ca
)onsgiveherareal)meoverviewofthefrequencyofotherschanges,aswellas
thepoten)alforiconicunderstandingofthegeneralshapeofincomingmodica
)ons.
Ascien)st,reviewingtheprogressofcurrentexperimentsforaclinicalstudyinher
labsinforma)onmanagementapplica)on,coincidentlyviewswhichsampleseach
labtechnicianiscurrentlyprocessing.
Knowledgeworkersareokenhighlyskilledatunderstandinghowtheirownac)onst
intothecontextofcoopera)veandcollabora)veac)vi)esintheirorganiza)ons.Com
puterscanhavedrama)cimpactsonthisunderstanding.Forexample,wheninterac)ve
applica)onsbecomeamajorfocusinworkprac)ce,implicitvisibilityandcommuni
ca)on(J1)thatwasonce)edtoperformingspecicac)onscanbecomehiddenor
en)relylostunlesscompu)ngtoolshavefocusedfunc)onalitythatpromotes
thesespecicawarenesses.
Beyondenvisioningworkspaceawarenessatthestructurallevelofanen)reapplica)on
framework(C7),productteamscancreateconceptsforspecializedawarenesscuesin
thecontextofindividualfunc)onalareasandtrajectoriesofac)on(B7,H3,J5).These
targetedcuescanbecomevaluablemeansofooadingeort(E)thatwouldotherwise
beneededtocommunicateabout(J)andkeeptrackofothersinterac)onsinadata
locale.
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhowworkersac)onscouldbemade
usefullyandmeaningfullyvisibletootheractorswithintheirsharedapplica)onenvi
ronments,resul)ngproductsmayleaveuserswiththefeelingofconstantlystepping
oneachotherstoes.Whileanapplica)onframeworkmayalertthemtothegeneral
presenceofothers,withoutspecicvisibilityintocollaboratorsac)ons,usersmaynd
thattheyhavedicultyplanningwork(D3),knowingwhentocontactcolleagues(J4),
establishingrepresenta)onalcommonground(F1,J2),andpreven)ngconicts
(C9,G3).
Conversely,toomuchvisibilityintotheac)onsofotherscanbedistrac)ng(D4)andcan
poten)allyleadtounwantedsurveillanceeects(A2,G7).
Seealso:A,B5,C2,C4,C5,G,K,M1
86
Looking within your teams individual functionality concepts,

where might tailored cues about the actions of others provide
meaning and value in certain cooperative work practices? What
might these awarenesses feel like in practice? How might these
cues reference or fit within your sketched larger approaches
for workspace awareness across your computing tools various
areas?

"

forknowledgework:
Financial
Trader
Howdotargetedindividualscurrentlykeeptrackoftheircolleaguesac)onsaspart
How,specically,docurrentformsofsharedawarenesspromotetheeec)ve
execu)onoflooselycoordinatedortrulycollabora)vework?Howdotheyprevent
conicts?
"

Whatbreakdownscurrentlyoccurduetoinsucientawareness?Couldthese
problemspresentopportuni)esforyourproduct?
Wheremighttheintroduc)onofyourteamscompu)ngtoolremoveimplicitand
subtleawarenesscuesfromtargetedworkprac)ces?
workersmightremainappropriatelyawareofothersac)onswithinyoursketched
func)onali)es?
Howmightyourfunc)onalityconceptsreplacelostcollabora)veinforma)on,and
poten)allyprovidenewandvaluableawarenesscues,aspartofsuppor)ngcertain
knowledgeworkopera)onsandlargertasks?

'&
Howmightthestandardssetbyyourteamsapplica)onlevelworkspaceawareness
featuresbeappliedtoyoursketchesformoregranularfunc)onali)esinsupportof
par)cularscenarios?
Whichawarenesssitua)onscouldbenetfromorrequirenovelawarenesscues
thataresubstan)allydierentthanthosefoundinthelargerframeworksofyour
applica)onconcepts?Howmighttheymaintainameaningfulfamilyresemblance?
Whoneedstoseevariouscues?Howmightawarenessinforma)onrelateto
individualspermissionsandtailoredviews?
Doyoursketchedcuesprovidesucientvaluetowarranttheirpoten)ally
distrac)ngimpactswithinfocused,goalorientedfunc)onali)es?
"
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Howlongshouldspecicawarenesscueslast?Howmighttheybe)edtolonger
term,storedhistoriesforcertainfunc)onsandinterac)onobjects?
Whatunwantedsurveillanceeectscoulduninten)onallyoccurfrombroadcas)ng
specicac)onstootherworkers?
G5. Impromptu Tangents and Juxtapositions

The flow of knowledge work practice can take unexpected
turns, requiring sudden departures and visual referencing.
Product teams can envision how their sketched application
concepts could allow workers to transition between and
spontaneously overlap various threads of work practice
and onscreen content.
How might your teams application concepts allow targeted

knowledge workers to freely practice the circuitous flows of
their work, without unwanted structure that prevents them from
valuably jumping between tasks or investigating the threads of
information that they want to see? Conversely, when and where
might guiding yet limiting interactive structure become a
useful necessity?
"

forknowledgework:
Ascien)stiswai)ngforheranalysisapplica)ontoprocessalargesetofclinicaldata
sothatshecanvisualizeit.Shecantrememberwhethershehasaddedallofthe
neededdatatothestudylebeingprocessed,soshepausestheanalysisandbrings
upaplanningspreadsheetasacrossreferencetoseeifallofthesamesample
namesarepresent(seeillustra(on).
Anarchitectiscollabora)ngwithacolleaguetocompleteasmalldocumenta)on
detailintheirsharedbuildingmodelingapplica)on.Whilehercolleaguemakes
changesinreal)meduringtheirdiscussion,thearchitectcanoccasionallyshikher
aZen)ontootherareasofthesamebuildingmodelwheresheneedstodevote
hereortsforother,separatereasons.
Anancialtraderwantstoopenmul)plefeedswithinhismarketinforma)onap
plica)ontoensurethatheismakingabroadlyinformeddecisionwhileinves)ga)ng
thevalueofapar)cularlyimportantdeal.
Inmanyknowledgeworkdomains,theabilitytomakegoalorientedleapsandcon
nec)onscanbeahighlyvaluedskill.Interac)veapplica)onscaneithersupportor
impedetheexpressionofthisskillaspeopleinsightullynavigatethroughtheirwork.In
exploratory,synthesisorientedtasksorlargerac)vi)es(A6,I5),successfulknowledge
workoutcomeswithacomputercandependonimprovised,mul)threadedinterac)ons
involvingmul)plefunc)onalareasandinforma)ondisplays(A8,L1).
Productteamsmayndthattheorganizingpulloftheirra)onalizedmodelsofwork
prac)ce(A)cansome)mesovershadowidea)onthatfocusesonworkerslesspredict
abletangentsandjuxtaposi)ons.Tohelpensurethatapplica)onsarenottooconning,
teamscaniden)fyandexplorediversescenariosforhowworkersgoalsintargeted
prac)cesmightleadtosimultaneousthreadsofinterac)onandinforma)onseeking
(G6,K8).
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhowknowledgeworkerscouldmean
ingfullystrayfromstraightorward,idealizedowsofworkprac)ce(A4),resul)ng
applica)onsmaypushuserstotakeserialpathsofac)on(C6)thattheywouldprefer
toconductinparallelorinalternatesequences(A5).Toaccomplishtheirgoalsinthese
products,peoplemayresorttoeortulworkarounds(D2,D3)suchassimultaneously
interac)ngwithmorethanoneinstanceofatool(C2),repeatedlycancelingoutof
processes,orfrequentlyprin)ngimportantcontent(J7).
Conversely,iftargetedworkrarelyinvolvesthesekindsofimprovisa)ons(A9),then
highlyexibleinterac)onframeworksandfeatures(C3)maydetractfromproduct
simplicity,learnability(K2,K6),andinterac)onclarity.
Seealso:D1,F5,F9,F11,G,H,I,K9,K10
87
Clinical
Scientist
Whatimpromptutangentsandjuxtaposi)onsdotargetedindividualscurrently
makewhileaccomplishingtheworkprac)cesthatyourteamisstrivingtomediate?
Whatvaluedothesegoalorientedexcursionsprovideinthecontextsoftheirtasks
andlargerac)vi)es?

Whatcoordinatedar)factsdotargetedworkerscompareoractoninsimultaneous,
overlappingthreadsofeort?
"

"
Whatsupplementalinforma)onsourcesdotheyfrequentlyturntoduringthese
circuitouspaths?Howmightthesesourcesbeincorporatedintoyourteams
applica)onconcepts?
Whatexpecta)onsdotargetedworkershaveabouttheexibilityoftheircompu)ng
tools?Aretheseexpecta)onsdrivenfrompeoplesrelatedcompu)ngexperiences,
ortheirintrinsicunderstandingsoftheirownwaysofworking?
Whatexibili)esinyourfunc)onalityconceptscouldvaluablysupportparallel
threadsofwork,mul)plethreadsofthesamework,orotheropenvaria)onsin
workersprac)ces?
"

Howmighttheinterac)veowsofyourteamssketchedfunc)onali)esbe
eec)velypaused,stopped,andresumed?
Whichofyourenvisionedfunc)onalityconceptsdonotrequire,orshouldnot
support,thesekindsofdynamicexibili)es?Whatcouldthisdesignstancemean
forusersexperiences?Shouldyourteamreconsidertheselimita)ons?
Howmighttheinterac)onmodelsofyourapplica)onconceptsallowtargeted
workerstopullupandarrangedierenttypesofinforma)onbasedontheir
momentbymomentneeds?
"

"

!
Howmighttheseexibili)esdetractfromtheusabilityofyoursketchedproduct
proposals?Atwhatpointcouldclearandfunc)onalsimplicitysuerinthenameof
rare,impromptuedgecases?
G6. Contextual Push of Related Information

In some cases, it can be useful for knowledge work applications
to adaptively incorporate outside feeling, potentially
unexpected content into specific interactions. Product teams
can envision how pushed domain information, presented as
an optional resource, might expand workers understanding
of a subject and inform their decision making.
88
How might your teams functionality concepts automatically

incorporate useful, supplementing content into the flow of
certain interactions? How might the adaptive appearance of
cotextually related information positively influence knowledge
workers choices and outcomes?
#

forknowledgework:
Anancialtraderbeginsbookingadealinhistradingapplica)onandispresented
withabriefadvisorycreatedbyanalystswithinhisownrm.Theadvisoryrelates
specicallytotheitemthatheisabouttotrade,andbasedonitsproprietary
insights,hedecidestocancelthedeal(seeillustra(on).
Anarchitectusesherbuildingmodelingapplica)ontolabelacertainareaofaoor
planaskitchenspace.Inthetoolsno)ca)onspane,alistofdenedclientre
quirementsappearswiththewordkitchenhighlightedineachitem.Thepanealso
presentsproductinforma)onforappliancesthatneedtobeincorporatedintothe
kitchenspace.
Howdotargetedindividualscurrentlyusesupplementalorreferenceinforma)on
intheworkprac)cesthatyourteamisstrivingtomediate?
Financial
Trader
Whatspecicsourcesdoworkerstrust?Why?
Arevaluedsourcescreatedwithintargetedorganiza)ons,ordotheycomefrom
openlyavailableonlinereferencesandoutside,networkedvendors?
Whatvaluedopreferredsourcesprovideintargetedindividualsdecisionmaking
processes?Howaretheyrelevant?

Whichsourcesareconsideredunderusedandcouldokenbeinuen)alif
knowledgeworkerstook)metoexplorethem?
Ascien)stselectsaspecicgenevariantwithininalargeclinicaldatasetinher
analysisapplica)on.Theapplica)onthenpresentsasmallno)ca)onthatprovides
linkstorecentresearchpaperswithndingsrelatedtothevariant.
Whichchangefrequentlyoraretooextensivetokeepmentallyavailable?
Howmightyourapplica)onconceptsmeaningfullytapintoorconnectwith
certainpreferredsources?Couldthedevelopmentofreferencecontentbecome
aserviceorientedelementofyourteamsproduct?
Knowledgeworkersinmanydomainsstruggletokeepkeyinforma)onintheiraware
nesswhilemakingdecisions(E1).Thisproblemismadeworsewhenpoten)allyrel
evantinforma)onisextensiveorupdatedfrequently(I6),crea)ngasitua)onwhereitis
dicultforpeopletoknowwhentherecouldbevalueinseekingsuppor)ngcontent.
Productteamscanenvisiontargetedsitua)onswheretheircompu)ngtoolsmight
providevaluebypushingtrustedinforma)on(I5,K10,K12)thatispresumedtobe
relatedtoworkersintentsbasedonprecedinginterac)ons(K3).Insomesitua)ons,
thisadap)vepresenta)onofcontentcanbethoughtofasahighlevelformoferror
preven)on,aimingatcomplexcasesthatmaynotbepreventablewithstrictlydened
applica)onlogic(C9,G3).Theseinforma)ondisplays,ratherthanbeingjustanother
demandonworkersaZen)ons(D1,D3,D4),mayalsobeenvisionedaslightweight,
opportunis)csugges)onsthatmayopenuppossibili)esforindividualstomake
unexpectedandserendipitousconnec)ons(D6,F3).
Whenandwherewithinyourteamsfunc)onalityconceptscouldtherebevaluein
adap)velypushingsuggestedcontentfromtrustedsourcesintotheperipheryof
usersdisplays?
#

Inwhichtargetedopera)onsandlargertaskscouldsuchfunc)onalitybecomea
persistent,unwanteddistrac)on?
Whatprogramma)clogiccouldeec)velysearchforsupplementalinforma)on
thattsvarioussitua)ons?
HowaZen)ongrabbinganddirec)veshouldpushedinforma)onbe,giventhe
natureoftheworkprac)cesthatitisintendedtosupport?
Howmighttherelevancyofcertaininforma)onsourceschangeover)me?
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderthepoten)alroleofsupplementalinfor
ma)onthatisadap)velypresentedinspecicinterac)oncontexts,innova)veopportu
ni)estomeaningfullysupportworkerssynthesisanddecisionmakingprac)cescanbe
lost.Highlyper)nentinforma)on,storedoutsideofworkerstypicalpaths,maynever
beseeninaninuen)al,justin)meway,leadingtolessinven)veorlowerquality
workoutcomes(K5,L1).
Conversely,ifpushedinforma)ondoesnotdeliverrela)velyconsistentvalue,
peoplemaynditdistrac)ngandtrytheirbesttoignoreit(D7).
Seealso:A,C4,E2,E3,F11,G,I
Whatcustomiza)onop)onscouldallowtargetedindividualsandorganiza)onsto
receiveonlytheirpreferredcontent?

#
!#

"

G7. Transitioning Work from Private to Public View

Knowledge workers may want to work privately before moving
their outputs to a place where certain audiences can access
them. Product teams can envision functionality concepts that
could provide users with clear methods of transitioning from
private modes of working into defined public views and
back again.
What interaction objects in your application concepts might

targeted knowledge workers want to act on in private before
publishing their efforts? What could that desirable sense of
privacy mean in the context of your computing tool? How might
workers recognize and change an objects current visibility
whether public or private?
Im s!ll experimen!ng
with how this facade
might work, and I want
some !me to explore
ideas before sharing
with my team what I
think is the best one...
Anarchitectworksonanewapproachtoamuseumsfacadeinherbuildingmodel
ingapplica)on.Shechoosesnottoupdatetheversionthathercolleaguescansee
un)lsheexplicitlypublishesitbacktothemainversionofthebuildingmodel,
allowingherfreedomtoindependentlygestateherideas(seeillustra(on).
Ascien)stselectsasetofclinicaldatainheranalysisapplica)on.Thedatarepre
sentsmanymonthsofeortfromherlabsteam,andshendsenormoussa)sfac
)oninnallyuploadingittoalargerdatabasethatcontainsthecollec)veoutputof
anumberofseparateresearchlabsworkingonthesameclinicalproblem.
Anancialtraderknowsthatmosteverythinghedoesinhistradingapplica)oncan
endupbeingvisibleinreal)metohiscolleagues,especiallyifitconictswithany
ac)onsthattheyaretaking.Understandingthisvisibility,hesome)mesusesanold
quickcalcula)ontooltoprivatelyassesstheviabilityofhisideasbeforeturningto
histradingapplica)ontobookdeals.
forknowledgework:
Architect
Whichpublicrecipients,stakeholders,andcolleaguesaretargetedworkers
typicallyconcernedwithwhentheythinkaboutprivacy?
So before I get started,

Im going to select an
op!on to work on my own
private version for now...
Whichcurrentworkprac)cesareokenaccomplishedinprivate,eitherindividually
orwithinacollabora)nggroup,andthendistributedtooutsideaudiences?
Whichtargetedtasksandlargerac)vi)esarecon)nuallyvisibletocertain
collaborators?
Whicheortsinworkersprac)cesliebetweentheextremesofen)relyprivateand
en)relypublic?Howdopeoplecurrentlyconceptualizetheseshadesofgray?
Howmightyourfunc)onalityconceptsmirrorcurrentapproachestomanagingthe
visibilityofwork,especiallywhenitcomestopreven)ngunwantedpublicviewing?
Facade mo!f explora!ons:
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhowknowledgeworkerscouldeec)vely
transi)onworkfromprivateincuba)ontothepublicsphere,resul)ngapplica)onsmay
createsitua)onswhereworkersdonotknowhowtomanagetheirownprivacy(D1,
D4),versionsofinterac)onobjects(H1),oreec)veworkhandos(J3).Whenpeople
knowthattheirinterac)onsarevisibletoothersinreal)me(E3),unwantedsurveil
lancemaylimitorotherwiseinuencethecharacteroftheirexplora)onsofpoten)al
outcomes(H).Topreserveprivacyandgainthefreedomtomakemistakes,workers
mayavoidvisibilityintensiveproductsen)relywhileaccomplishingsomegoals(K13).
Conversely,incontextswherehighlevelsofworkspaceawarenessarevaluable,
targetedvisibilityintocertainac)onsmaybebenecialforworkoutcomes.
Seealso:A,B5,B6,K7,C9,G,K12,M
Howdotargetedindividualscurrentlyseparateprivateincuba)onandpublic
communica)onintheworkprac)cesthatyourteamisstrivingtomediate?
Whydoworkerscurrentlycreateandmakeuseofthesesepara)ons?Whatevents
cantriggerthemtobridgetheseboundariesineitherdirec)on?
Interac)veapplica)onscanactbothasaplacewhereknowledgeworkac)vityis
accomplishedandachannelbywhichitiscommunicated(J).Appropriateboundaries
betweenthecrea)veandthecommunica)vecanrangefromen)relyblurred(C7,G4)
tohighlydis)nct,dependingonthespecicsoftheknowledgeworkthataproduct
conceptisintendedtomediate(A7,A8).
Incaseswhereclear,separa)ngbarriersbetweenprivateandpublicworkarevalued,
workersmaywanttoexplicitlymoveorsendtheiroutputsintotheviewofothers
(C5,J3,J6,L1).Productteamscanenvisionclearmethodsformanagingthesetransi
)ons(C4,J1),providingtailoredinterac)onsthateec)velycommunicatealarger
conceptualmodelofthedividebetweenprivateandpublicareasorstateswithin
anapplica)on(C1,C10,K2).
89
PRIVATE
VERSION
Whatreinforcingcuesandmessagingcouldclarifycurrentprivacystateswithin
specicinterac)ons?
Howmighttransi)onalpathwaysbetweenprivateandpublicstatesprovideusers
withclearnarra)vesandunambiguousfeedback?
Howcouldindividualcasesofthedis)nc)onbetweenpublicandprivatecollec)vely
communicatealargerconceptualmodelofvisibilityruleswithinyourapplica)on
concepts?
Howmightyourteamsapproachesforsuppor)ngthetransi)onfromprivate
worktopublicvisibilityrelatetoyourotherconceptsforsuppor)ngcoopera)on,
And now Im merging my

own version with the main
building model so that the
team can see the direc!on
that Im proposing...
H. Supporting Outcome Exploration

and Cognitive Tracing
Valued computing tools can play a supporting
role in divergent and malleable pathways of
thought and action.
Designing this kind of support requires an
understanding of peoples burdens in certain
types of scenario oriented thought and action.
can map and explore areas of targeted work
practices where people productively consider
multiple options or look back through
previous possibilities and choices.
By taking time to explore how users might
test different scenarios or retrace their
earlier cognitive paths, teams can highlight
opportunities to tailor and extend their
products in novel and highly useful ways.
90
Aspartofarrivingatsuccessfuloutcomes,knowledgeworkersokenbecomehighly
skilledatthinkingthroughpoten)alapproachesbeforepursuingachosentrajectory.
Theymaymakeexpliciteortstokeeptrackoftheirvariouspredic)onsandlinesof
thinkingastheyaccomplishtheireorts.Ortheymaycircumstan)allyreectbackaker
someintervalof)me,reconstruc)ngtheirpathwaysthroughanexamina)onoftheir
memoriesandtheexternalar)factsoftheirac)ons.
Interac)veapplica)onscanallowknowledgeworkerstoexternallytestscenariosand
reacttotheiroutcomeswithoutcommilngtopermanentac)on.Trustedcompu)ng
toolscanaccuratelystoreanddynamicallyreverttocertainpointswithintheprogres
sionsofonscreenviewsthatowfromworkersexplora)onsokeningreaterdetail
thanindividualscanmentallyvisualizeintheirownrecollec)ons.
Byremovingthesememoryburdensandprovidingsuchexternalizedexibilityout
sideofworkersownheadsapplica)onscansupplementuserstopdownthinking
abouttheirproblemswithrapid,freeexperimenta)onandserendipitous,chanceop
era)ons.Insomespecializedac)vi)es,interac)vesimula)onsbasedondomainspecic
rulesandinforma)onrepresenta)onscantransformslowandeortulprac)cesinto
uidsandboxesforthinkingwork.
Inaddi)ontosuppor)ngworkersexplora)onofoutcomes,thecrea)onandstorage
ofinterac)vehistoricaltrailscanbevaluableforcoopera)veandcollabora)vework,
recoveryfromerrorsinworkprac)ce,andevalua)onofmajorincidents.
H1.Ac)veversioning
H2.Extensiveandreconstruc)veundo
H3.Interac)onobjectorfunc)onhistory
H4.Workingannota)ons
Productteamscanusetheseideastoexplorefunc)onalityconceptsforsuppor)ng,or
eec)velyextending,workersabili)estoconsiderpoten)aloutcomesandretracetheir
interac)ons.Idea)onfocusedaroundsuchsupportcanhelpteamsuncoverinnova)ve
opportuni)estoeec)velyexternalizeotherwiseinternalworkprac)ces,poten)ally
allowingformorecrea)ve,higherqualityknowledgeworkoutputs.
media)onanddeterminingscope(A),ConsideringworkersaZen)ons(D),Provid
ingopportuni)estoooadeort(E),andWorkingwithvolumesofinforma)on(I)
categories.
100APPLICATIONENVISIONINGIDEAS|H.SUPPORTINGOUTCOMEEXPLORATIONANDCOGNITIVETRACING
H1. Active Versioning

Actively versioning application content can free knowledge
workers from concerns of damaging previous efforts while they
explore alternate scenarios or otherwise advance their goals.
Product teams can envision how the ability to create multiple,
separate versions of interaction objects could allow workers
to intentionally differentiate threads of effort and preserve
milestones of progress over time.
91
Could the opportunity to actively branch or preserve key

versions of interaction objects provide value in the knowledge
work practices that your team is striving to mediate? How
might the lineages of related versions be usefully displayed,
allowing targeted workers to meaningfully trace sequential arcs
and branching relationships?

"
forknowledgework:
Ascien)st,whileusingheranalysisapplica)on,triestorecognizekeymomentsand
jumpingopointsduringherinterac)onswithasetofclinicaldata,savingdierent
versionsoftheanalysisleattheseimportantjunctures(seeillustra(on).
Whendotargetedindividualscurrentlycreatedierentversionsofinforma)on
ar)factsintheirworkprac)ces?Whatvaluedotheseversionsprovide?
Clinical
Scientist
Howdoknowledgeworkersandtheirorganiza)onskeeptrackofmul)pleversions
ofanobject?Whatlanguagedotheyusetocategorizeanddescribethem?Dothey
trackgenealogiesacrossversions?
Anarchitectusesherbuildingmodelingapplica)ontocreateseveraldierentver
sionsofasmallbuildingsegmentwheresheiscurrentlythinkingthroughdetailed
design.Shehasafewideasofhowthedesigncouldeec)velyplayout,soshe
saveseachideaasanamedversioninordertodiscussthemlaterwithproject
stakeholders.
Basedonyourunderstandingofcurrentprac)ces,whichoftheinterac)onobjects
inyourteamsapplica)onconceptswilltargetedworkerslikelywanttoac)vely
version?
Anancialtraderuseshistradingapplica)ontosaveeachroundofcommunica)ons
onthetopicofclosingalarge,mul)componentdeal.Bysavingeachversionofthe
nego)a)on,hecandoublecheckthathiscounterpartydoesnotmakeanyhidden
changestotradeparameters.
Howmighttheintroduc)onofyourcompu)ngtoolcreatevaluableopportuni)es
forworkerstouseversioningtointen)onallydieren)atethreadsofeortor
preservemilestonesofprogressover)me?
Whatlargertechnologyandmarkettrendscouldinuenceyourteamsideas
aboutac)veversioningofstoredcontent?Whatrelatedaspectsoftargeted
ITinfrastructuresmightyourteamuseasgroundingforenvisioningthese
func)onali)es?
Ac)veversioningofvaluedinforma)oncanbeanimportantpartofcomputermedi
atedknowledgework.Historically,workershaveneededtoversioncontentinorderto
providesafetyfromcomputerglitchesandtodefendtheirprogressfromtheirownor
colleaguespoorlyconceivedchanges(H2,H3).Workersmayalsoversioncontentto
preserveorganiza)onalmemorywithinanac)vity(I7,E1,E2),tocreatenewinterac)on
objectsfromanexis)ngobject(B10),ortotemporarilymaintainviewswhile
exploringpossiblescenarios(G5).
Whateventsmighttriggerworkerstoconsiderversioninginforma)oninyour
sketchedapplica)onconcepts?
Whichoftheinterac)onobjectsthatyourteamhasenvisionedshouldnotsupport
mul)pleversions?Why?
Toversionanexis)nginterac)onobject,peopleokenseekexpectedandconven)onal
SaveasandCopycommandstocreatenamedduplicates(B1,B4).Productteams
canenvisionaddi)onalinterac)onpathwaystotailorac)veversioningtotargetedwork
prac)ces(C4)andrelevanterrorpreven)onscenarios(C9,G3).
Howmightyoursketchedfunc)onalityconceptscontextuallyprovideversioning
op)onsinrelatedinterac)vepathwaysanderrorscenarios?
Whatgoalsandprac)cesmightdriveworkerstoinves)gateversioninglineages
ofspeciconscreencontent?
Whenversioninggenealogiesarebothinforma)veinworkprac)ceandinherently
complex,teamscanenvisionfunc)onalityconceptsthatcouldallowworkerstomean
ingfullyorganize(B2)andviewversionlineages(B4).
Whenproductteamsdonotconsiderthepoten)alroleofac)veversioningintheirap
plica)onconcepts,opportuni)estosupportoutcomeexplora)on,cogni)vetracing(H),
andinforma)onsecurity(K13)maybelost.Eventhoughproductscanokenleverage
versioningfunc)onalityfromtheirsurroundingtechnologyenvironments,knowledge
workersmayvalueintegratedversioninginterac)vitywithintheirtools.Whenthey
perceiveavailableversioningmethodsasconfusing(C1)orasexcessivelyeortul
workarounds(D2,D3),theiropinionsofaproductsu)litymaysuer.
SeeAlso:A,B2,B5,B6,E1,F1,I1,J5

!

#
Whatrepresenta)onsoflineageinforma)onmightclarifyvaluableversioning
rela)onships?
#
Whatfunc)onalityconceptsmightyourteamenvisiontoallowuserstonavigate
orrestorepreviousversions?
#
Couldautomatedversioning,intheformofstoredhistoryaboutchangesin
interac)onobjects,complementorprovidemorevaluetotargetedworkersthan
ac)ve,manualversioning?
#

H2. Extensive and Reconstructive Undo

Undo functionality can offload effort from knowledge workers
to their computing tools by storing step-by-step trails of their
onscreen actions, effectively freeing them from concerns
of damaging previous efforts. Product teams can envision
functionality concepts that could allow workers to sequentially
reconstruct earlier states in their interactive applications.
"

Anancialtrader,realizingthathehasmadeamistake,usesundotonavigateback
wardinhistradingapplica)on,removingsomechangesthathehadmadetothe
parametersofalargedeal.Ifhehadalreadyexecutedthetrade,undowouldnot
haveworked,andhewouldhavehadtopickupthephonetotrytomakecorrec
)onstothecommiZeddata(seeillustra(on).
Ascien)sthasappliedachangetotoomanyclinicalsamplesinherlabsinforma
)onmanagementapplica)on.Sheisrelievedthatasingleundoac)onremovesthis
changeacrossalloftheaectedsamples.
Anarchitectworkingonaresiden)alprojectinherbuildingmodelingapplica)on
realizesthathercurrentdesignapproachiscrea)ngtoomuchobstruc)onbetween
twospaces.Sheins)nc)velyturnstotheapplica)onsundocommandtosequen
)allyremoveaseriesofac)ons,watchingthempeelbacktowhereshehadbeen
afewminutesago.
Incontrast,thenatureofsomeonscreenac)onsshouldhaveacertainlevelnality.
Dependingonthespecicsoftargetedworkprac)ces(A),productteamscaniden)fy
opera)onsandlargertasksthatshouldnotbethesubjectofrapid,lightweightundo.
Whenvaryingundorulesexistwithinanapplica)onconcept,teamscanenvisionclear
andconsistentmodelsofhowundowilloperateondierentfunc)onali)es(C1,H3),
referencingexis)ngconven)onswhenapplicable(C3).
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderthepoten)alroleofundointheir
applica)onconcepts,opportuni)estodirectlysupportdynamicandexploratoryuser
experiencescanbelost.Withoutundofunc)onali)es,workersmayhaveseveredicul
)esrecoveringfromerrors(C9,D2,D3,G3),poten)allyleadingtolowerqualitywork
outcomes(L1).InanaZempttoovercometheselimita)ons,theymayenactextensive
workarounds,suchasrepeatedlysavingandmanagingdierentversionsoftheir
valueddata(H1,I).
Seealso:C2,C10,D4,D5,G5,F9
How might undo functionality play a role in the knowledge work

practices that your team is striving to mediate? Does the nature
of targeted work allow for such uncommitted action? How
might undo options save targeted workers from erroneous
outcomes and allow them to valuably explore a breadth of
scenarios?
forknowledgework:
Financial
Trader
Howdotargetedindividualscurrentlyconsiderdierentop)onswithindierent
episodesoftheirwork?
Howcanthesecurrentexplora)onspreventmistakesandimproveworkoutcomes?
Whatexpecta)onsdotargetedworkersandtheirorganiza)onshaveaboutundo
func)onalityintheircompu)ngtools?
"

"

!

Whatbenetsmightundoprovideinthespecictasksorlargerac)vi)esthatyour
applica)onconceptsareintendedtomediate?
whatundoop)onscouldlooklike?
Whatexis)ngundorulesandconven)onsmightyouusefullyapply?
Howmightyourproductspreordainedtechnologiesinuenceyourteamsenvision
ingofundoexperiences?
Whileatypewriterscorrec)ontapeleavesar)factsofitsuse,thedigitalcontentsofin
terac)veapplica)onscanwithstandrepeatedmodica)onswithoutanylossofquality.
Undofunc)onalityexploitsthismutabilitytoprovidevaluableop)ons.
Bycapturingsequen)alevidenceofworkerspreviousac)ons,undocanbecomeakey
pathwayforknowledgeworkersseekingtoreconstructtheirearlierthoughtprocesses
andemergentac)ons(A6,E,H).Workersusingtrusted,stableproducts(K12,K13)can
becomecomfortablewiththeideaoftakingac)onswithoutcommilngtoanypar)cu
laroutcomesthatmightoccur.Theyareabletotry,thentryagain.
92
How,specically,mightundoapplywithinyoursketchedfunc)onalityconcepts?
Whatunusualcasesmaypresentdeni)onanddesignchallenges?
"

Whichstoreduserac)onsmightbeskippedinundosequences?
Howmightscenariosaroundcoopera)veorcollabora)veeortsimpactyourideas
aboutundorulesinsharedworkspaces?Shouldusersac)onsbecomemoreorless
permanentinthesescenarios?
Whatmighttheexperienceofrollingbackac)onsbelikeakerelapsedintervalsof
)me?
Whatnovelinterac)veandrepresenta)onalapproachesmightyourteamenvision
toallowworkerstomoreeec)velyusetheirstoredac)onhistories?
Howmightthestoredpathwaysofundofunc)onalityrelatetoanyotherlonger
term,historicalinforma)onaboutinterac)onobjectsinyourapplica)onconcepts?

ques)ons?Whataddi)onalresearch,problemspacemodels,anddesignconcept
ingcouldvaluablyinformyourteamsapplica'onenvisioningeorts?
H3. Automated Historical Records and Versions

Knowledge work applications can automatically store information about the actions that have been performed on specific
interaction objects or enacted within a given functional area.
Product teams can envision concepts for usefully presenting
captured historical events in ways that could allow workers to
meaningfully trace, and potentially restore, system elements
to earlier states and versions.
When might the individuals and organizations that your team

is targeting find value in looking back at what has occurred to
certain onscreen objects or within particular functionalities?
Why might they want to look at these histories? What related
information and options such as the ability to restore to
earlier, automatically captured versions might support their
motivations?

!

#
Anarchitectwantstoreviewchangesinapar)cularlycontroversialsec)onofa
buildingprojectbeforeaclientmee)ng.Sheusesherbuildingmodelingapplica
)ontoviewtheversionhistoryofthesec)on,whichallowshertobrowsealistof
relatedchangesthathaveoccurredinthelastweek(seeillustra(on).
Anancialtraderopensacompletedtransac)oninhistradingapplica)ontosee
whichspecicac)onshavebeentakenonthedealsinceheclosedit.Eventhough
hecannotchangeanythingwithoutmakingsomephonecalls,thehistoryinfoallows
himtoassesswhetherthelargeandcrucialdealisbeinghandledpromptly.
Ascien)stviewsthehistoryofasingleclinicalsampleinherlabsinforma)onman
agementapplica)on.Alloftheac)onsthathavebeentakenonthesample,from
itsacquisi)ontodierentstepsofprocessingandexperimentalmanipula)on,are
chronologicallylisted,alongwithautoma)callysavedversionsnapshots.
forknowledgework:
Architect
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderthepoten)alroleofstored,accessible
historyforcontentandfunc)onalareaswithintheirapplica)onconcepts,opportuni
)estosupportvaluableunderstandingsinworkprac)cecanbelost.Addi)onally,when
teamsdonotconsiderthepossibilityofautomatedversioning,theymaybeoverlooking
akeyareaofpoten)alfunc)onalvalue.Certainprac)cesmaybemademoredicult
(D2)withoutautomatedhistoryop)ons,suchasunderstandingcollabora)veac)on,
communica)ngaboutworkprogress(J4),planningnextsteps(B5,D3),andevalua)ng
cri)calincidents(C9,G3).
Conversely,inappropriatevisibilityintostoredeventscanbedistrac)ng(D4)andcan
poten)allyleadtounwantedsurveillanceeects(A2).
SeeAlso:A,B1,D5,E1,E2,G5,H
Howdotargetedworkerscurrentlytrackhistoricalinforma)onaboutar)factsin
theworkprac)cesthatyourteamisstrivingtomeditate?
Whatinforma)ondotheyrecord?Why?
Whendotargetedindividualscurrentlyrefertothesehistoricalrecords?

&

!

Whatvaluedoeshistoricalinforma)onprovideintheirowneorts?Incoopera)ve
andcollabora)veac)vi)es?
Givenworkerscurrentretrospec)velookinggoalsandculturalenvironments,which
specicinterac)onobjectsandfunc)onalityconceptsinyourteamssketched
productideasmightvaluablyprovidehistoricalrecordsandviews?
Whatlargertechnologytrendsandadvancedanalogiestootherproductscould
informyourteamsidea)onofconceptsformeaningfulhistoricaltrailsand
automatedversioning?
Whencomputersareappliedtoknowledgework,individualusersac)onscanbe
trackedinconsiderabledetail.Inthesameveinasstoringinterac)onsinsupportof
undofunc)onality(H2),compu)ngtoolscanusefullyinformateworkac)vi)esby
automa)callyrecording,anddisplayingondemand,meaningfulinforma)onabout
ac)onstakenonpar)cularobjects,orwithinpar)cularfunc)ons.
Sincetrackingsometypesofac)onsmaynotbeusefulordesirable,productteamscan
envisionautomatedhistoryfunc)onali)esthatrecordonlythoseeventsthatmaybe
per)nenttoworkersretrospec)velookinggoals,whichmayincludecertainac)ons
performedbythetoolitself(E5).Theserecordedevents,orautoma)callystoredver
sions,canbepar)cularlyvaluableinapplica)onconceptswhereimportantinterac)on
objectsandfunc)onsarelikelytobeaccessedbymul)pleworkersduringthecourseof
theirnormalprac)ces(A7,C7,G4).
93

% &
!

Whatinterac)vepathwayscouldbemadeavailablefromwithinlistsofrecorded
events?Howmighttheseac)onsrelatetoyourteamsfunc)onalityconceptsfor
ac)veversioningandundo?
Whichofyoursketchedfunc)onali)es,suchasanysignicantautoma)ons,might
besubjecttocomplex,cri)calincidents?Howmighthistoricaltrailsprovidevalue
akertheseincidentshaveoccurred?
Whatnovelinterac)veandrepresenta)onalapproachesmightyourteamenvision
toallowknowledgeworkerstomoreeec)velyusestoredhistoricalinforma)on
aboutcertainobjectsandfunc)ons?
Whatunwantedsurveillanceeectscoulduninten)onallyoccurfromcapturing
specicac)onsordataelementsinsavedhistoricalrecords?

" ' $

!

&

Howmightyourteamsapproachesforautoma)callystoredhistoriesrelateto
yourfunc)onalityconceptssuppor)ngcoopera)on,collabora)on,andworkspace
awareness?
H4. Working Annotations

Knowledge workers shorthand, contextual annotations can
support their own recollections and other cognitive processes.
Product teams can envision functionality concepts that
could allow workers to record these lightweight, often private
annotations in the context of specific interaction objects or
functional areas.
94
When and where are informal, working annotations currently

used in the knowledge work practices that your team is striving
to meditate? How might your application concepts allow
targeted workers to similarly draw in the margins while they
work within certain onscreen displays?

forknowledgework:
Anancialtrader,whileconsideringdierentpossibili)esforalargetrade,adds
somenotestothetradeformthathecanlookatlater,whenhegoestoexecute
thedeal.Hewantstomakesurehegiveseachofseveraldierentscenariosafair
tes)ngbeforecommilngtoasetofterms,andhisworkingnotesallowhimtokeep
trackofdierentprosandconsinordertogettothebestdeal(seeillustra(on).
Anarchitect,havingjustconcludedabriefclientmee)ng,wantstomakesome
quicknotesinherbuildingmodelingapplica)on.Sheswitchestotheoorplanview
oftheprojectsleandaddsanumberofvague,private,remindersonbuilding
elementsthatrequireheraZen)on.
Whichworkplaceloca)onsorar)factsdotargetedindividualscurrentlyapply
informal,ooadingannota)onstoaspartoftheirworkprac)ces?
Financial
Trader
Areworkingnotesrela)velysta)coraretheyitera)velyplacedandrevised?
!

Productteamscanenvisionfunc)onalsupportforworkingannota)onsastextual
notes,onscreendrawings,standardizedcategoricalfacets,aZachments,links,andother
op)ons.Theycanalsoconsiderhowthesemethodsmightcomeacrossaslightweight
andinforma)veratherthanbindingdeclara)ons.
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderfunc)onalityconceptsforinformal,
personalannota)ons,resul)ngapplica)onsmaydriveworkerstoturntooutside
annota)onmethodssuchasmarkingupprintouts(J7),notepads,orothermedia.
Individualsmayndintegra)ngtheseoutsideannota)onsbackintotheirwork
withinacompu)ngtooltobedicult(I)and)meconsuming(D3,D4).
Conversely,insomeknowledgeworkdomains,workingannota)onsmaybebeZer
supportedoutsideofinterac)veapplica)ons.Oinemethodscanprovidecertain
aordancesandalevelofexpressivenessthatworkersmayndpreferabletothe
op)onsthatareavailableincontemporarypersonalcompu)ng.
SeeAlso:A,B2,B6,H,J1,I7
Dorela)velylonglas)ngprivateannota)onssome)mesbecomepublic
communica)onsover)me?Whatdoworkersthinkofoutsideviewersseeing
theirworkingnotes?
Whichareasofyourteamsapplica)onconceptscouldbeusedinac)vitycontexts
withhighlevelsofcogni)veburden?Howmightusersooadsomeofthose
burdensbytakingadvantageofdirect,lightweightannota)onop)ons?
Ascien)stisplanninganewroundofexperimentsforaclinicalstudy.Asshethinks
throughthechangesthatshewouldliketomakebasedontheoutcomesofa
previousroundofexperiments,sheaddssomequicknotestoanumberofstandard
templatesinherlabsinforma)onmanagementapplica)on.
Invariable,interrupted(D5),andemergent(A6)tasksorlargerac)vi)es,individual
knowledgeworkersmayfacesomedicultyinkeepingtrackoftheirownthoughts
andac)ons.Tohelpcountertheseburdens,workersmayopportunis)callycreate
lightweightannota)onsthatooadtheeortofrememberingtheirplansandsituated
interac)ons(E1,E2).Theselightweightannota)onscaneec)vely)erecordedwork
abouttheworktospecicar)factsintheannotatorsprac)ce.Althoughsuchnotes
maybeseenwithinacircleofcolleagues,theshorthandofworkingannota)onsmay
notcontainfullyformedideasthatareintendedforoutsideinterpreta)on(J1,J5).
Whatroledotheseannota)onsplayinworkersindividualandcollabora)vemental
eorts?Whatvaluedotheyprovide?
Whichareasofyourproposedcompu)ngtoolare)edto)meconsumingac)vi)es
whereitislikelythatworkerswillbesubstan)allyinterruptedfromtheirmental
ows?Howmighttheymarktheirplacebyusingannota)onfunc)onality?
!

!

Whatmethodsofannota)oncouldbeappropriatewithinyourteamssketched
func)onalityconcepts,basedoncharacterizedooadinggoals?Mighttextual
notes,onscreendrawings,standardizedcategoricalfacets,aZachments,orlinks
beuseful?
Howcouldyoursketchedrepresenta)onsofworkingannota)onscontextually)e
themtotheironscreensubjects?
Whoshouldbeabletoviewwhosenotes,basedontheirpermissionswithinyour
compu)ngtool?
Whatusefulsupplementalinterac)vityandinforma)onmightyourteamenvision
aroundvariousworkingannota)ons?Forexample,shouldworkersbeableto
checkocompletednotesorsetdura)onsakerwhichtheirnoteswillfadefrom
prominence?

!

Howmightyourteamssupportforworkingannota)onsrelatetoyourfunc)onality
conceptsforautomatedhistoricalrecordsandversions?
I. Working with Volumes of Information

Valued computing tools can contain massive
amounts of content while somehow retaining
clarity and manageability in practice.
Designing such clarity requires a critical
understanding of how people think about and
use certain types of information.
can map and explore their applications
potential roles in aggregating and linking to
knowledge work content.
By taking time to explore potential scenarios
around growing collections of stored data,
teams can envision powerful, flexible,
and comprehensive user experiences for
information organization, discovery, retrieval,
use, and sharing.
95
Theinputsandoutputsofknowledgeworkokenamassover)mewithinorganiza)ons.
Inagrowingnumberofworkplaces,networkeddatabasesandleserversnowcomple
mentorhavelargelyreplacedlecabinetsandphysicalarchivesascentralrepositories
ofinforma)on.Incorpora)ngcomputersintoworkac)vi)escanincreasetheamount
ofcontentgeneratedandstoredduringeverydayworkprac)ce,sinceapplica)onsmay
trackmoreinforma)on,atgreaterdetail,thanwaspreviouslycustomary.
Inmanyknowledgeworkdomains,howworkersorganizeandmakeuseofrelevant
volumesofstoredinforma)oncanhavealargeinuenceoverthecharacterandquality
oftheirworkoutcomes.Peopleokenbecomehighlyskilledatcoopera)velydening
andusingcontentorganiza)onschemesthatarebasedonthetoolsavailabletothem
andthedomainspeciccharacteroftheirinforma)onassets.
Interac)veapplica)onscanprovideclearapproachesthatallowworkerstodevelop
andmaintainhighlyaccessibleinforma)onrepositoriesduringthenormalcourseof
theirprac)ces.Usefulfeaturesandstructurescanallowindividualstoopportunis)cally
minimizetheeortthattheyspendorganizingtheirownoutputsanddiscoveries,while
atthesame)memakingiteasiertolocateandmakeuseofper)nentinforma)on.
I1.Flexibleinforma)onorganiza)on
I2.Comprehensiveandrelevantsearch
I3.Powerfullteringandsor)ng
I4.Uncertainormissingcontent
I5.Integra)onofinforma)onsources
I6.Explicitmessagingforinforma)onupdates
I7.Archivedinforma)on
Productteamscanusetheseideastoexploreconceptsforsuppor)ngworkthatgener
atesortoucheslargeaggrega)onsofinforma)on,whetherthoseaggrega)onswould
bestoredwithinoroutsideoftheircompu)ngtools.Bythinkingabouttheexpansionof
informa)onaroundanapplica)onover)me,teamscanuncoveropportuni)esforvalu
ablefeatureswhileatthesame)mepromo)ngconsistentapproachesacrossthetotal
scopeoftheirproducts.
Thecentralno)onofthiscategoryismostcloselyrelatedtotheDeninginterac)on
objects(B),Providingopportuni)estoooadeort(E),Enhancinginforma)on
representa)on(F),andSuppor)ngoutcomeexplora)onandcogni)vetracing(H)
categories.
100APPLICATIONENVISIONINGIDEAS|I.WORKINGWITHVOLUMESOFINFORMATION
I1. Flexible Information Organization

Individuals and groups of knowledge workers can develop
useful methods of organizing the content that informs
and stems from their efforts. Product teams can envision
functionality concepts that could allow workers to flexibly
apply classification schemes to key interaction objects and
categorize information in data repositories.
How do targeted knowledge workers and organizations

currently organize information in its physical form, in interactive
applications, and in shared repositories? How might your
teams application concepts support these existing practices
while at the same time providing relevant new opportunities to
classify and categorize valued content?
!

Ascien)stisorganizingclinicalsamplesinheranalysisapplica)onbeforeshestarts
anotherroundofexperimentsinalargeresearchstudy.Shecreatesgroupingsthat
willallowhertoeasilyselectaseriesoftestsforthesameclinicalsubjectand
visualizethemasdierentphasesinthesame)meseries(seeillustra(on).
Anarchitectdenesaclassica)onmethodforaprojectsmaterialaZributesinher
buildingmodelingapplica)onsothatherteamcanorganizematerialop)onsas
theyareaddedtothesystem.Atahighlevel,herteamhasdecidedtocategorize
materialsprimarilybythebuildingareaswherethewillbeused,andsecondarily,
bycolor.
Anancialtraderquicklybrowsesamarketinforma)onfeed,applyingtagstonews
itemsthatheseesaspoten)allyrelevantforhisrm.Heknowsthatwhencol
leaguessearchthesamefeed,resultsthathavebeentaggedwithcategoriesbyany
traderwithinhisorganiza)onwillappearatthetopofthelistinanaZen)on
grabbingformat.
Organizinginforma)onintousefulandusableschemescanbeaprimaryskillforknowl
edgeworkers.Workersprac)cesmaycontainspecictasksorevenen)reac)vi)es
dedicatedtotheactoforganizingdataandotherar)facts.Thespecicsofinforma
)onstructurescanvarywidelywithinadomainorprofession(B1,B2),withdierent
individualsandorganiza)onscategorizingtheircontenttoreectdierentconceptual
models(C6)andmodesofworking(A8).
Productteamscanenvisionfunc)onalityconceptsthatexiblysupportworkersown
informa)onorganiza)oneorts(I2,I3).Thesefunc)onali)escanhavenumeroususes,
suchasooadingmemoryeort(E1,E2),suppor)ngcogni)vetracing(H),andpromot
ingimplicitcommunica)on(B5,C7,G4,J1).Forknown,denedschemesandcatego
ries,teamscanenvisionastar)ngpointofinforma)onstructure,orasetofstructured
op)ons,thatusersmightthencustomizetomeettheirownlocal,topdownneeds(C8).
Addi)onally,teamscanenvisionboZomuporganiza)onmethodsthatcouldbeintegral
toworkersusageofcertainfunc)onalityconcepts,allowinguserstoapplymeaningful
categoriza)onalongthewaytoaccomplishingtheirdaytodaygoals(G1).
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsidersupportforexibleinforma)onorga
niza)onintheirapplica)onconcepts,individualsandorganiza)onsmaybeforcedto
changehowtheyworkinordertoobeytheimplicitstructuresofresul)ngproducts
(A4,K).Thisadapta)onprocesscanpoten)allyleadtoconfusionanderror(C9,G3),as
wellastoworkerscrea)ngandperformingexcessivelyeortulworkaroundstokeep
informa)onorganizedinamannerthatsuitstheestablishedreali)esoftheirprac)ces
(D2,D3).
Seealso:A,B4,C5,E,F,I
96
forknowledgework:
Clinical
Scientist
Whogenerallydenestheorganiza)onalschemesandstandardsthatpeople
currentlyuseintheworkprac)cesthatyourteamisstrivingtomediate?Arethere
bothtopdownandboZomupsourcesofstandardiza)on?
Howdothesestandardsvarywithinyourtargetedmarkets?
Howhavetheseschemesevolvedintotheirpresentstatesover)me?Historically,
whatforceshavetypicallydrivenupdates?
#
!

!

#

Howfrequentlydoclassica)onsandcategoriza)onschange?
Howdotargetedknowledgeworkersdierentrolesandgoalorienta)onscurrently
drivedierentusesofthesameinforma)onschemes?
Howdopeopleusethelanguageofinforma)oncategoriestocreatecommon
ground,facilita)ngcollabora)vesensemakingandac)on?
Whatexpecta)onsaroundinforma)onorganiza)onhaveworkersdevelopedfrom
usingotherinterac)veapplica)ons?
Howmighttheaddi)onofyourcompu)ngtoolintocertainworkprac)cesaect
howvolumesofinforma)oncouldbeusefullyorganized?
#

"

#
!
Whatlargertechnologytrendsandadvancedanalogiestootherdomainscould
valuablyinformyourteamsidea)onaroundrelevantinforma)onorganiza)on
concepts?
Whatinherentlyusefulorganizingstructurescouldbepresentintherela)onships
betweenandamongyoursketchedinterac)onobjectsandfunc)onalityconcepts?
Whatconven)onalinterac)onop)onsanddesignpaZernscouldallowusersto
exiblycreateandappropriatelyapplyneededorganiza)onschemes?
WhatnewtopdownorboZomupcategoriza)onandclassica)onop)onsmight
peopleopportunis)callymakeuseof?
$

%!
!
!

Whatnovelfunc)onalityconceptsmightyourteamenvisiontodecreaseorremove
eortthatwouldotherwisebeneededtoorganizeinforma)onindesirableways?
I2. Comprehensive and Relevant Search

Knowledge workers frequently need to locate stored interaction
objects and onscreen information based on a variety of
parameters. Product teams can envision tailored functionality
concepts for specific types of goal oriented searches, as well
as flexible query assembly and results representation options
for unexpected and variable search needs.
Anancialtraderuploadsalistof175securi)esinordertosearchhisrmsexpan
siveholdings.Akerquicklyscanningtheavailablequan))esofeachiteminthelist,
hethensearcheswithintheresultstondoutwhatpropor)onofcurrentholdings
foreachsecurityhasbeenuntouchedforoveraweek(seeillustra(on).
Anarchitectreceivesacallfromaconstruc)onsiteaboutaooringinstalla)on
process.Sheusesherbuildingmodelingapplica)ontosearchforanyprojectspeci
ca)oncontentthatreferencesooringoradhesiveinthenorthernfoyer.
Sheviewstheresultsbothinatableandwithina3Dwireframeofthestructure.
97
Given the ubiquitous value of search functionality in many

computing experiences, how might search play a useful role
in your teams application concepts? What interaction objects
and stored information might targeted knowledge workers be
looking for as part of their work practices, and what search
tools and results representations could effectively help them
to find it?
#

forknowledgework:
Financial
Trader
Whattypesofinforma)onretrievalanddiscoverygoalsdotargetedindividuals
currentlyhavewithintheworkprac)cesthatyourteamisstrivingtomediate?
Howdothesegoalstwithinthenarra)vearcsofcertaintasksandlargerac)vi)es?
Howvariablearetargetedworkersinforma)onseekingapproaches?
Whatcommonali)esmightyourteamiden)fyacrossthesebehaviors?
#

Whatexpecta)onsforsearchfunc)onalityhaveworkersdevelopedfromusing
othercompu)ngtools?
Ascien)stusersheranalysisapplica)ontosearchamassivedatabasesharedby
severalcoopera)ngclinicalresearchlabs.Sheislookingforonlythoseclinicaldata
thatcontainbothacertaingene)cmarkerandtreatmentmethod.
valuablyinformyourteamsidea)onaroundrelevantsearchfunc)onali)es?
Knowinghowtoeec)velylocatespecicinforma)oncanbeaprimaryskillforknowl
edgeworkers,andindividualsmaydevelopdiversesearchingstrategiestoaccomplish
theirgoals(A6,A7,A8).
Thepervasivenessandu)lityofsearchinavarietyofuserexperiencescansetveryhigh
expecta)ons.Mee)ngtheseexpecta)onsinknowledgeworkapplica)onscanrequire
productteamstoenvisionpossibleintersec)onsofworkersinforma)onseekingtasks
(A),diversemetadata(B2,B5,B6),integrateddatasources(I5),highlevelalgorithmic
approaches,andotherfactors.
WhatinherentdataaZributes,suchasthecharacteris)csofinterac)onobjects,
couldpoten)allybesearchedoninyourapplica)onconcepts?
Wheremightopen,freetextsearchingofthesemetadatasupportworkersexis)ng
informa)onseekinggoals?
#
!

Whattailoredandspecializedsearchfunc)onalitymightyourteamenvisionfor
workersinforma)onseekinggoals?Whenmightsuchadvancedsearching
representthenorm,nottheexcep)on?
Beyondtypical,open,textualinputmethods,productteamscanenvisionsupplemen
tarysearchop)onsandapproachesthataregroundedinthespecicsoftargetedwork
prac)ces(B,I1).Tofacilitatecertainframesofunderstandinganddiscovery,teamscan
alsoexploreconceptsforinterac)veresultsformatsthatcomplementconven)onal
resultstables(F3,F7).Thinkingholis)cally(C4),teamscanenvisionhowusingsearch
func)onalitycouldbeoneopera)onortaskwithinlargerprogressionsofinforma)on
seekingbehavior(F4,G1),whichmanyinvolveltering,sor)ng,andrerepresen)ng
datasets(F8,I3).
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderthepoten)alroleofcomprehensiveand
relevantsearchintheirapplica)onconcepts,resul)ngtoolsmaynotadequatelysup
portworkersgoals.Excludedorpoorlyimplementedsearchfunc)onalitycancause
peopletolose)mescanningthoughvolumesofonscreencontent(D3).Addi)onally,
usersmaynotlocateordiscoverkeyinforma)on,leadingthemtoincorporatelessrel
evantitemsintotheirworkoutcomes(G3,K5,L1).Tomi)gatetheseissues,individuals
andorganiza)onsmayspendmoreeortincommunica)on(J)andinorganizingtheir
dataassets(D2).
Seealso:C8,E,F,H,I
$
%
Howmighttheadop)onofnewcompu)ngop)onsintotargetedworkprac)ces
createvolumesofcontentthatcouldbenetfrommorespecicinforma)onseeking
methods?
Whatnovelrepresenta)onsofsearchresultsmightyourteamsketchwiththegoal
ofallowingworkerstomeettheirinforma)onretrievalorexplora)ongoalsmore
directlyandaccurately?
Howcouldtheunderlyingalgorithmsofyoursearchconceptscreatecontentbiases
thatcouldmatchworkersinforma)onseekingmindsets?

#

#

"

I3. Powerful Filtering and Sorting

When confronted with large sets of information, knowledge
workers frequently benefit from the ability to reorder, highlight,
or exclude specific categories of stored content. Product teams
can envision functionality concepts that could allow workers
to perform valuable data manipulations based on goal oriented
criteria.
98
"

Anarchitectviewsatableinherbuildingmodelingapplica)onthatlistsallofthe
namedinteriorfeatureswithinabuildingdesign.Shethenltersthelisttoview
onlythoseitemsthathavechangespendingapproval,andthe3Dbuildingrep
resenta)onlightsupwithcolorsthatcorrespondtodierentapprovalstates
(seeillustra(on).
Anancialtraderltersasharedtableoftodaystradessothatitonlyshowshis
transac)ons.Hethensortsthetablebydollarvaluetogetageneralsenseforhis
cashvolume.
forknowledgework:
Architect
"

Conversely,withoutappropriatefeedbackcues(D6,F10),lteringandsor)ngfunc)on
alitycanleadtoerrorswhenusersdonotrecognizeorrememberthattheseop)ons
arecurrentlybeingappliedtotheirviewsofadataset(C9,E5).
Seealso:E3,F,H,I
createvolumesofinforma)onwheresometypeoflteringandsor)ngfunc)onality
couldbeuseful?
Whatexpecta)onsforreordering,highligh)ng,orexcludinginforma)onhave
targetedindividualsdevelopedfromusingothercompu)ngtools?
valuablyinformyourteamsidea)onaroundrelevantlteringandsor)ng
func)onali)es?
Adop)ngcompu)ngtoolstoorganizeandstoreinforma)oninknowledgeworkcan
removeusefulcuesandcontext.Withsomuchinforma)oncarryingasimilar,default
visualweight(C8),onscreenaggrega)onsofcontentmayseemsomehowatand
overwhelming.
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderthepoten)alroleofsor)ngandlter
ingintheirapplica)onconcepts,opportuni)estosupportworkersneedsforisola)ng
andunderstandingsubsetsofinforma)oncanbelost.Individualsmayndmanually
scanningthoughvolumesofdatatobeexcessivelyeortul(D2,D3),especiallywhen
theyarefamiliarwiththepoten)alvalueofsor)ngandlteringop)ons.Keycategories
ofcontentmaybemorediculttoiden)fy,locate,assess,andselect(G2),poten)ally
leadingworkerstoincorporatelessrelevantinforma)onintotheirworkoutcomes
(G3,K5,L1).
Outsideofusingsearchop)ons,whatapproachesdotargetedindividualscurrently
employtonarrowinoninforma)onwithintheworkprac)cesthatyourteamis
strivingtomediate?
Howdoknowledgeworkerscurrentlyreorderlargeamountsofcontentinorderto
meetcertaingoals?
Ascien)sttransformsavisualiza)onofclinicaldatainheranalysisapplica)onto
showonlydatapointsfromonegroupofsubjects.Databelongingtosubjectsin
thestudysotherfourexperimentalcondi)onsdisappearfromview,revealingan
interes)ngvisualtrend.
Productteamscanenvisionfunc)onalityconceptsforreorderinglargevolumesof
content,highligh)ngspecicitemswithinacontentpool,orexcludinginforma)on
thatdoesnotmatchcriteriarelevanttoworkerscurrentgoals(A6,A7,A8).Op)ons
andcategoriesforsor)ngandlteringconceptscanariseeitherfromthespecicsof
targetedworkprac)ces(A)orfromnovelusesofavailabledata(B).Thinkingholis)cally
(C4),teamscanenvisioneachoftheseviewmanipula)onmethods(F8,F9)asindividual
opera)onsandtaskswithinlargerprogressionsofinforma)onseekingbehaviors(F4,
G1),whichmayalsoinvolvesearchfunc)onality(I2).
Beyond, or in addition to, search options, what manipulations of

application data might targeted knowledge workers value in the
context of their information seeking and sense making goals?
What functionality concepts might your team envision to allow
workers to usefully rearrange and meaningfully sift through
larger sets of content?
WhatinherentdataaZributes,suchasthecharacteris)csofinterac)onobjects,
couldbecomeusefulfacetsforlteringandsor)ngofinforma)ondisplays?
"

Whichofyoursketchedfunc)onalityideascouldbenetfromspecialized,
contextuallytailoredop)onsforsikingthroughandrearrangingdata?
Whatlteringandsor)ngop)onscouldbecomestandardsacrossmul)ple
func)onalareaswithinyourapplica)onconcepts?
Whatnovelinterac)onsmightyourteamenvisiontoallowuserstolterand
sortthecontentofyoursketchedinforma)onrepresenta)ons?Howcouldthese
methodsrelatetoothervisualiza)onsandviewtransforma)onsthatyouhave
envisioned?
Howmightpowerfullteringandsor)ngop)onsbreakcommongroundbetween
workersorotherwiseinuencecollabora)veprac)ces?

!

I4. Uncertain or Missing Content

Adopting computing tools into knowledge work practice can
create new ambiguities around stored data, as well as aggravate
any ambiguities that were already inherent in information
collections. Product teams can envision functionality concepts
that could support workers as they identify, evaluate, and act
on uncertain and missing content.
99
Where might holes, conflicts, and unknowns appear in the

data sets that your teams application concepts have been
envisioned to import, reference, or generate? What specialized
symbologies and interactive options could help targeted
knowledge workers to recognize and then valuably correct
or appropriately act around these unstable information
situations?
#

Ascien)stisreviewingavisualiza)onofalargeclinicalresultssetinheranalysis
applica)on.Sheno)cesavisualdis)nc)onthatseemstobeindica)ngmissingdata
foronesubject,promp)nghertoviewthepar)cularsubjectsdatatableinorderto
makeadetermina)onofwhat,ifanything,hasgonewrong(seeillustra(on).
Anancialtraderviewsahistoricalpricinggraphofapar)cularsecurityinhistrad
ingapplica)on.Severalintervalsofthegraphareaggedtoshowwherethepricing
informa)onisunreliableduetotoomuchvariabilitybetweenthethreedierent
pricingfeedsthathisrmuses.
Anarchitectopensaprojectinherbuildingmodelingapplica)ononlytondthat
partofthe3Dmodelhasbeenprogramma)callycoloredredtoshowconic)ng
changesfromdierentmembersofherteam.Acontextualmessagestatesthatthe
segmentiscri)callyuncertainandrequiresresolu)onbeforeanyfurthermodica
)onscanbemade.
Contentstoredininterac)veapplica)onsmaypresentknowledgeworkerswithavari
etyofsurprisesandproblems.Largedatasetscandevelopholesanddistor)onsover
)methatworkersmustrecognizeandunderstandinordertoacteec)vely.Colleagues
mayunexpectedlyanddras)callymodifythecharacteris)csofoneormoreinterac)on
objects(B6,C7,G4,H3).Individualobjectsoren)rerepositoriesofdatacanbemerged
withlikecontent,okenwithsurprisingresults.Automa)onscanprogramma)cally
generategarbledoutputsakerchokingonsmallinputabnormali)es(E3,E4,E5).
ProductteamscanaZempttoiden)fythesetypesofscenariosintheirconceptsfor
workmedia)on(A).Akeriden)fyingcasesthatarebothprobableandpoten)ally
damaging,teamscanthenenvisionfunc)onalityconceptsthatcouldprovideworkers
withappropriatevisibilityintopoten)alissues(F10)andclearpathwaystosubsequent
ac)on(C4).
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderapproachesforpromo)nggracefulhan
dlingofuncertainormissingcontentintheirapplica)onconcepts,resul)ngtoolsmay
promotecertaintypesoferrors(C9,G3)andleadtolessbenecialworkoutcomes(L1).
Whenusersrecognizetheexistenceofkeycontentproblemsbutarenotprovidedwith
tailoredfunc)onalsupport,theymayhavedicultydetermininghowtoproceed
(D2,D3,K7).
Conversely,uncertainormissingcontentisacharacteris)cpartofsomeknowledge
workendeavors.Inthesecases,thediversityofscenarios(A6,A7,A8)maybetoohigh
forteamstoenvisionsystema)cresponses,andusersmayndanysuchresponsesto
bedistrac)ngandunnecessarilylimi)ng(A9,D4,C8).
Seealso:B1,B5,D6,G6,H,I,K12
forknowledgework:
Clinical
Scientist
Whattypesofanomalousinforma)ondotargetedindividualscurrentlyencounter
intheworkprac)cesthatyourteamisstrivingtomediate?
Howseriousarethesesitua)ons?Whaterrorsandcollabora)veproblemscan
result?

$ %
Howfrequentaredierentcasesofuncertainormissinginforma)on?Aretheyrare
excep)onsoracommonpartofwhatitmeanstoaccomplishtheworkthatyour
teamistarge)ng?
Howdoknowledgeworkerscurrentlyhandleuncertainandmissingcontentintheir
compu)ngtools?Whataltudesdotheyhaveabouttheseanomaliesintheir
informa)onenvironments?
Whereinyourteamsenvisionedapplica)onconceptsmightanomalousdata
nega)velyimpactworkprac)ces?Howlikelyanddamagingarethesecases?
Whatlargerdesignandtechnologytrendscouldvaluablyinformyouridea)on
aroundrelevantsolu)onsforuncertainandmissingcontent?

#

!
Whatautomatedchecksmightyourproductconductinordertodeterminethe
presenceorabsenceofanomalousdata?
Whatsymbologyandvisualcuescouldcommunicatetheexistenceofuncertainor
missingcontentinyourapplica)onsdisplays?Whatinforma)onrepresenta)ons
andmessagingcouldhelptargetedworkerstoeec)velyrecognize,understand,
evaluateandworkthroughtheseissues?
Whatinterac)onop)onscouldbepresentedinconjunc)onwithaggeddatain
ordertoallowworkerstotakeappropriate,orevenmandated,nextsteps?
Howmightyourteamssketchedresponsesforanomalousdatasitua)onsrelateto
largererrorpreven)onandhandlingconven)onsinyourapplica)onconcepts?

"

I5. Integration of Information Sources

Some knowledge work practices involve referencing or integrating outside content from a variety of sources. Product teams
can envision application concepts that could bring together
disparate information in meaningful ways, potentially offloading
effort that would otherwise be needed to navigate to multiple
sources.
I want some inspira!on

around how I should
change a certain part
of this building model...
Architect
So I select it...
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderthepoten)alroleofoutsideinforma)on
sourceswithintheirapplica)onconcepts,opportuni)estoreduceworkersinforma
)onseekingeorts(C4,D4)andtorepresentcon)nui)esacrosssourcescanbelost.
Whenchoosingtoreferenceinforma)onfeelslikeanextrastep,peoplemaybeinclined
tolimittheiruseofoutsidecontentortoconsiderfewersources,whichmayinturn
reducethecrea)vityandqualityoftheirworkoutcomes(L1).
Seealso:C1,E,I
Doindividualscurrentlyusemorethanonesourceatthesame)mewhenseeking
informa)on?Whatcon)nui)esandcontrastsdotheylookforacrosssources?
Whichcommonlyusedresourcesanddatarepositoriesmightfeasiblybelinkedto,
orsomehowincorporatedwithin,yourteamscompu)ngtool?
Couldyourrmoeritsownreferencecontentasavalueaddedfeature?What
impactmightsuchaservicehaveonyourdesignstrategyandbrand?
Whatlargermarket,technology,anddesigntrendscouldinuenceyourteams
ideasaboutvaluablymakingoutsideinforma)onavailableinsideyourapplica)on
concepts?
Inmanyknowledgeworkdomains,thequalityofworkersoutputs(L1)canlargelybe
basedontheinforma)onthattheylocateandmakeuseofwhilecomple)ngtheiref
forts.Whilesometypesofworkrelyonasingle,standardreference,manyprac)cescan
bebeZersupportedbyavarietyofsources,whichindividualscanchoosetosynthesize
oruseselec)vely(G5).
Choicessurroundingwhichinforma)onsourcestousecanbehighlypoli)caldueto
conic)ngindustrystandardsandthedivergentpreferencesofindividualsortheirorga
niza)ons(A4,K3,K12).Appropriatelevelsofcustomiza)oncanmaketheseintegra)ve
featuresmoremeaningfulinagreaternumberofproductadop)oncontexts(C8).
Whichreferencesandresourcesdotargetedindividualsknowandrespect?Are
therestandards,orarepeoplemorelikelytoturntothebreadthoftheWebfor
poten)alop)ons?
Whatvaluedocertaininforma)onsourcesprovide?Howdoworkersapplytheir
relevantcontent?
Anancialtraderknowsthatthemarketpricesdisplayedinhistradingapplica)on
areanautoma)callyblendedaverageofthreedierentpricingfeeds,suppliedby
dierentthreedierentvendors.
Basedonspecicunderstandingsofinforma)onneedsanduse(A),productteamscan
envisionfunc)onalityconceptsthatcouldposi)velytransformhowworkersaccess
contentfromvaluedoutsidesources(E3,E4).Integratedinforma)oncanbepresented
inclear,poten)allynovel,compara)verepresenta)ons(F3,F5)thataretailoredto
workersgoalsandapproaches(F).Whenapplicable,teamscanalsoenvisionscenarios
anddesignconceptsforpromo)ngtheserendipitousdiscoveryofunexpectedanduse
fulexternalcontent(G6).
What information sources do targeted knowledge workers refer

to during the specific tasks and larger activities that your team
is striving to mediate? How might this content be valuably
brought inside the bounds of your computing tool, either in
its current format or in new, distilled views that are tailored to
certain work goals?
forknowledgework:
Anarchitectlikesafeatureinherbuildingmodelingapplica)onthatallowsherto
browsediverseinforma)onbasedonhercurrentselec)oninthecompu)ngtool.
Forexample,itmaypullupsimilardetailsfrompreviousprojectswithinher
studioordownloadreviewsforapar)cularbrandofbuildingmaterialfroma
leadingindustrywebsitethatshefrequentlyvisits(seeillustra(on).
Ascien)sthasselectedtwoonlinedatabasestouseassupplementalreferencein
forma)onaboutgene)csequencesinherclinicalstudies.Shelinksthesedatabases
toheranalysisapplica)onsothatwhenshebecomesinterestedinaspecicgene)c
sequenceduringherdataexplora)ons,shecaneasilycomparereferenceinforma
)ononthesequencefromtwodierentsourcesthatshetrusts.
100
And this panel in the tool

tells me what has
currently been defined
for the selec!on...
Whenandwheremightcertaintypesofintegratedinforma)onprovidevaluewithin
theinterac)veowsofyoursketchedfunc)onalityconcepts?
Howmightusefulrepresenta)onalcharacteris)csofexis)nginforma)onsources
bepreservedorevenenhancedwithintheboundariesofyourcompu)ngtool?
Whatnovelinterac)veandrepresenta)onalconceptsmightyourteamenvisionto
usefullydis)lloutsideinforma)onandclarifyitsrela)onshipstoassociatedcontent
withinyourproduct?Howmightthesedisplaysvaluablyooadcompara)ve
eorts?
While this panel, which is

much more inspiring, lists
all sorts of similari!es that
the applica!on finds.
For example, it searches an
open source Web database
for building elements with
similar forms...
I6. Explicit Messaging for Information Updates

Content within or associated with interactive applications
can change as a result of automated updates and knowledge
workers own efforts. To prevent misconceptions and build
confidence in information freshness and integrity, product
teams can envision clear instruction and messaging around
content updates.
What important information used within your teams application

concepts could change in ways that may be difficult to assess
and understand? How might your computing tool communicate
useful conceptual models and timely alerts in order to support
workers understandings of information currency?
I absolutely need the

most current info
available in order to do
my job. Its as simple
as that...
forknowledgework:
Anancialtraderknowsthatthepricinginforma)oninhistradingapplica)onis
updatedcon)nuouslybasedoncurrentmarketcondi)ons.Theirdatabaseofsecu
ritynamesandsymbolsislessdynamic,upda)ngeveryweeknightat10PMESTto
reectanychangesannouncedduringtheprevioustradingday(seeillustra(on).
Ascien)stknowsthatheranalysisapplica)onupdatescertainreferenceinforma
)onaboutgene)csequencesdailyandthatwhensheviewsdetailsonaspecic
sequence,theinforma)onispulledinreal)mefromonlinedatabases,whichare
updatedmoresporadically.
Anarchitectknowsthatallofthereferencematerialaboutbuildingregula)onsin
herbuildingmodelingapplica)onwasenteredbyherteamatthestartoftheproj
ect.Thiscontentwillnotbeupdatedunlesssomeoneonherteammanuallymakes
changes,whichtheapplica)onwillthenhighlightaspeopleworkonrelatedareas
ofthemodel.
Understandingchangesininforma)onenvironmentscanbeanecessaryskillforknowl
edgeworkers.Individualsmaymonitorcertaincontenttosupporttheirownunder
standingofwhatprogressisbeingmadeinsidetheirorganiza)onsorintheireldsat
large(C7,G4,H3).Theirinvestmentinmaintaininganongoingunderstandingofcertain
informa)onscurrencycanalsoberootedinitspoten)alinuenceontheirownwork
outcomes(L1).
Theintroduc)onofinterac)vecompu)ngintoworkprac)cescanaddnewchallenges
fortrackingthesetypesofchanges.Forexample,applica)onscanincreasethefrequen
cyofsometypesofinforma)onupdatesthroughautoma)on(E3,E4,K10)andreduce
theeortrequiredtomakesweepingchangesacrossmul)pledataobjects(D2,D3).
Whatvaluedotargetedindividualsplaceonunderstandingthefreshnessof
dierenttypesofinforma)onintheworkprac)cesthatyourteamisstrivingto
mediate?
Financial
Trader
If Im at all concerned,
I can check on the real
!me feeds to see that they
are always upda!ng...
Whatmentalmodelsandsharednarra)vesdoworkershaveabouthowthevarious
typesofinforma)onintheirprac)cesarecurrentlyupdated?
Howdoworkersassessthecurrencyofcertaintypesofinforma)onthatthey
encounterintheireorts?Whatcuesdotheyreference?
Real Time Price Feeds
Seealso:B2,C5,B6,C8,E5,G6,H
Howcanmisunderstandingsofinforma)oncurrencyleadtoerrors?Howdo
workerscurrentlydiagnoseandrecoverfromtheseerrors?
createvolumesofinforma)onwheremessagingaboutinforma)oncurrencycould
beusefulornecessary?
Whenandwheremightmessagingofinforma)onupdatesprovideclarifyingvalue
inyourteamssketchedfunc)onalityconcepts?
Whatguidingconceptualmodelsmightyourteamenvisiontohelpclarifythe
processbehind,andpoten)alcausesof,informa)onupdates?
I can also see price updates

automa!cally happen as I
fill out trade !ckets...
Whatini)alinstruc)oncouldhelpins)lltheseconceptualmodelsinusersasthey
adoptyourcompu)ngtool?Howmightindividualinterac)onsaroundinforma)on
currencyalsoconveyappropriatebackground?
Howmightyourteamsdesignresponsesforcommunica)nginforma)oncurrency
relatetoyourerrorpreven)onandhandlingconven)ons?Yoursketched
approachesforsuppor)ngworkspaceawareness?
Productteamscanmapkeyinforma)oncurrencyscenariosintargetedworkprac)ces
(A)andenvisionfunc)onalityconceptsthatcouldsupportdesirableawarenessesand
understandings.Theseenvisionedresponsescanincludeappropriateintroductory
instruc)on(C1,K2),no)ca)ons(D6),andcontextualvisualcues(F10,F11).
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhowtheirapplica)onconceptsmight
promoteaconsistentmodelandmessagingapproachforinforma)onupdates,result
ingcompu)ngtoolsmayrenderimportanttransforma)onseec)velyinvisible.When
workersarepresentedwithunexpecteddisrup)onsincontent,aproductstrustworthi
nesscansuer(K12,K13).Usersmaydevelopalternateconcep)onsofhowandwhen
contentisupdated,poten)allycausingthemtoactinerror(C9,G3)ortoincorporate
extraac)onsintotheirprac)cestoensurethattheyareworkingwithcurrentcontent
(D4).
101
And if I want, I can keep

current by looking at the
new names that are
added to the system once
daily and will trade in the
market the following day...
Symbol Updates
I7. Archived Information

As activities progress over time, knowledge workers often
generate information that, while valuable to their long term
and organizational memories, may not need to be present or
easily accessible. In order to improve workers ability to focus
on their current efforts, product teams can envision functionality
concepts that support archiving of completed work.
Anarchitectarchivesallprojectsinherstudiosbuildingmodelingapplica)onthat
havebeenfullyconstructedandoccupiedforovertwoyears.Althoughthereisno
technicalneedtomoveoldprojects,everyoneatherrmndstheirsystemseasier
tonavigatewhentheycontainonlycurrentandrecentwork(seeillustra(on).
102
What information do targeted knowledge workers implicitly

or actively leave behind as they move forward in the work
practices that your team is striving to mediate? How might
your application concepts allow targeted individuals and their
organizations to archive this content so that it is still available
but not actively seen as part of their current efforts?
Thewholestudio
iscomplainingthat
oldprojectsare
cluZeringour
buildingmodeling
database,soIm
goingtoarchive
someofour
completedwork...
forknowledgework:
Howmuchinforma)oniscurrentlygeneratedintheworkenvironmentsthatyour
teamistarge)ng?Howmuchofthatvolumecomesfromyourtargetedtasksand
largerac)vi)es?
Architect
Anancialtraderknowsthathecanviewhisgroupstransac)onsfromthelast
threemonthsinhistradingapplica)on.Older,archivedinforma)onisavailableon
request,thoughherarelyneedstolookbackmorethanaweek.
Ascien)stndsthatherlabisllingthecapacityoftheirsharedresearchdatabase
fasterthanexpected.Tomakeroomforamassivenewclinicalstudy,shechoosesto
archiveolderstudiestoaseparatedatabase.
Completedprojectsanddatedinforma)oncanllupspaceandcogni)velycluZera
knowledgeworkenvironment.Giventhatinterac)veapplica)onscanhousegrowing
volumesofinforma)on,workersmaycometovaluetheabilitytoexcludeselected
oldercontentfromtheirdaytodayonscreenviews.
Productteamscanenvisionarchivingfunc)onalitybasedoninformedpredic)onsof
howtheircompu)ngtoolswillbeusedover)me(A).Availableop)onsfromassociated
storagetechnologies,suchasotheshelfleserversordatabases,maynotprovide
compellingoreec)vesupportforspecicarchivingneedsthatcanariseakerproduct
adop)on(K10).Usefulandusablearchivingfunc)onalitycanincludetailoredpathways
forplacingcontentintoanarchive(C4),managingarchivedcontent(B9,I1),searching
andviewingarchivedcontent(I2,I3),andrestoringarchivedcontenttoanac)vestate.
Func)onalityconceptsforarchivingcaninvokethefeelingofsepara)onanddistance
betweenac)veandarchivedinforma)on(G1).Eventhoughthisfeelingcanbesome
whatar)cialinatechnicalsense,itmaybeausefulno)onwhenenvisioninginstruc
)on(K2,K6,K7)andvisualrepresenta)ons(F10,L4)withinarchivingexperiences.
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderthepoten)alarchivingneedsthatare
inherentintheirapplica)onconcepts,resul)ngtoolsmaybecomeunwieldythrough
extendeduse.Productsmaypresentworkerswithescala)ngnaviga)ondicul)es,
decreasingclarityaroundcurrentworkload(D3),andincreasingtechnicalperformance
problems(K13).Usersmayndthecircuitouspathsoftheirownworkaroundstobe
excessivelyeortul(D2)andpronetoseriouserrors,suchasdataloss(C9,G3,K5).
Seealso:B2,E2,H3,I,J7
Dothesevolumesofinforma)oneventuallybecomeanobstacletoworkers
successfullyaccomplishingtheirprac)ces?
I'mgoingthroughthe
projectslistinourmodel
ingtoolandsor)ngitby
lastaccessedtosee
thingsthatnoonehas
touchedforawhile...
ProjectList
Istheideaofarchivinginforma)onalreadypresentinsomewayintargeted
organiza)ons?Howareexis)ngarchivescurrentlycategorizedandaccessed?
Howfrequentlydotargetedindividualsreviewoldwork?
Whatgoalscantriggerretrospec)veac)on?Doworkerstypicallyreopenpast
eortsbrieytondsomespecicinforma)onordoreopeneditemsprovidevalue
overamoreexpansiveperiod?
Howmightcurrentarchivingneedsbesupportedwithintheboundsofyourteams
applica)onconcepts?
Howmightyourproductspreordainedtechnologiesinuenceyourteams
envisioningofarchivingop)ons?Whatlargertechnologicaltrendscouldbe
inuen)al?
Next,Imgoingtoarchive
everythingthathasnot
beenaccessedwithinthe
lasttwoyears,butleave
alltheunbuiltprojects
andproposals...
TransferringProjectstoArchive
createnewvolumesofinforma)onthatcouldbenetfrombeingmeaningfully
separatedintocurrentandarchivedpools?
How,specicallymightoldinforma)ongetinthewayinyourteamsprimary
Whatinterac)vepathwaysmightyourteamenvisiontoeec)velysupport
processesofarchivinginforma)on,managingarchivedcontent,searchingforand
viewingarchivedcontent,andrestoringarchivedcontentanunarchivedstate?
Andnow,lookingatthe
listthewaythatmostof
ourstalooksatit,itsa
loteasiertoworkwith...
Whichofyoursketchedinterac)onobjectsmightserveasthebasisofarchiving
interrelatedanddependentcollec)onsofstoredcontent?
ProjectList
Howmightthestatesofinterac)onobjectsbeusedtodrivearchivingac)ons?
Mightarchivedbevaluableasadis)nctobjectstate?
Howmightanarchivesconceptuallyseparate,distantnatureinformyourteams
envisioningofrelatedvisualrepresenta)onsandinstruc)onalcontent?
J. Facilitating Communication
Valued computing tools can enhance certain
types of direct communication while opening
up opportunities for more ambient and
tangential signs and messages.
Designing for such meaningful interchange
requires a critical understanding of where
and how people deem communication to be
important.
teams can map and explore their onscreen
applications potential roles in current and
desired communication scenarios.
By taking time to think through different
possibilities for interpersonal connectivity and
mediated interchange, teams can uncover
opportunities to tailor their functionality
concepts to the conversational flows of
knowledge work practice.
103
Aknowledgeworkersinvolvementinanac)vityokenbeginsandendswithcommu
nica)on.Inbetweenthesetwopoints,workersmayalsocommunicateextensivelyas
partoftheunfoldingnarra)vesoftheirac)ons.
Productteamscaneasilyoverlookpoten)alcommunica)onscenariosthatareinherent
totheirsketchedapplica)onconcepts.Thesescenarioscanpresentkeyopportuni)es
tomorefully)eacompu)ngtoolintothelargertrajectoriesofknowledgeworkac)vi
)es.Withoutsucientconsidera)onofthesetrajectories,onscreenproductscaneasily
becomeisolatedislandsoffunc)onalitythatworkersmusteortullyincorporateinto
theirexis)ngcommunica)onmethods.
Giventhatworkersmaynotappreciateapplica)onop)onsthataresomehowredun
dantwiththecommunica)onchannelsthattheyarealreadyusing,productteamscan
envisionusefulmethodsofincorpora)ngorconnec)ngtotargetedworkersexis)ng
channelsinmeaningfulways.
Beyondassocia)onswithexis)ngchannels,teamscanalsoenvisionspecializedfunc
)onalityconceptstosupportwellcharacterizedcommunica)onneeds,whetheroine
oronscreen.Thesefunc)onali)esmightsupportexis)ngprac)cesorpromotenew
ones,suchasnewformsofsituatedcommunica)onwithinanapplica)onsown
informa)onlocales,eitherinreal)meorasynchronously.
J1.Integralcommunica)onpathways
J2.Representa)onalcommonground
J3.Explicitworkhandos
J4.Authorshipawareness,presence,andcontactfacilita)on
J5.Publicannota)on
J6.Streamlinedstandardcommunica)ons
J7.Pervasiveprin)ng
Productteamscanusetheseideastoexplorefunc)onalityconceptsthatcouldsup
portcommunica)onneedswithinthescopeofknowledgeworkac)vi)esthattheyare
targe)ng.Idea)onfocusedonhowaproductcouldmediateexis)ngandnewformsof
communica)oncanhelpteamsuncoverinnova)veandgenuinelyvaluableopportuni
)estomorecompletelybridgecoopera)veandcollabora)veworkprac)ces.These
bridgingfunc)onscanooadcertaincommunica)veeortsandpromotehighcompre
hensionexperiencesforworkersexchanginginforma)onandthinkingtogether.
media)onanddeterminingscope(A),Providingopportuni)estoooadeort(E),
Enhancinginforma)onrepresenta)on(F),andClarifyingcentralinterac)ons(G)
categories.
100APPLICATIONENVISIONINGIDEAS|J.FACILITATINGCOMMUNICATION
J1. Integral Communication Pathways

Computer mediated communication can become integral to
knowledge work practices, even in cases where collaborating
workers and stakeholders are in close proximity. Product teams
can envision functionality concepts that could provide workers
with clear, relevant, direct, and contextually appropriate options
for actively communicating about important application content.
Ascien)stuserstheintegralcommunica)onop)onsinherlabsinforma)onman
agementapplica)ontocommunicatewithlaboratorysta,outsidevendors,and
distantcollaborators.Thisintegra)onsavessomeworkwhenstar)ngcommunica
)ontasks,anditalso)escommunica)onactsandinforma)onwithrelatedlabora
torydatainthesystem(seeillustra(on).
104
Why might targeted knowledge workers want to communicate

about the various types of information that your team has
envisioned as being part of your application concepts? With
whom might they want to actively communicate? How could
specific communication tasks be usefully supported through
direct and integral functionality?
Our labs communica!on is o"en about our

data, so its great that
our informa!on
management tool has
some of our exis!ng
ways of communica!ng
built right into it...
forknowledgework:
Whattrajectoriesofworkprac)cethatyourteamisstrivingtomediateinvolve
inten)onalcommunica)onaspartoftheirini)a)onorcomple)on?
Clinical
Scientist
Howdotargetedindividualscurrentlycommunicatewhilecoopera)ngor
collabora)ngaroundinforma)onar)facts?
Anancialtraderjustcompletedacomplextransac)onwithmanyparts.Toensure
thatthebackoceworkerswhowillprocessthetradehavetheinforma)onthat
theyneed,heuseshistradingapplica)ontoaddsomespecialinstruc)onstothe
completedtradeform.
Whatcommunica)onchannelsdoworkersuseaspartoftargetedopera)ons,tasks,
andlargerac)vi)es?
Anarchitectclosesherbuildingmodelingapplica)on.Asthetoolshutsdown,
sheoptstouseafunc)onthatwillsendastatusreporttoselectedrecipientson
herteam.Thisreportwillcontainasummaryofchangesthatshehasmadetothe
buildingmodelduringherworksession.
suppor)ngintegralcommunica)onwithinyourproduct?
Whichac)vecommunica)onprac)cesdoworkerscurrentlyndtobeproblema)c
ortedious?Why?
Howmightyoursketchedfunc)onalityconceptsconveniently)eintoworkers
exis)ngcommunica)onchannelsingoalorientedways?
Theabilitytocommunicateeec)vely,inavarietyofforms,isokenakeypartof
knowledgeworkersskillsets.Eventhoughproductteamsmaytreatcommunica)on
actsasseparatetasksintheirra)onaliza)onsofworkersprac)ces(A),endusersmay
notmakethesetypesofdis)nc)onsintheirownmentalmodelsoftheirownac)vi)es.
Peoplecanvalueapplica)onsthatan)cipatetheircommunica)onneedsandpresent
related,contextualop)ons(E3,E4)withinthepathwaysoftheironscreenac)ons.
Whatnewfunc)onalityconceptsmightyourteamenvisiontomakecommunica)on
easierandmoremeaningfulwithintargetedworkprac)ces?
Howmightcommunica)onbedierentwhenrecipientsarenotusersofyour
compu)ngtool?Howcouldtheseexternalconversa)onsremainclearly)ed
toyourproduct?
Productteamscanlookforopportuni)esintheirsketchedcompu)ngtoolstoprovide
clear,relevant,direct,andintegratedcommunica)onchoices(C4,G1).Sincenotall
communica)ontasksarethesame,modelsofmessagefrequency,)ming,formality,
importance(D3),andotherdimensionscanhelpteamsenvisiondis)nctfunc)onal
responses(A).Theseresponsesmayinvolveinteroperability(K8,K9)orfullintegra)on
(K10)withworkersexis)ngcommunica)ontechnologies.Alternately,somescenarios
ofcommunica)onmaybebeZersupportedvianewchannelsandop)onswithinthe
envisionedapplica)onitself(J5,C7,G4),ratherthanviaexis)ng,separate,loosely
linkedpathways.
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhowinten)onalcommunica)oncould
beintegratedintotheirapplica)onconcepts,resul)ngtoolsmaydriveuserstotake
extra,okenoutside,stepsinordertoaccomplishtheirgoals(D2).Thecollec)vetollof
theseaddi)onalcommunica)oneortsonworkersproduc)vityandsa)sfac)oncan
besubstan)al(D3).Incaseswhereindividualsplaceahighvalueonthecommunica)ve
por)onsoftheirdaytodayworkexperiences,failuretointegrallysupportsometypes
ofcommunica)onactsmayconveyalackofproductqualityandlargeru)lity(K3).
Seealso:B,C6,D4,D6,F,J
Howmightyourteamsapproachesforsuppor)ngintegralcommunica)onrelate
toyourotherfunc)onalityconceptsforsuppor)ngcoopera)on,collabora)on,and
workspaceawareness?
COMMUNICATION CHANNELS INTEGRATED INTO FUNCTIONALITY
Instant Messenger
Fax
Email
J2. Representational Common Ground

When knowledge workers collaborate around the same representations of information, their communication can require less
effort and feel more direct. To support the creation of shared
meaning, product teams can envision functionality concepts
that could allow workers to generate and share common
visual ground.
What information do targeted knowledge workers currently

share in order to make their exchanges clearer? How might
your teams application concepts support existing approaches
for creating common ground? What novel functionalities might
you envision to valuably support the sharing of information
views within mediated communication?
Itshardtotalk
aboutthesedetails
overthephone,
soletmesharemy
viewofthebuilding
modelwithyou...
forknowledgework:
Anarchitectishavingaphonemee)ngwithanenergyconsultant.Sincethespecic
designfeaturesunderdiscussionarediculttoverballydescribe,sheselectsan
op)oninherbuildingmodelingapplica)ontoshareherviewofa3Ddisplay.The
consultant,whoisalsousingthesameproduct,cantheneasilyseethepor)onsof
themodelthatthearchitectispoin)ngatwithhercursor(seeillustra(on).
Anancialtraderinstantmessagesapar)culartradesiden)fyinginforma)ontoa
remotecolleague.Thisinforma)onallowsthemtobothhavethesamedatapulled
upintheirrespec)veapplica)onswhiletalkingthroughanissueoverthephone.
Ascien)stselectsalinkinanemailfromhercolleagueregardingtheclinicalstudy
thattheyarebothworkingon.Heranalysisapplica)onlauncheswithitsvisualiza
)onsdisplayedinawaythathighlightsthetrendsthathercolleaguemen)oned
intheemailmessage.
Eec)vecommunica)onandcollabora)oninknowledgeworkprac)ceisokenbuilt
uponacommongroundofsharedinforma)onrepresenta)on(F1).Whenworkers
collaborateinperson,theycantypicallyestablishcommongroundaroundashared
display,setofprintouts(J7),notes,orsketches.Generallyspeaking,theserepresenta
)onsarevisualar)facts,andmanyofthemwereini)allycreatedonscreen,usingone
ormorecompu)ngtools.
Architect
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhowtheirapplica)onconceptscouldsup
portthecrea)onofrepresenta)onalcommonground,resul)ngproductsmaydecrease
theeaseandqualityofworkerscommunica)ons.Whilecomputerscanbepowerful
toolsforcrea)nginforma)onrepresenta)ons(E3,E4),thehighlydynamicdisplays
andlargevolumesofstoreddatainmanyonscreenapplica)onscanmakeestablishing
commongroundexcessivelydicult(D3,F8).Forexample,whenaZemp)ngtoshare
informa)onatadistance,collaboratorsmaynditeortultoretraceandverbalizethe
stepsneededtorecreatetheircurrentdisplays(D2,G3,H).
Seealso:A,B,C5,C9,E,F,G7,J
Howdotargetedindividualscurrentlyestablishcommonvisualgroundfor
communica)onintheworkprac)cesthatyourteamisstrivingtomediate?
Whatvaluedodierenttypesofcommongroundprovide?
Whatinforma)onrepresenta)onsarecommonlyreferencedincommunica)on
acts?Whatfeaturesoftheserepresenta)onsareokenimportanttoshare?
Imselec)ngtheop)on...
Andyoushouldbeableto
openmyviewnow...
Whatlanguageandgesturesdoknowledgeworkerscurrentlyusewhenreferring
totheirsharedinforma)onar)facts?
Whatbreakdownsanderrorsinsharedunderstandingcancurrentlyoccuraround
thesear)facts?Howmighttheexibledisplaysofyourteamscompu)ngtool
aggravatetheseproblemsorcreatenewonesinasimilarvein?
contentinyourapplica)onconceptscouldbeconversa)onallyshared?
OK...
Whatconven)onaldesignpaZernsandfunc)onali)esmightyourteamconsider
usinginordertovaluablysupportcommonground?
Whatinterac)onobjectsinyoursketchedproductdirec)onscouldextendor
replacetheinforma)onar)factsthatworkerscurrentlygatheraround?
When,foranyofanumberofreasons,workersdonothavetheluxuryofmee)ngface
toface,theymayaZempttoestablishcommongroundthroughsharedcommunica
)ontechnologies.Insomecases,basedonculturalnorms(A1,A8),needsformessage
persistence(I),andavarietyofotherfactors,onscreenapplica)onscanoerdesirable
methodsforgatheringaroundkeyinforma)on.
Productteamscanenvisionfunc)onalityconcepts,tailoredtothespecicsoftargeted
communica)onscenarios(A7),thatpromoteusefulsimplicityintheactofarrivingat
asharedrepresenta)onalfocus.
105
Whataspectsofyourfunc)onalityconceptsmightworkersopportunis)callyuseto
createcommonground?Howcouldyourteamenhancetheseaspectstopromote
suchuse?
Whatnovelfunc)onalityconceptsmightyourteamenvisiontoprovideworkers
withnewop)onstodynamicallysharerelevantinforma)onwithintheir
discussions?
Remote
Collaborator
Howmightyourteamsapproachesforsuppor)ngrepresenta)onalcommon
groundrelatetoyourotherconceptsforsuppor)ngcoopera)on,collabora)on,
Iseeyourmessage,and
nowIcanseeyourview...
Howmightcommongroundfunc)onalitybedierentwhenrecipientsarenotusers
ofyourcompu)ngtool?Howcouldtheseexternalconversa)onsremainclearly
)edtoyourproduct?
Oh,nowIseewhatyoure
talkingabout,andIhave
anideaabouthowwe
mightgoevenfurther
withthatchange...
J3. Explicit Work Handoffs

As part of contributing to larger activities, knowledge workers often need to formally or informally handoff their efforts to
certain colleagues and stakeholders. Product teams can envision communication functionalities that could allow workers to
clearly and directly deliver certain tasks or interaction objects.
Anancialtradersendspartofalistofoerstoanothertraderinhisgroupsothey
candivideupalargerpoolofdecisionmakingandtransac)onaleort,whichneeds
toberesolvedassoonaspossible.Histradingapplica)onno)eshimwhenhiscol
leaguehasacceptedtherequest,allowinghimtofocushiseortsontheoersthat
arelekonhisplate(seeillustra(on).
Ascien)stdenesanumberofclinicalsamplesinherlabsinforma)onmanage
mentapplica)on.Shethenassignsthetaskofrunningexperimentsonthesamples
toapar)cularlabtechnician,whowillreceivethetaskdescrip)oninhispriori)zed
queue,alongwithlinkstothesamplelesinques)on.
Anarchitectnishesanotherversionofalarge,structuralarchinherbuildingmod
elingapplica)on,basedonfeedbackfromacivilengineer.Shethenusesafeature
inthemodelingtooltohandthecomponentbacktothesameengineerforfurther
reviewandmodica)ons.
106
Where and when do handoffs occur in the knowledge work

practices that your team is striving to mediate? What functionality concepts might your team envision to usefully support
certain special deliveries of application content, closely tying
them to sketched features for permissions and collaboration?
!

"

forknowledgework:
Whatroledohandoscurrentlyplayintargetedtasksandlargerac)vi)es?
What,specically,dotargetedindividualshando?Whatcommunica)on
accompaniesdierenttypesofhandedoitems?
Financial
Trader
Howdospecictypesofhandostwithinlargertrajectoriesofwork?Arethey
elementsofdenedworkprocessesorimproviseddistribu)onsofeortbased
onsitua)onalneeds?
Whatbreakdownsanderrorscancurrentlyoccurathandopoints?Couldthese
problemsrepresentpoten)alopportuni)esforyourproduct?
"

Howmightexis)ngapproachesformanagingworkhandosbeinuencedbyyour
teamsapplica)onconcepts?
"

Inwhichworkprac)cesmightyourcompu)ngtoolprovidevaluebyintegrally
suppor)ngdenedhandos?
Thecomplexproblemstackledinknowledgeworkorganiza)onsmayrequiretheinput
ofseveralormanydierentindividuals,roles,andskillsets.Increasingspecializa)on
canmeanthatworkersprovidetheirinputssequen)ally,withrelatedar)factsand
responsibilitybeingpassedbackandforth.
Appropriatedesignapproachesforsuppor)nghandoscanvarybasedonwhether
theyarehighlystructuredorlargelyimprovised.Inhighlystructuredcases(C5,C6),
mediatedhandoscanoccuratdenedpointsintargetedworkows(A9,C4).In
improvised,emergentworkscenarios(A6),op)onsforhandoscanbeprovidedmore
contextually,openingupopportuni)esfordynamic,shareddecisionmaking(G5,J)and
theexibleooadingofeort(D2,E,A7,A8).
Topromotecondence(D3,G7,K13)andawareness(C7,G4)inhandoac)ons,teams
canenvisionhowtheirfunc)onalityconceptscouldprovideworkerswithvisibilityinto
whetherhandedoitemshavebeenreceived,reviewed,andactedonbyintended
par)es.
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhowexplicitworkhandoscouldfactor
intotheirapplica)onconcepts,resul)ngproductsmayhindertheowofworkprocess
withuncleartransi)onsandundesirablyvaguerulessurroundingindividualsresponsi
bili)esforvaluedworkitems(C9,G3).
Conversely,extrafunc)onalityforexplicitworkhandosmaynotbenecessary.Forex
ample,highlyconcreteworkprocessescanexistassharedorganiza)onalnormsoutside
ofcompu)ngtools,reducingrelatedtechnologicalneeds.
Seealso:A,B,D5,H2,H3
Outsideofanystructureddeliverypoints,howmightyourteamssketched
func)onali)essupportworkersmoreopenandemergenthandochoices?
"

Whatcouldtheexperienceofhandingocontentbelike?Whatfeedbackcues
couldallowsenderstomeaningfullyknowthattheirhandoshavebeenreceived,
reviewed,orevenactedon?
$%

Howmightyourteamsapproachesforsuppor)ngexplicitworkhandosrelate
toyourotherfunc)onalityconceptsforsuppor)ngcoopera)on,collabora)on,
andworkspaceawareness?Fortailoringviewsofapplica)oncontenttopar)cular
iden))es?
Howmighthandoop)onsbedierentwhenrecipientsarenotusersofyour
compu)ngtool?Howcouldexternalworkremainclearly)edtoyourproduct?

" !

"

#
J4. Authorship Awareness, Presence, and Contact Facilitation

Product teams can envision concepts for informative cues
that could indicate who has worked, or is working, within a
given functional area or on specific interaction objects. These
cues can facilitate spontaneous communication between
colleagues, both near and remote, and promote the traceability
of distributed efforts.
With the goal of enhancing useful communication among users,

how might your teams application concepts contextually
present historical and real time cues about the who of others
actions and presence? How might targeted knowledge workers
use these cues to initiate situated conversations?

$

"
!"

forknowledgework:
Ascien)stusesherlaboratorysinforma)onmanagementsystemtondoutwho
accomplishedseveraldierentexperimentaltasksonapar)cularclinicalsample.
Shediscoverswhichlabtechnicianranthesamplethroughacertaininstrument,
and,seeingthatheiscurrentlyonline,sheclicksonhisnametolaunchachat
session,askingifheisfreetotalk(seeillustra(on).
Anarchitectusesherbuildingmodelingapplica)ontolookupwhichteammem
bersmadeapar)cularsetofchangestoadesign.Sheseesthatoneofthechanges
authorsiscurrentlyloggedintothesharedtool,soshewalksovertohaveaconver
sa)onwithhimathisdesk.
Anancialtraderlooksinhistradingapplica)ontoseewhetheranyofhiscol
leaguesarecurrentlytradingathisrmsLondonoce.Iftheyare,hecansimply
clickontheirnametoini)ateavoicechat.
Clinical
Scientist
$

"

"

!

Inoineprac)ces,workerscanokentracetheauthorofachangethroughhandwrit
ingandotherar)factsofhowpreviouseortswereaccomplished.Knowingifsomeone
isavailableforconversa)oncanmeanlookingacrosstheroom,goingforawalkto
anotherbuildingloca)on,orpickingupthephone.
Productteamscanenvisionavarietyoffunc)onalresponsesthatcouldcreatesurro
gatesforphysicalcues,whichmaybelostwhentransi)oningcertaineortsandaZen
)onstothescreen.Teamscanalsoconsiderhowtheircompu)ngenvironmentmight
usefullyenhancecertainiden)tyorientedpossibili)es.Automa)callyrecordedtrialsof
authorshipdatacanbe)edtospecicinterac)onobjectsorfunc)onalareas(B,E3),
becominganessen)alpartoftheirstoredhistories(H3)andenhancingworkerslarger
awarenessoftheac)onsofotherswithinanapplica)onworkspace(C7,G4).Author
shipcuescanalsoserveasabridgeforcontac)ngrelevantcolleaguesinordertoclarify,
extend,andques)ontheirworkoutcomes(L1).
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderthepoten)alroleofauthorshipanduser
presencecuesintheirapplica)onconcepts,opportuni)estopromoteeec)vecom
munica)onandcoordina)oncanbelost.Workersmaynditfrustra)nglydicultto
discoverwhowasresponsibleforpar)cularchanges(D2,D3),whichmaydrivethemto
developtediousanderrorproneworkarounds(C9,G3,I7).Andwhilecontactfacilita
)oncanokenbesupportedwithseparate,outsidetechnologies,consideringhowthis
intentcouldbesa)sedwithintegralfunc)onalitymayallowteamstoiden)fykey,
directcommunica)oninterac)onsinrela)ontotheirtoolsvaluabledata(C4,D4,J1).
Conversely,toomuchvisibilityintotheac)onsofotherscanbedistrac)ng(D4)and
canpoten)allyleadtounwantedsurveillanceeects(A2,G7).
Seealso:A,C5,D,E,F11
107
Whatcircumstancesintheworkprac)cesthatyourteamisstrivingtomediate
currentlyleadpeopletoinves)gatewhohaspreviouslyactedonaninforma)on
ar)fact?
Howdotargetedindividualsandtheirorganiza)onscurrentlykeeptrackof
authorshipinvariouscontexts?
Whataretheculturalnorms,regulatoryrules,andpoli)calimplica)onsaround
trackingworkersac)onsintargetedorganiza)ons?Howisauthorshipinforma)on
currentlyusedinformal,proceduralworkowsandtheevalua)onofcri)cal
incidents?
Whichtasksorlargerac)vi)escurrentlyinvolveimpromptu,real)me
communica)ons?Whichareaccomplishedinrela)veseclusion?
Howdotargetedworkerscurrentlykeeptrackofwhichcolleaguesarepresently
availableforcommunica)on?Howdotheytypicallyini)ateconversa)ons?
yourteamsideasaboutthoughtullyhighligh)ngauthorshipandpresence
informa)oninyourapplica)onconcepts?

!
!
!

"
!
!

#

$
$
!
Howmightexaminingyoursketchedfunc)onalareasandinterac)onobjects
fromthegoalorienta)onsofusersowncollaboratorshelpyourteamtoenvision
dierentconceptsforiden)tyandpresencecues?
HowmightcreatedbyandmodiedbyaZributesininterac)onobjectsprovide
valueincoopera)veandcollabora)veworkprac)ces?
Howmightcuesaboutindividualsac)onsorcurrentpresencebeusedasameans
ofini)a)ngcontactwiththem?Whatinterrup)oneectsmayresultonthe
receiversendinthesescenarios?
Howmightyourteamsapproachesforsuppor)ngauthorship,presence
informa)on,andcontactfacilita)onrelatetoyourotherfunc)onalityconcepts
forsuppor)ngcoopera)on,collabora)on,andworkspaceawareness?
$

"$
"

"
!

Whatunwantedsurveillanceeectscoulduninten)onallyoccurfromstrongly
connec)ngusersiden))esandac)vi)estospecicapplica)ondata?
Whatotherprivacyandsecurityissuescouldbeimportanttoconsiderwhen
envisioningfunc)onali)esthatcouldbeusedtotrackworkersac)onsand
lightweight,unstructuredconversa)ons?
J5. Public Annotation

When workers make annotations in a specific context, they can
direct their commentary to an intended audience, potentially
reducing the difficulty of composing their communications.
Product teams can envision concepts that could allow workers
to annotate selected functional areas or interaction objects in
ways that are visible and meaningful to desired recipients.
108

!

#

Anarchitectusesherbuildingmodelingapplica)ontoworkonearlystudiesforthe
overallformofanewhospital.Asshecreatesdierentversionsofacentralform
idea,sheinsertsannota)onsofherdesignra)onaleinthemodels,knowingthat
thesenoteswillbevisiblewhensheeventuallypresentstheop)onstohercol
leagues,orifanyonehappenstotaketheini)a)vetoreviewthelesontheir
own)me(seeillustra(on).
Ascien)stusesheranalysisapplica)ontoreviewanumberofdatasetsthathave
beenrecentlygeneratedinherclinicallabsongoingexperiments.Assheexplores
thenewresults,sheleavescommentsabouteachdatasetsothatwhencolleagues
inherlablaterreviewthestudy,theycanagreeordisagreewithherinterpreta)ons.
Anancialtrader,attheendofhisworkday,postssomethoughtsonsomerecent,
highvaluedealstoasharedareaofhistradingapplica)on.Heknowsthatcol
leaguesinothergloballoca)onswilllikelyreadthesenoteswhentheyrstlogin
tostarttheirday.
Successfulknowledgeworkcanrelyonmeaningfulgra)ofasort.Workersmayplace
annota)onsinspeciccontexts,tobeviewedbyanan)cipatedpublicthatwillpre
sumablyinteractwiththatloca)onatalater)me(C5).Insomecircumstances,these
markingsmayonlybevaluableforasetdura)on.Inothercases,contextualannota
)onscanbecomeessen)alelementsofworkar)facts,providingpersistent,historical
valueinorganiza)onalmemory(I7).
Althoughpublicannota)onsareokencreatedforcommunica)onpurposes,theycan
alsoserveasworkingannota)ons(H2)thatooadworkersindividualorcollec)ve
memoryeort(E1,E2),therebysuppor)nglaterreconstruc)onandcogni)vetracing
(H).Likeworkingannota)ons,productteamscanenvisionfunc)onalsupportforpublic
annota)onastextualnotes,onscreendrawings,standardizedcategoricalfacets,aZach
ments,links,andothermeans.
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhowpublicannota)oncouldbesupport
edintheirapplica)onconcepts(J1),resul)ngproductsmaydriveworkerstouseother
mediaandcommunica)onchannelsinrela)ontocertainonscreencontent.These
outsideannota)onsmaybediculttocoordinatewithcorrespondingpointswithina
compu)ngtool(B1,B2,F1).Theactofturningtooutsidemediaandchannelscanalso
bemoreeortul(D2,D3)thanmakinganotedirectlywhereoneispresentlywork
ing.Lastly,real)mecommunica)onusedinplaceofpublicannota)onsmaydemand
receiversaZen)onsatinappropriate)mes(D4).
Seealso:A,B6,J
Where, when, and how do knowledge workers currently

annotate shared artifacts and environments in the work
practices that your team is striving to meditate? How might
targeted workers valuably communicate by annotating your
products functional areas and interaction objects with
intended recipients in mind?
forknowledgework:
Architect
Whatworkplaceloca)onsorobjectsintargetedorganiza)onscurrentlyreceive
publicannota)ons?Whatformcantheseannota)onstake?
Whatvaluedothesepubliccommunica)onsokenprovidewithincurrentwork
prac)ces?Whoaretheintendedaudiencesofspecickindsofannota)ons?
Whoelsemayviewthem?

!

"
Whatdura)ondovarioustypesofannota)onshave?Aretheyrela)velysta)cor
aretheyitera)velyplacedandrevisedinaformofasynchronousconversa)on?
Whichcommunica)onscenariosinyourteamsapplica)onconceptsmightbe
usefullysupportedthroughcontextualnotesandmarkingsratherthaninterrup)ng,
separatemessages?
Whatmethodsofannota)oncouldbeappropriate,basedoncharacterized
communica)onneeds,inyourdieringfunc)onalityconcepts?Mighttextualnotes,
onscreendrawings,standardizedcategoricalfacets,aZachments,orlinksbeuseful?
Howcouldvisualrepresenta)onsofpublicannota)onscontextually)ethemto
theironscreensubjects?
"

$

Whoshouldbeabletoviewwhosenotes,basedontheirpermissionswithinyour
compu)ngtool?Howmightworkersselectcertainaudiencesfortheirannota)ons?
Whatusefulsupplementalinterac)vityandinforma)onmightyourteamenvision
aroundvariouspublicannota)ons?Forexample,shouldworkersbeabletoset
dura)onsakerwhichtheirnoteswillfadefromprominence?
Howwillcollaboratorsdiscoverthatanannota)onispresent?Mightcontextual
agsandsynchronousmessagingbeusefultoensurethatcertainannota)onsare
viewedbyintendedpar)es?
WhatsupplementalaZributes,suchasa)mestampandauthorshipinforma)on,
couldbeusefullyincludedaspartofpublicannota)ons?

!

"

" "
Whatprivacyandsecurityissuescouldbeimportanttoconsiderwhenenvisioning
func)onali)esthatwouldtrackworkerslightweight,unstructuredconversa)ons?
Howmightyourteamsapproachesforsuppor)ngpublicannota)onrelateto
yourotherfunc)onalityconceptsforsuppor)ngcoopera)on,collabora)on,
J6. Streamlined Standard Communications

Knowledge work often involves established, commonly shared
genres of communication that play important roles in work
activities and organizational memory. Product teams can
envision functionality concepts that could provide workers with
opportunities to offload some or all of the effort of creating,
distributing, and interpreting these standard forms.
109
What standard communication formats are currently used in

the knowledge work practices that your team is striving to
mediate? What functionality concepts might your team envision
to valuably automate and enhance the standardized portions of
these communication tasks while still providing desirable levels
of expressiveness and control?
%

Anancialtraderselectsadealinhistradingapplica)onthathejustmadeinerror,
thenchoosesanop)ontosendacancella)onno)cetohiscounterparty.Theappli
ca)ongeneratesastandardmessagewithallofthenecessaryinforma)ontocancel
thetrade,andheaddsapersonalnotetoapologizeforhismiscalcula)onbefore
sendingito(seeillustra(on).
Anarchitectwantsadrawingofabuildingsproposednortheleva)ontoshowher
client.Sheinstructsherbuildingmodelingapplica)ontoautoma)callyexporta
conven)onaleleva)ondrawingbasedonatemplatethatherstudiohasdesigned
forthistypeofoutput.
Ascien)stexportsacannedreportfromherlaboratoryinforma)onmanagement
applica)on.Thecompact,shareabledocumentcontainsasetofstandarddata
representa)onsforasingleclinicalsample.
Knowledgeworkersokencreateconven)onal,expecteddiscourseformsthatcanease
thecommunica)onburdensplacedonbothsendersandreceivers.Fromtheperspec
)veofindividualscrea)nganddistribu)ngacommunica)on,standardformatscan
scopethecontentofafullyformedmessage,shapethepresenta)onofincluded
content(F2),anddenemessagerecipients(A2,G7).Fromthereceiversperspec)ve,
conven)onaldiscourseformscanaidininterpreta)onandinvokespecicunderstand
ingsaroundasendersintendedpurposeandmeanings.
Dependingonjusthowstandardtheseestablishedformsofcommunica)onare,prod
uctteamscanenvisionfunc)onalityconceptsthatcouldvaluablyooadsomeorallof
theeort(E3,E4)ofcrea)ng,distribu)ng(C4),andinterpre)ngcertaintypesofmes
sages.Theremayalsobeopportuni)estosystema)callyimprovethequalityofspecic
messagetypesthroughstandardiza)on(L1).
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderpoten)alstreamliningofstandardcom
munica)onsintheirapplica)onconcepts,opportuni)estosupportcommondiscourse
needsinknowledgeworkcanbelost.Whentheintentsbehindthesestandardformats
arenotadequatelysupported,resul)ngapplica)onscancreatecommunica)ons
suresintargetedac)vi)es.Individualsandorganiza)onsmayperceivethesessures
asproductdecienciesthatoverlookkeyopportuni)estoimproveworkeciency
andoutcomes(D2,D3,K3).
Conversely,anystandardiza)onandautoma)onofcommunica)oncancarrycertain
risksands)ingdrawbacks.PreformaZedoutputsmayforcetheinclusionofsome
typesofinforma)on,excludeneededcategoriesofcontent,andconstrainrepresenta
)oninunwantedways(F,L1).
Seealso:A,B,C8,E,H1,H4,I1,I7,J
forknowledgework:
Howstandard,inreality,aretheconven)onalcommunica)onsthatarecurrently
usedwithintargetedorganiza)ons?Whicharenotverystandardatallfromthe
ra)onalizingperspec)veofaproductteamdeninganewcompu)ngtool?
Financial
Trader
Howdotargetedindividualsusehighlydenedtypesofcommunica)onintheir
ownopera)ons,tasks,andlargerac)vi)es?
Whatgoalscantriggerworkerstocreatethesecommunica)onforms?Whoare
theysentto?Howfrequentaredierentcases?
%!

Doworkerstypicallycreatetheseformalcommunica)onstoensuretheir
persistenceinorganiza)onalmemory,ordopeopleactuallyvaluehowthese
formatscanshapethescopeandthecontentoftheirexchanges?
"
"
"
Whodenedthestandardformatsthatarecurrentlyinuse?Havetherebeen
bothtopdownandboZomupsourcesofstandardiza)on?
Howhavetheseschemesevolvedintotheirpresentstatesover)me?
Whatimprovementsmightyourteamenvisiontoenhancetheusefulnessand
clarityofexis)ngformats?
"

!

& "'"
Whereinyourteamsmodelsofworkmedia)onmightyouiden)fynew
opportuni)esforvaluable,largelyautomatedstandardiza)onofcommunica)on
outputs?

%
#
$

%

Whatfunc)onalityconceptsmightyousketchtosupportworkersastheyseekto
ooadeortthatwouldotherwisebeneededtocreate,distribute,andinterpret
highvolumeandconsistentlyformaZedcommunica)ons?
Whatexibilitymightworkerswantinordertotailorstandardcommunica)onsto
meettheirlocalandsitua)onalgoals?Whatop)onscouldallowthemtoinformally
annotateotherwiseformaloutputs?
Whichcontextswithinyourapplica)onconceptscouldvaluablypresentclearand
directpathwaysforinterac)velycrea)ngdenedcommunica)ons?
& "'"
J7. Pervasive Printing

Many knowledge work tasks, including communication acts,
can revolve around or be facilitated by paper documents.
Product teams can envision functionality concepts that could
allow workers to create various types of printouts while
maintaining traceability back to their onscreen sources.
110
How do targeted knowledge workers currently use paper

documents in the work practices that your team is striving to
mediate? How might your teams application concepts allow
workers to easily create valuable paper outputs of onscreen
representations and content?

Ascien)stprintsaseriesofvisualiza)onsinheranalysisapplica)onandpasses
themoutashandoutsinalaboratorymee)ng.Theseriesofprintedpagesallows
thegrouptocollec)velyseealargeclinicaldatasetfromavarietyofperspec)ves.
Astheyspottrends,shewritesnotesonherownsetofprintoutsanddivesinto
furthervisualiza)onsonasharedprojec)onscreen(seeillustra(on).
Anarchitecttriestoworkasmuchasfeasibleinherbuildingmodelingapplica)on
sothatherteamcanhaveaccesstoherchangesinsomethingclosetoreal)me.
However,thereares)llmanypartsofthedesignprocess,suchasearlyidea)onor
thecollabora)vemarkingofquickcorrec)ons,whereshendsiteasiertositata
tablewithhercolleaguesandcommunicatearoundprintouts.
Anancialtraderprintsaproblema)ctradeandhandsittoacolleague.Thisinter
changeprovideshimwithstrongconrma)onthatthework,andalloftheneces
saryinforma)onaroundit,hasbeenhandedo.
forknowledgework:
Whataordancesofpaperdocumentsdotargetedindividualsandorganiza)ons
currentlyvalue?
Clinical
Scientist
&'$)%*)(("'
$ )% #)$!
Whichofyourteamssketchedinterac)onobjectsmightbeusefulinprintedform?
Whencouldpersistentprintoutsoflargerviewswithinyourcompu)ngtoolbe
usefulinthecontextcertaintasksorlargerac)vi)es?
Wheremighttargetedworkersoscreenneedsbecommonandfrequentenough
toprovidetailoredprin)ngfunc)onalityforcertaindataperspec)ves?
Whatcurrentprin)ngneedscouldpoten)allybesolvedthroughonscreen
interac)on?Istheactofprin)ngcertaininforma)oncurrentlyaworkaround
forcleardecienciesincurrenttools?
Whatgeneralfunc)onalityconceptsmightyourteamenvisiontoallowforselec)ve
prin)ngofabroadrangeofapplica)oncontenttypes?Whatconven)onaldesign
paZernsandfunc)onali)esmightyouconsiderreferencing?
Productteamscanbuildupontheirunderstandingsofdocumentusageintargeted
workprac)cestoenvisionpoten)alprin)ngfunc)onali)eswithintheirapplica)on
concepts.Standardprintoutformatscanbecomeessen)alandmeaningfulcomponents
insometasksorlargerac)vi)es(A,F).Incommunica)onacts,printedoutputscan
becometransitorydisplaymedia(H1)orformaloutputsofwork(J6,L1).Peoplemay
appropriateprintoutstosupportandtracktheirexplora)onsofpoten)aloutcomes
(H),usingpapersnapshotstoextendtheeec)veareasoftheircomputerdisplays
through)me.Individuals,groups,andorganiza)onscanalsousepaperrecordsasa
meansofexternallyooadingmemoryeorts(E1,E2,I1,I7).
Seealso:J,G1,G7
Howdotargetedknowledgeworkersusepaperinstan)a)onsofinforma)onto
ooadanddistributementaleort,suchasshortorlongtermmemoryburdens?
Whatroledoprintedrecordsplayincurrentapproachestoprogresstrackingand
archiving?
Repeatedpredic)onsofpaperlessfutures,facilitatedbycompu)ngintheworkplace,
havenotcometrue.Therealityofknowledgeworkersobservedprac)cesokenreveals
thatoscreenrepresenta)onsofinforma)on,suchaspaperprintouts,canaordmany
usefulac)onsthatarenotyetcommonlyavailableininterac)vecompu)ng.Because
ofthesespecialaordances,workersmayviewprin)ngfunc)onalityasabroadand
pervasivenecessitythroughouttheircompu)ngtools(A9).
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhowknowledgeworkersmightwantto
incorporateprin)ngintotheirworkprac)ces,resul)ngapplica)onsmaydriveusersto
eortullyworkaroundtheselimita)onsinordertomakeinforma)onavailableoutside
oftheirscreens(D2,D3).Insuchcases,keybenetsofaccomplishingprin)ngtasks
fromwithinacompu)ngtoolitself,suchasformalngcontrolormaintaining)esback
intoassociatedapplica)oncontent,maybelost(B3,F1).
Howdooscreendocumentscurrentlyfacilitatecommunica)onandcollabora)on?
Inwhatsitua)onsmightitmakesensefortheinforma)onrepresenta)onsof
printedoutputstobeslightlydierentthanhowthesamecontentisviewed
onscreen?
Whatformatimprovementsandsuppor)ngcontentmightyourteamenvision
forthesta)cmediumofprint?
Whatiden)fyinginforma)oncouldhelpworkersto)ethecontentsofagiven
printoutbackintoyourcompu)ngtool?
Whatformalngandcontentexibilitymightworkerswantinordertotailor
printoutstomeettheirlocalandsitua)onalgoals?

K. Promoting Integration
into Work Practice
Valued computing tools can be designed to
make getting up to speed as painless as
possible.
Designing for such easy integration requires a
clear understanding of the gaps that people will
need to bridge in order to make use of
a tool.
can map and explore how targeted knowledge
workers and their organizations might integrate
new onscreen offerings into their working
cultures and technological systems.
By taking time to explore potential product
adoption experiences in an expansive sense
teams can identify opportunities to set
the stage for direct, trusted, extensive, and
meaningful use.
111
Althoughtechnologiescandeterminis)callydrivesomechangesoncetheyaremade
partofworkingcultures,onlyindividualsandorganiza)onscantrulydetermine
whethercompu)ngtoolswillbesuccessfullyadoptedintotheirownenvironments.
Technologiesdonotcreatemajorculturalchangesontheirown,andbrandmessaging,
orotherbackgroundcontext,canonlyprovideaframeforusersembedded,concrete,
andpersonalexperienceswithanewproduct.Thatbeingsaid,thepar)culardesign
characteris)csofanapplica)oncanplayamajorroleinwhetherandhowintegra)on
intoprac)ceoccurs.
Ratherthanwai)ngfortheirtechnologiestobenishedbeforethinkingthrough
poten)aladop)onhurdles,productteamscanconsideradop)onscenariosaspart
ofgenera)ngtheiressen)aldesignstrategy,envisioningservicesandfunc)onality
conceptstoeaseimportantlearningandsystemicchallenges.Teamscanenvisionthese
oeringsandapproachesasmuchbroaderresponsesthanconven)onal,somewhat
dissociateduserassistance,an)cipa)ngcommonneedsandconnec)ngwith
knowledgeworkersinmeaningfulandlas)ngways.
K1.Applica)onlocaliza)on
K2.Introductoryuserexperience
K3.Recognizableapplicabilitytotargetedwork
K4.Verica)onofopera)on
K5.Understandingandreframingalternateinterpreta)ons
K6.Designforfrequencyofaccessandskillacquisi)on
K7.Clearandcomprehensiveinstruc)onalassistance
K8.Seamlessinterapplica)oninterac)vity
K9.Directedapplica)oninteropera)on
K10.Opennesstoapplica)onintegra)onandextension
K11.Enduserprogramming
K12.Trustedandcredibleprocessesandcontent
K13.Reliableanddirectac)vityinfrastructure
Productteamscanusetheseideastoexplorespecicmeansofsuppor)ngindividual
users,andlargercustomerorganiza)ons,astheytransi)onfromcurrentprac)cesto
prac)cesmediatedbytheirneworupdatedcompu)ngtools.Earlyidea)onand
concep)ngfocusedonthatsupport,ratherthanposthoceortsduringthenal
stagesofaproductsdevelopment,canhelpteamsmorefullyintegratesuppor)ve
op)onsintotheirproductsavailableuserexperiences.
media)onanddeterminingscope(A),ConsideringworkersaZen)ons(D),and
Planningconnec)onwithuse(M)categories.
100APPLICATIONENVISIONINGIDEAS|K.PROMOTINGINTEGRATIONINTOWORKPRACTICE
K1. Application Localization

Product teams can envision support in their application
concepts for individuals from different cultural backgrounds.
Targeted knowledge worker populations can have different
wants and needs for the linguistic, symbolic, layout, and
procedural aspects of their computing tools.
112
In what localization intensive markets might your team be

striving to provide a viable and desirable computing tool for
knowledge work? What aspects of your application concepts
could benefit from early envisioning around targeted local
wants, needs, and opportunities?
Si!ng here in the

Beijing office, the user
interface of our firms
building modeling tool
is in Mandarin...
AnarchitectfromSeaZleisusingadierentcomputerduringavisittotheBeijing
oceofherrm.Sheispleasedtolearnthatshecanchangethelanguagefrom
MandarintoEnglishinherownviewoftheirsharedbuildingmodelingapplica)on.
ThisdoesnotchangethetextoftheinformalnotesthatherChinesecolleagues
haveenteredintodesignles,butitdoesallowhertonavigatetheapplica)ons
interfacelabelsinherna)velanguage(seeillustra(on).
AnancialtraderfromNewYork,visi)ngtheLondonoceofhisrm,ndsthatUK
tradershavesetuptheirsharedtradingapplica)ontodisplaytheirpreferredspell
ing,)me,anddatestandards.TheyhavealsoaddedanumberofUKspecicelds
intheirstandardtradingformsthatarenotneededintheUSdomes)cmarket.
Ascien)stinSanFranciscosendsaclinicalstudylefromheranalysisapplica)on
toaGermancolleague.Shetakesforgrantedthatwhenhercolleagueopensit,the
studylewillbeviewableinthelocalized,Germanlanguageversionofthesokware.
forknowledgework:
Whatglobalmarketsmightyourteambetarge)ngwithyourapplica)on,based
onyouremergingideasaboutproductstrategy?
Architect
Whatimpactsmighttheinclusionofvariousmarketshaveonthesketcheddesign
strategiesandbrandposi)oningsofyourapplica)onconcepts?
Whatseparatelinguis)caudiencesarelikelytouseyourcompu)ngtoolwithinand
acrosstheseglobalregions?
Whatinforma)ondoesyourteamhaveaboutthespeciclocaliza)onneedswithin
thebreadthofyourtargetedaudiencesegments?Whatdoyounotknow?
So my colleague here told me how to

change my language se!ng...
Howmightthisinforma)onimpactyoursketcheddirec)onsforthelinguis)c,
symbolic,layout,andproceduralaspectsofyourapplica)onconcepts?
localiza)onofyourcompu)ngtool?
Manytypesofcontemporaryknowledgeworkareprac)cedinanumberofglobal
loca)ons(A1),poten)allydrivingavarietyofapplica)onlocaliza)onrequirements.
Evenwithinasinglecustomerorganiza)on,therecanexistadiversearrayof
localiza)onwantsandneeds.
Howmightyoupriori)zelocaliza)onneedsinrela)ontootherproductdesign
constraints?Whichoftheseneedsarestrictlynecessary?Whicharedesirable,
nicetohaves?
Manyproductteamstakeforgrantedacertainlinguis)candrepresenta)onalperspec
)vewhencrea)ngtheircompu)ngtools.And,fromwithintheinuencesofglobaliza
)on,targetedworkersmaybefamiliarandsomewhatcomfortablewiththeexperience
ofinterpre)nginterfacesinanonna)velanguage(D2).
Howcouldspeciclocaliza)onrequirementsinuencetheapproachofyour
envisionedfunc)onalityconcepts?Yoursketchesforhighlevelapplica)on
structures?
Whatuniqueopportuni)escouldbepresentwithinyourtargetedlocales?What
designconceptsmightyourteamgenerateinordertoexploretheseopportuni)es?
Whenateamdoesnotwishtopushtheirculturalframeontotheirpoten)alusers,or
cannotaordtheimpactofsuchadecisionontheirproductsbrand,theycanenvision
localiza)onapproachesandfunc)onalityconceptsbasedontargetedunderstandingsof
theirintendedaudiences.Whilethelanguagesavailablefordisplayinaninterfaceare
okenthemostimportantlocaliza)onfactor(B1,C8),localiza)onofsymboliccontent(F,
K5),screenlayout(C2,C4),andsupportforlocalvaria)onsinknowledgeworkprac)ce
(A7,A8)canalsobecrucial.
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderpoten)allocaliza)onrequirementsfor
theirapplica)onconcepts,opportuni)estobecompe))veinabroaderrangeofmar
kets(M4)maybelost.Knowledgeworkersinmarketsoutsideofaresul)ngproducts
origina)ngregionmayfacelongerlearningprocesses(D7,K2,K6)andahigherrateof
errors(C9,G3).Addi)onally,teamsmaynditdiculttoretrotlocaliza)onneedsin
aposthocwayduetotheirextensive,okenstructural,natureininterfacedesign.
Conversely,intensivelocaliza)onmaynega)velyimpactrepresenta)onalcoordina)on
andcommongroundbetweenaproductsaudiences(F1,J2).
Seealso:A,C,G6,I,J6,K,L4,M
Howmightlocaliza)onofsharedviewsinterferewithrepresenta)onalcommon
groundincoopera)veandcollabora)veworkprac)ces?
And now the applica#on itself is in English...

But I will s#ll need someone to translate all of the
comments and info in this building model, because
it was all typed in by this project team in the
local language...
All user generated

content in this
panel remains
untranslated
from Mandarin
K2. Introductory User Experience

Product teams can envision how their application concepts
could promote initial experiences that generate interest, instill
confidence, clearly communicate essential information, and
offer a direct foundation for committed adoption.
113
Based on your teams understanding of targeted workers

current practices and background knowledge, what might they
need to know in order to get started using your computing
tool? What functionality concepts might your team envision to
provide appropriate and dynamic instruction during these early
user experiences?
#

#

!
Ascien)stlauncheshernewanalysisapplica)onfortherst)meandispresented
withasetofinterac)vetutorials,eachofwhichhighlightsoneofseveralusesofthe
product.Sheselectsanop)onthatmatchesherclinicalresearchgoalsandnavigates
throughawellproducedintroductorytour(seeillustra(on).
Anarchitectwhohasneverusedabuildingmodelingapplica)onisanxiousabout
makingtheswitchfromamoretradi)onalCADapproach.Thenewtoolpresentsa
seriesofcontextualtrainingfeatures,whichallowhertolearnaboutspecic
op)onsatherownpace.
Anancialtraderaccessesanewversionofhistradingapplica)onandispresented
withanop)ontoviewwhathasbeenupdatedinthelatestrelease.Fromthisquick,
informa)veoverview,heknowswhichnewfeatureshewantstotryandwhich
ongoingissueshavebeenxed.
Manycontemporarycompu)ngtoolsforknowledgeworkdonotexcelatintroduc
ingthemselves.Evenwhenworkershavebeenexposedtomarke)ngmaterials,have
decidedthatabrandandvalueproposi)onarecompelling,andhaveacquiredanewor
improvedtool,introduc)onsarenotyetcompleteun)lpoten)alusershaveexplored
anapplica)onintheirownac)vitycontexts.
Individualsandorganiza)onsokendonothave)metoexperimentwithcompu)ng
products(D3,K3).Knowledgeworkersmaytrusttheirearlyopinionsaboutthedesir
abilityofaninterac)veapplica)on,especiallywhenotherproductop)onsareeasily
available.
Productteamscanenvisionconceptsforintroductoryfunc)onali)esthatappearonthe
rstoccasionthataworkeraccessesanapplica)onorarespreadacrossseveralearly
usesofanewtool.Whileapplica)onconceptswithhighlydirec)veinterac)onmodels
(C2)mayrequirelessintroduc)on,productscenteredaroundopenworkspacesornovel
conceptualmodels(C1,K5)maybeunderstoodfasterandmorecompletelywitha
scaoldingofini)alinstruc)onandsuggestedrststeps(C4,G1,K7).
drivemeaningfulearlyexperiences,opportuni)estomakeaproductmoredesirable,
toarmworkerswithusefulunderstandings,andtopreventbeginnerserrors(C9,G3)
canbelost.Peoplemayneedtospendmoreeortdeterminingwhatprac)cestheycan
accomplishwithinanapplica)on(A,D2),howtoverifyitsopera)on(K4),howtoget
startedwiththeirac)vi)es,andotherkeyfactorsformakingacompu)ngtoolintegral
totheirownwork.
Conversely,toomuchintroduc)oncandetractfromdirectengagementwiththeprod
uctfunc)onalitythatworkerswilleventuallyuseoncetheyhavechosentofullyadopt
atool.
Seealso:B1,C,F10,F11,H,J7,K,L4,M
forknowledgework:
Whatdomainknowledge,exis)ngskills,learnedinterac)onexpecta)ons,andother
backgroundwilltargetedindividualslikelybringtotheirearlyinterac)onswithyour
teamsproduct?
Clinical
Scientist
Whatbigpicturegapsmightexistattheoveralllevelofyourenvisioned
applica)onconceptsbetweenwhatworkersalreadyknowandwhattheymay
needtoknowinordertohaveposi)veuserexperienceswithyouroerings?
#

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Whatlearninggapsmightyourteamiden)fyforeachofyourfounda)onal
Whatlargerdesigntrendsandadvancedanalogiestootherproductsanddomains
couldinuenceyourideasaboutoutoftheboxinstruc)onalexperiences?
Whatconven)onaldesignpaZernsforearlytutorialsandtopicalcrashcourses
mightyourteamconsiderusing?
Whatini)alinstruc)onconceptsmightyouenvisiontoprovideanoverviewofyour
productsintendedroleinworkersprac)ces?
" #

Whattargetedconceptsmightyousketchwiththegoalofbridgingspecic,well
characterizedlearninggaps?
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Whatemo)veandbrandimplica)onsmightyourteamfocusonwhileexploring
conceptsforintroductoryexperiences?
Whatmediaformatsandvisualapproachescouldappropriatelyrepresentcertain
typesofinstruc)onalcontentinclearandengagingways?
Howmightusersexperienceswithini)alinstruc)onoeringsgenerateinterestand
ins)llcondenceinyourcompu)ngtool?
Howmightyourconceptsforini)alinstruc)onprovideafounda)onfor,and
poten)ally)einto,yourother,morepersistentuserassistanceop)ons?

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Whatinterac)onpathwayscouldowoutofintroductoryexperiences?Howmight
userstestnewlearningsthroughdirect,construc)veexperimenta)onwithinyour
compu)ngtool?
K3. Recognizable Applicability to Targeted Work

In order to communicate to potential users that the particulars
of their work practices have been thoroughly considered,
product teams can envision legible domain cues within their
application concepts. When these cues are easily recognizable,
knowledge workers may be more inclined to consider how they
might use a new technology in their own activities.
Beyond expected marketing messaging, how might the

form, appearance, and behaviors of your teams computing
tool rapidly communicate relevance for targeted knowledge
workers own goals and practices? What domain signs and
emotive cues might workers feel a compelling affinity for while
interacting with your application concepts?

Anarchitectlikesthathernewbuildingmodelingapplica)onuseslanguage,conven
)ons,andworkowthatarespecictotheprac)ceofarchitecture.Othercollab
ora)vedesignproductsshehastriedusinginthepastfeltmorelikeoverlygeneral
3Dmodelingtoolsthatrequiredhertoexcessivelytranslateherideasintoarbitrary
commandsanddesignshapes(seeillustra(on).
Ascien)stndsthatthefeaturesofhernewanalysisapplica)onaregearedspeci
callytothetypesofclinicaldataexplora)onsthatsheperformsinherresearch.
Whereasthegeneraldataminingtoolsherlabismigra)ngawayfromseemed
arbitraryandunnecessarilydiculttolearn,hernewtoolseemsveryapproachable
andrelevant.
forknowledgework:
Whatmeaningfulconsistenciesinworkprac)cesacrosstargetedorganiza)ons
mightyourteamtranslateintoreadilyrecognizabledomaincues?
Architect
Whatclearcommonali)esinnomenclatureandinforma)onrepresenta)oncould
becomevisiblereferenceswithinyourproduct?
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Howmighttheinterac)veentrypointsforprimarypathwayswithinyoursketched
compu)ngtoolprovideastrongsenseofdomainrelevancy?
Peoplejudgehowonscreenproductscouldapplytotheirgoals,whilealsoconsider
inganynewopportuni)esthataapplica)onmayfacilitate.Compu)ngtoolsthatare
intendedforspecicknowledgeworkprac)cescaninten)onallyinvoketheirspecializa
)onsthroughinherentbrandinganddesign.Whentargetedworkerssomehowseetheir
ownprofessionalprac)cesinaproductsdetails,theymaydevelopafocusedinterestin
thetool,whichcanthenevolveintocommiZedadop)on.
Productteamsdeliberatelyenvisioningmoregeneralizedapplica)ons,tobeusedin
mul)pledomainsormarkets,mayfacethechallengeofnotbeingabletoleverage
obviousreferencesfromanyonespecialty(A).Evenwithouttheseliteralcues,teams
canuncovercommonali)esinworkac)vi)esacrossspecial)esandthenusethese
similari)estoreveallegible,goaldirectedcuesintheirdesigns(B9,C4).
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhowtheycouldmaketheirapplica)on
conceptsaclearlyrecognizablepartoftheworkthattheyarestrivingtomediate,re
sul)ngtoolsmayfarepoorlyinworkersintui)ve,snapjudgmentsofu)lity.Depend
ingonthemarketcontext,thesejudgmentscanimpactbothindividualandorganiza
)onalaltudesaboutacquiringandadop)ngproductsandbrands(K).
Seealso:D1,F10,G1,L4,M
Doyourapplica)onconceptstintoorsomehowrelatetoexis)ngproduct
genresthattargetedindividualswilllikelyknowabout?Howmightyourteams
designstrategiesplayuptheseani)eswhileretainingmeaningfulbrand
dieren)a)on?
Whatdomainspecicinterac)onpaZernscouldtriggertargetedknowledgeworkers
toviewyourproductasapoten)aladdi)ontotheirtechnologyenvironments?
Asanancialtraderquicklyscansthemenusandeldnamesofthetrialversionof
anewmarketinforma)onapplica)on,herecognizesstandardop)onsandfunc)on
ali)esthatheisaccustomedtousing.
Whatthisrecogni)onmaymeanishighlycon)ngentonthespecicsofagivendomain
andthescopeofworkthatatoolisintendedtomediate.Giventhatexpecta)onsofap
plicabilitymustbemetwithcorrespondingfunc)onalvalue,poten)alcuescaninclude
productgenre(C1),interac)onconven)ons(C2,L2),specializedlanguage(B1)or
informa)onrepresenta)ons(F2),iconicdesignreferences(L3),andotherdomain
specicelements(K2).
114
Howmightstrongorsubtledesignreferencestofamiliarandiconicar)facts
improvepoten)alusersgutjudgmentsofyourproductsu)lityandapplicability?
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K4. Verification of Operation

Knowledge workers have specific understandings, within their
organizations and communities of practice, of what it means to
successfully accomplish their work. In order to support workers
ability to test whether their computing tools are operating as
expected, product teams can envision functionality concepts
around key verification scenarios.
Anancialtraderreturnstoworktondthatanewversionofhisgroupstrad
ingapplica)onhasbeeninstalled.Totesttheinstalla)on,hemakessomerandom
tradesbetweenfakeorganiza)ons,knowingthathecaneasilycancelthesetest
dealsonceheiscondentthattheupdatedtoolisworkingproperlywiththerms
manyinterconnectedsystems(seeillustra(on).
Ascien)stneedstomakesurethatanewdatacollec)onapplica)onprovidesthe
sameexperimentalresultsasherlabsprevioustool.Toensurethattheresultsare
comparable,shecalibratesthenewproductandusesittoruntestprocedureson
asetofclinicalsamplesthathavealreadybeenrunusingtheprevioustool.
Anarchitectcompletesabrieftutorialinherbuildingmodelingapplica)on,during
whichthetoolrunscheckstomeasuretheperformanceofhercurrentcompu)ng
infrastructure.
Knowledgeworkersearlyexperiencesofnewtechnologiesokeninvolvecri)calminded
tes)ng.Aspartofadop)nganewcompu)ngproduct,individualsandtheirorganiza
)onsmayneedtoseethatatoolisfunc)oningconsistentlyandinlinewithitsmarket
ingclaims.Themoreimportanttheroleofanapplica)oninworkac)vi)es(A),the
moreemphasismaybeplacedonensuringthatitisopera)ngasdesiredbeforepulng
itintouse(B5,C7,C10,G4).Evenakeranewtoolhasbeensuccessfullytestedwithina
workplace,individualworkersmaygosofarastoruntheirownverica)onprocesses
toensurethattheirownhighstandardsarebeingmet(E5)andtogainabeZerunder
standingofhowaproductworks(K2,K6).
Whattheseverica)onprocessescouldentailisheavilydependentontherolesthat
productteamsareenvisioningfortheirapplica)onconcepts.Tosupportpoten)al
tes)ngscenariosintargetedworkprac)ces,teamscansketchguidingfunc)onality
conceptsthatcouldprovideuserswithclear,instrumentaloutputs(F6).Denersand
designersmayactuallymandateandautoma)callyini)atesomestandardverica)ons
withintheirproducts,suchastes)ngcertainfeaturesinthecontextofanorganiza)ons
ITinfrastructure(K10).
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhowindividualworkersandorganiza)ons
willneedorwanttoverifyanapplica)onssuccessfulopera)on,resul)ngcomput
ingtoolsmaybediculttoadoptwiththelevelofcondencethatisokenneededto
supportrealworlduse(D2,D3).Ifworkersunguided,adhocverica)onprocesses
producemixedresults,nega)vehaloeectsmayleadpeopletoabandonkeyfunc)onal
areasortheen)retyofaproductorlargerbrand.
Seealso:C1,C9,F11,G1,G3,H,I,J,K,M
115

Financial
Trader
!

What mandatory or discretionary verification scenarios could

be valuable for your teams application concepts? What
aspects of your computing tool might targeted knowledge
workers need or want to test in their local environments? What
functionalities might you envision to directively enable certain
well characterized checks?
forknowledgework:
Whoisresponsibleforociallytes)ngthefunc)onalityofneworupdated
applica)onswithintheorganiza)onsthatyourteamistarge)ng?
valuablyinformyourteamsenvisioningofproductverica)onexperiences?
Giventhescopeofknowledgeworkac)vi)esthatyourteamistarge)ng,what
typesofopera)onalchecksmightcustomerorganiza)onsrequireofyourcompu)ng
tool?
Akeranorganiza)onhastestedyourapplica)on,whatverica)onsmighttargeted
knowledgeworkerswanttorepeatthemselvesinordertocondentlyincorporate
yourneworupdatedproductintotheirownworkprac)ces?
Whatopera)onalverica)onscouldbeimportanttoindividualworkersbutmaynot
seemasimportanttotheirorganiza)ons?
Whattestsmightbebeneciallyrerunasyourapplica)onisusedthroughadvancing
versionsofanorganiza)onsITinfrastructureover)me?

!

Howmightyourteamenvisiontheinterac)veproceduresofinfrequentlyaccessed
tes)ngfunc)onali)esinawaythatcouldallowuserstoeasilyandaccuratelyrun
themwithoutaddi)onalinstruc)on?
Whatrolecouldautoma)onplayintheowoftes)ngac)ons?
Whatstreamlinedinstrumentaldisplaysmightyourteamsketchwiththegoalof
decisivelypresen)ngcertainverica)onoutcomes?
Whatpoten)alerrorsorproblemscouldariseincertaintes)ngprocesses?How
mighttheybepreventedorhandledinyoursketchedfunc)onalityconcepts?
Howmightyourideasaboutapplica)onverica)on)eintoyoursketcheddirec)ons
forinstruc)onalassistance?
!

K5. Understanding and Reframing Alternate Interpretations

When product teams foresee potential misinterpretations of
their functionality concepts and these possibilities cannot be
effectively designed out they can envision cues that may
help knowledge workers to reframe their own interpretations
to be more closely aligned with their products intended
conceptual models.
Where might targeted knowledge workers domain background

promote interpretations of your teams sketched computing
tool that are different than those that you intended, potentially
leading to errors and inefficiencies in use? What corrective
cues and instruction might your functionality concepts include
in order to reduce the likelihood of such conflicts?

'

#

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Ascien)stisusedtothinkingaboutcertainareasofascaZerplotgraphasrepre
sen)ngoutlierdatawithinasetofclinicalresults.Akershechangesthechemistry
thatherlabusestoprocesssamples,heranalysisapplica)onprovidessomeaddi
)onalcuesandinstruc)onabouthowtointerpretthenewdata(seeillustra(on).
Anarchitectexpectsthatallcommunica)onswithinherstudiosbuildingmodeling
applica)onwillbesavedaspartofthebuildingmodelle.Sheissurprisedtoread
thatonetypeofcommunica)onisnotsaved,thoughtheapplica)onsstatedreason
makessensetoher.
Anancialtraderhasusedthesamesetoftradingshortcutcodesforyears,buthis
grouphasrecentlydecidedtoswitchtoamoreecientandallencompassingset.
Now,whenheaccidentallyentersanoutdatedshortcutcode,histradingapplica)on
suggestsalternatecodesthatcouldmatchhisintent.
forknowledgework:
backgroundwilltargetedindividualslikelybringtotheirexperienceswithyour
teamsproduct?
Clinical
Scientist
Wheremightpeoplesexis)ngunderstandingsconictwiththeconceptualmodels
thatyourteamisaZemp)ngtocommunicatethroughoutyoursketchedapplica)on
concepts?
(
! "

InwhichcasesmightitbebeZertoredesigncertainfunc)onali)esratherthan
aZemp)ngtoreframetargetedworkersalternateinterpreta)onsofthem?
Wheremighttheoppositebetrue?Wherecouldthevalueofyourteamssketched
approachestomedia)ngworkbestrongenoughthatyoumaywanttotryto
respectullymi)gateandreframeusersalternateinterpreta)ons?
Sometechnologiststalkofknowledgeworkerslegacycharacteris)cswithdismay,as
iftrainedprofessionalsshouldsimplyabandontheirculturesofprac)cefornewpro
cessesthatsomebelievetobemoreecientorcontemporary.Takingamorerespect
fulapproach,denersanddesignerscaninsteadthinkoftargetedworkerslegacyof
exis)ngunderstandingsandabili)esasthecoreofvaluedskillsthattheyareaZempt
ingtoaugmentwiththeirproducts.
Armedwiththelaterperspec)ve,productteamscanrecognizethatvaluabletechnolo
giesokenconformto,ratherthanrework,usersknownprac)ces.Teamscanenvision
func)onalityconceptsthatharnessknowledgeworkersbackgrounds,presen)ngthem
withusefulnewapproachesinsupportoftheirexis)ngworkingcultures(K2,K6,K7).
Evenwithinthisemphasisoninten)onallysui)ngthedesigncontext,newtechnolo
giesinevitablycarrysomenovelideas.Bydesign,someofaproductteamssketched
conceptsmaynecessarilyoperateinwaysthatcanconictwithworkersexis)ng
understandings.Facedwiththesesitua)ons,teamscaniden)fyareaswheredamaging
misinterpreta)onsmayoccurandthenenvisionwaystoreframetheseconicts.These
envisioningeortscanbepar)cularlyimportantwhenteamsareseekingtodeliver
valuebyevolvingorinten)onallymodifyingsomefundamentalmentalmodelswithina
knowledgeworkdomain(D7,F2,F11).
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderpoten)alalternateinterpreta)onsof
theirdesignconceptsandhowpoten)allyproblema)cinterpreta)onscouldbe
reframedresul)ngproductsmayleaveknowledgeworkersmoresuscep)bletoer
rorsindecisionmakingandac)on(C9,G3).Usersmayalsondsuchapplica)onstobe
diculttolearn,generallyinecient(D2,D3),andbuiltonaawedunderstandingof
theirmo)va)onsandneeds(C1).
Seealso:A,G1,F,K,H,I4,L4,M
116
Whatlargerdesigntrendsandadvancedanalogiestootherproductscouldinuence
yourideasaboutaZemp)ngtoreframecertainconcep)onswithinyourcompu)ng
tool?
Whatcorrec)vecues,instruc)onalcontent,andotherdesigncommunica)oncould
reducetheincidenceofpoten)almisinterpreta)ons?

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!* )
Howmightyourconceptsforreframingalternateinterpreta)ons)eintoother
instruc)onalassistanceapproachesinyourapplica)onconcepts?Howmightthey
relatetoyourapproachesforerrorpreven)onandhandling?
K6. Design for Frequency of Access and Skill Acquisition

Knowledge workers become highly familiar with some parts of
their interactive applications and remain perpetual intermediates or even novices in others. Product teams can envision
appropriate levels of interaction constraint and instruction for
different functionality concepts, matching design responses
to expected frequency of use.
How might your team characterize predicted frequency of

use for each of your sketched functionality concepts? How
might these differential levels of access, along with other
relevant learnability factors, impact the amount of direction and
scaffolding that you incorporate into each interaction pathway?

forknowledgework:
Howmuchlearninginvestmentmighttargetedindividualsbewillingtomakein
ordertousethevariousfunc)onalityconceptsthatyourteamhasenvisioned?
Anancialtraderlikesthatthetradingapplica)onscreensthatheusesthroughout
hisdaycontainonlyessen)alcontentandfunc)onality,withoutanyinstruc)onsor
extras.Whenheaccessesselngsdialogsandothersecondaryareasofthecomput
ingtool,heokenreadscontextualinstruc)onswithoutrealizingthatheisusing
them(seeillustra(on).
Anarchitecthaslearnedspecializedshortcutstorapidlyinteractwithherbuilding
modelingapplica)onwithouthavingtoshikherfocustoitsmenustructure.Since
sheusescertainfunc)onsveryfrequently,shehadnoqualmsaboutlearningthese
somewhatarbitraryinterac)onmappings.
Ascien)stmostlyjustwantstoseedatavisualiza)onsonherscreen,notexcess
interfacecontrolsorcontent,butshelikestohavequickaccesstokeydeni)ons.
Eachofthetoolsthatsheusesdoesthingsslightlydierentlyandshesome)mes
forgetswhatsomeofthedataparametersinagivenscreenactuallymean.
Evenwhenaknowledgeworkerknowshowtouseacompu)ngtool,theytypicallydo
notrememberhowtouseeveryoneofitsfunc)ons.Addi)onally,theideaofknowing
howtouseagivenfunc)onalareacanmeanverydierentthingsasingleinterac
)veapplica)oncancontainsomefunc)onali)esthatareascomplicatedtolearnasa
musicalinstrumentandotherareasthatareasdirec)veandrestric)veasanautomat
edtellermachine(C3).Ineithercase,peoplelearnthroughtheirongoingexperiences,
thoughtheinvestmentinvolvedandcharacteroftheirresul)ngskillscandiergreatly.
Basedoncharacteriza)onsofuse(A,D2),productteamscanenvisiondierentlearn
abilityrequirementsfortheirvariousfunc)onalityconcepts.Forfrequentlyused
func)onali)es,veryliZleaidmaybeneededoutsideofintroductoryexperiences(K2,
D7).Forinfrequentlyaccessedfunc)onalop)ons,compu)ngtoolscanaZemptto
scaoldworkersbasedontheirassumedgoalsandknowledge(C1,K5),aswellas
targetedrequirementsforexibilityanderrorpreven)on(C9,G3).
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhowdierentfunc)onalareaswithin
theirapplica)onconceptswillbedieren)allyaccessedandused,resul)ngproducts
mayconveyaninherentdisregardforlearningexperiences(D3).Teamsmayinappro
priatelytreatallareasofaproductasiftheywillbeselfexplanatory(H),supportedby
separateoren)relydistantinstruc)onalcontent(K7).Alternately,poorlyenvisioned
applica)onscanbecomeoverlydirec)veandinstruc)veinprimaryareaswhere
peoplearelikelytoeventuallyndsuchscaoldingtobedistrac)ng(A9,C6,D4).
Seealso:C,E,G,K,M
117
Financial
Trader
Howmightworkersexpecta)onsaroundskillacquisi)onvarybasedonthevalue
thattheyassigntoagivenfunc)onalop)oninthecontextoftheirownwork
prac)ces?
Howmightyourproductsoverallstrategicmessageandbrandpromiseaectusers
mo)va)ons?Whatsourcesofvaluecouldbecompellingenoughtoseemworthyof
learningeort?
'

4

4
Whatareasandpathwaysinyourteamsapplica)onconceptsarelikelytobe
accessedfrequentlyandwillprobablybecomewellknownthroughnormaluse?
Whatpor)onsofyourcompu)ngtoolwillusers,bydesign,rarelyaccess?
)++*0*-(*1-1(0**-'//0.'(,*1
Whatgapexistsbetweenwhattargetedworkersalreadyknowandwhatthey
mayneedtoknowinordertohaveposi)veexperienceswithyoursketched
func)onali)es?
Howmightyourteamusetheaboveunderstandingstocategoricallypriori)ze
tradeosbetweenini)allearnabilityandskilleduseindierentpartsofyour
product?

1
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Inpar)cular,howmightyourteamplaceanemphasisonenvisioningappropriate
interac)onconstraintsandinstruc)onsforcomplexfunc)onalareasthatworkers
willrarelysee?
21
Wheremightdirec)velimitsoninterac)veexibilityvaluablysteeruserstoward
theirgoalsandpreventsometypesoferrors?
Wheremightcontextualinstruc)onprovidevalueindierentfunc)onality
concepts?Howmightyourteampresentthisinstruc)onalcontentinclearand
engagingways?
0'
&
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Wheremightitmakesensetodriveuserstowardanapplica)onscomprehensive
instruc)onalassistanceoerings,ratherthanincludesuchcontentinthecontextof
normalinterac)ons?
Howmightyourenvisionedapproachforsuppor)ngdierenttypesofskill
acquisi)on)eintoyourconceptsforintroductoryexperiences?Howmightitrelate
toyourconven)onsforerrorpreven)onandhandling?
K7. Clear and Comprehensive Instructional Assistance

The balancing act between initial learnability and long term
usability often results in some functionalities that are not self
explanatory to all knowledge workers in a targeted population.
To ensure that workers have just-in-time access to needed
answers, product teams can envision useful, findable, and
directive help, delivered via channels that are well suited
to characterized learning needs.
What functionality concepts might your team envision to

provide targeted knowledge workers with comprehensive and
appropriate support for their learning needs and critical issues?
What contextual, goal directed interaction pathways could your
computing tool present in order to connect users with stored
user assistance content, online repositories, relevant social
networks, or specialized support staff?
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Ascien)stseesaninteres)ngtrendinheranalysisapplica)on,andshewantsto
modifyhercurrentvisualiza)ontohighlightdatathatmatchsomecomplexcriteria.
Akerclickingthroughsomeselngsscreenswithoutsuccess,sheclicksonacontex
tualhelpicontolaunchtherelevantsec)onoftheapplica)onscomprehensive
helpsystem(seeillustra(on).
Anarchitectbrowsesthesupportwebsiteofherbuildingmodelingapplica)onfor
)psandtricksonhowtosetupsecuritypermissionsforsubcontractors,before
gelngstartedonthenecessarydataentry.
Anancialtraderusesthephonenumberlistedinanerrormessagetocallhis
tradingapplica)onscustomersupportteam,whosemembershaveaccesstoan
extensivehelpdatabase.
forknowledgework:
Clinical
Scientist
backgroundwilltargetedindividualslikelybringtotheirexperienceswithyour
teamsproduct?
Whatpartsofyourapplica)onconceptsmaybeinherentlydicultforsome
workerstolearn?Wheremightvariabili)esinworkprac)ceswithintargeted
marketsandorganiza)onsleadtoaddi)onallearningneedsforsomeusers?
&

!
"

Whathighlevelgapsexistbetweenwhatworkersalreadyknowandwhattheymay
needtoknowinordertohaveposi)veuserexperienceswithyourcompu)ngtool?
Whatspecicunderstandinggapsmightyourteamiden)fyforeachofyourprimary
Knowledgeworkersokendonotlearnanen)reinterac)veapplica)oninasinglesit
)ng,andsuppor)nginstruc)oncanplayacrucialroleastheadop)onprocessunfolds
over)meinorganiza)ons.Compu)ngtoolsforspecializedworkcanbeextremely
specicandintricate,makingitdicultforpeopletodigestalloftheinstruc)onthat
theyneedduringini)altrainingsessionsoroutofboxexperiences(K2).
Productteamscanenvisionavarietyofinstruc)onalmethodsandpresenta)onswithin
theirapplica)onconceptsthataretailoredtotherangeofideasthattheyareseeking
tocommunicate(C3,F,L4).Insomeinstances,dis)nctassistanceop)ons,somewhat
removedfromdaytodayuserinterfaces,canbedesirable.Forexample,contextual
instruc)on(D4,F1)canprogressivelydiscloseanapplica)onshelpcontent,anonline
informa)onrepository,thesocialnetworksofausercommunity(I,M3),oradirect
communica)onchanneltoproductsupportrepresenta)ves.Inothercases,where
ac)onsareinfrequentlyaccomplished,procedurallycomplex,orespeciallysensi)veto
error(G3),workersmayvaluescaoldinginstruc)onthatismorepresentandintegrat
edintouserinterfaces(K6).
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderthelargerinstruc)onalassistance
requirementsoftheirapplica)onconcepts,resul)ngproductsmaynotadequatelysup
portworkersini)alandongoinglearningneeds(K5,C1).Thesetoolsmaypresentusers
andtheirorganiza)onswithcostlyandfrustra)ngtrialanderrorsitua)ons(D2,D3)
thatcannega)velyimpactbrandpercep)onsandworkoutcomes(L1).
Conversely,poorlyconceivedinstruc)onalfeaturesmayprovideliZlevalue.Many
contemporarytoolscontainvague,marginallyusefulinstruc)onalcontentofthe
baingsortthatmostpersonalcomputerusersarealltoofamiliarwith.
Seealso:A,C,E,F10,F11,G,J7,K,M
118
Whatpor)onsofyourapplica)onconceptswillprobablybeaccessedinfrequently
inmostorganiza)ons?Whatlearningneedscouldarisefromthesecases?
Whichofyoursketchedfunc)onalareashas,bydesign,moreexibilityandless
instruc)onalcontent,withtheassump)onthatworkerswillgainskillsthrough
ongoinguseandwouldnddirec)vescaoldingtobedistrac)ng?
&
!

Whatcomprehensiveassistanceapproachesaremostappropriateforthelearning
needsyourteamhascharacterized?
?
Inwhatcasesmightactualconversa)onsbenecessarytoresolveknowledge
workersissues?Whatfeasiblesupportcanyourteamenvisionforthese
interac)ons?
Howcouldtheavailabilityofinstruc)onalsupportbemadecontextuallyapparentin
yourcompu)ngtoolwithoutdistrac)ngfromrehearsed,daytodayinterac)ons?
Whatmediaformatscouldappropriatelyrepresentcannedinstruc)onalcontent
inclearandengagingways?

%
"
&"

Howmightyourenvisionedapproachforprovidingcomprehensiveinstruc)onal
assistance)eintoyourconceptsforintroductoryinstruc)on?Howmightitrelate
toyourconven)onsforerrorpreven)onandhandling?
K8. Seamless Inter-application Interactivity

Knowledge workers may need to interact with several
computing tools in order to accomplish their activities,
effectively treating their adopted suite of applications as
one overall system. Product teams can envision functionality
concepts that could facilitate desirable and fluid onscreen
interactions across related products.
Which of the work practices that your team is striving to

mediate could span multiple computing tools in knowledge
workers technology environments? What useful interactions
might your team envision to allow targeted workers to
dynamically use multiple onscreen applications as if they
were a single seamless system?
I need to ask our

acous!cs consultant
some cos!ng
ques!ons about this
proposed form...
Anarchitectselectsandcopiesasec)onofabuildingmodel,thenpastesitintoan
emailthatshewillsendtoanacous)calconsultantwhoises)ma)ngsomespecic
costs.Whentheconsultantreceivesthele,heisabletoopenitinadierent3D
modelingtool,whereonlythespecicsec)onofthebuildingunderdiscussion
appearsonhisscreen(seeillustra(on).
Anancialtradercopiescontentfromaseriesofformsinhistradingapplica)on
andpastesitintoaspreadsheetforfurtheranalysis.Sinceheknowshisspreadsheet
applica)onverywell,heokenpreferstoworkthisway,evenwhenotherproducts
providespreadsheetlikefunc)onality.
Ascien)stselectsseveralrowsinatablewithinheranalysisapplica)onanddrags
themintoapresenta)ondocument.Thedraggedcontentthenappearsinthebody
ofthedocumentwiththesametableformalng.
forknowledgework:
Architect
So I am going to copy this

smaller area of the
building model and paste
it into an email that Ill
send over to her...
Seealso:A,B,C3,E,G,I5,K,M
Whatroledoeachofthesetoolsplaywithinyourteamstargetedtasksandlarger
ac)vi)es?
Whichinteropera)onsfrequentlyresultfromlightweight,spurofthemoment
choices?
Whatbreakdownsanderrorscanoccurintheseinteropera)ons?Couldthese
Wheremightyourteamssketchedstrategicdirec)onssuggestopenand
networkedapproachestoothertechnologiesintargetedworkersenvironments?
Wheremighttheysuggestclosedapproaches?
Whatmarkettrendsandtechnologicalreali)esmightyourteamconsiderwhile
envisioningpossibili)esfordynamicinterac)onsbetweenspeciccompu)ngtools?
Basedonanalysesofcommonproductandac)vityinterrela)onsintargetedworkprac
)ces(A5),productteamscanenvisionfunc)onalityconceptsthatcouldprovide
userswithlightweightand)ghtlycoupledopportuni)estoeec)vely)eintotheir
othercompu)ngtools.Conven)onalexamplesoftheseinteropera)onsincludecut
andpasteanddraganddropofinterac)onobjectsthatusersmaywanttomove
fromoneproducttoanother(B1,B8,E3,G2).
Conversely,forreasonsinvolvingtopdownbusinessorbrandstrategy,teamsmay
inten)onallydecidetokeeptheirapplica)onconceptsclosedtothissortofinterop
era)on,regardlessofthevalueitcoulddelivertoworkersandtheirorganiza)ons.
However,over)meandundertheinuenceofInternetdriventhinkingthisline
ofprotec)vereasoningappearstobebecominglessprevalentinmanyworkplace
compu)ngdomains.
Whichcompu)ngtoolsdotargetedindividualsprimarilyuse,giventhelarger
constella)onoftechnologiesthatareavailabletothem?
Howdoknowledgeworkerscurrentlycoordinatetheirvariousonscreenapplica)ons
inordertoaccomplishtheirgoalsindierentscenarios?
Inmanyknowledgeworkplaces,individualsscreensarefrequentlyalightwithseveral
dierentapplica)onsatthesame)me,okenforoverlappingpurposes.Anindividual
productisokenonlyonecomponentofanoverallsystemoftoolsthatworkersappro
priatetoaccomplishtheirac)vi)es.
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhowknowledgeworkersmaywantto
seamlesslytransfercontentintoandoutoftheirapplica)ons,resul)ngproductscan
containfunc)onallyisola)ngbarrierstolongtermproduc)vityandsa)sfac)on(D2,
D3,M4).Workersmaytraverseissuesthatcouldbesolvedwithlightweightinterac)on
byredundantlyenteringdata,capturingscreens,prin)nginforma)on(J7),orexpor)ng
andimpor)ngapplica)oncontent(K9).Evenwithavailableworkarounds,deciencies
inseamlessinterac)vitymaybecomeanearlyandfrequentcomplaintaboutadopted
products(D4,G3,M4).
119
Whataltudesandexpecta)onsdotargetedindividualsandtheirorganiza)ons
haveregardingseamlessinterac)vityasameansofbridgingtheirvarious
applica)ons?
Whichofyoursketchedinterac)onobjectsandfunc)onalityconceptsmightprovide
valueinthecontextofothercompu)ngtools?
Whatinterac)onobjectsfromothercompu)ngtoolsmightprovidevalueinthe
contextofyourteamsapplica)onconcepts?
Wheremightexis)ngconvec)onsforlightweightinterapplica)oninterac)vity,such
ascutandpasteanddraganddrop,playaroleinyourfunc)onalityconcepts?
Remote
Collaborator
And then she can open it up in the so"ware that she

uses, without having to do anything special...
Whatnovelinterac)onapproachesmightyourteamenvisionforspecicbridging
opera)ons?
K9. Directed Application Interoperation

Knowledge workers may want to accomplish their activities by
using a series of functionalities that sequentially span more than
one computing application. To allow for the movement of large
volumes of data in relevant formats, product teams can envision
functionality concepts that could facilitate cross boundary
interoperations with distinct import and export options.
120

mediate could bridge multiple computing tools in knowledge
workers technology environments? What separate, named
functionality concepts might your team envision to allow
targeted workers to valuably move selected collections
of application content across otherwise isolating product
boundaries?

#

!"
Ascien)stexportsasetofclinicaldatafromhernewanalysisapplica)onsothatshe
canimportitintoheroldanalysistool,whichincludessomedierentvisualiza)ons.
Dependingonwhatshediscoversintheoldertool,shewilllikelyimportasubsetof
theclinicaldatabackintohernew,primarytoolforfurtherexamina)on
(seeillustra(on).
forknowledgework:
Clinical
Scientist
ac)vi)es?
Anancialtrader,whowantstobeZerunderstandthepoten)allongtermvalue
ofalargetradeoer,exportstheoersdataintoaformatthathecantheneasily
uploadedintohispreferredmarketinforma)ontool.
Anarchitectneedstopostsomeplansonanextranetwebsiteforherclientstoview.
Sincetheseclientsdonothavethespecializedsokwareapplica)onsthatherstudio
uses,sheinstructsherbuildingmodelingapplica)ontoexporttheselectedplans
aswebpages.
toaccomplishtheirgoalsindierentscenarios?
#

% $
Whatbreakdownsanderrorscanoccurintheseinteropera)ons?Couldthese
Whendealingwithcomplexinforma)on,largevolumesofdata,anden)rearcsofac)v
ity,knowledgeworkersfrequentlywantorneedtoapplyseveraldierentcompu)ng
toolstotheireorts.Individualproductsareokenonlyonecomponentofanoverall
systemoftoolsthatworkershaveappropriatedtoaccomplishtheirac)vi)es.
Basedonanalysesofcommonproductandac)vityinterrela)onsintargetedworkprac
)ces(A5),productteamscanprovideworkerswithopportuni)estosequen)allybridge
applica)onsthroughtheexportoftheirproductscontentandtheimportofrelated
contentfromothertools.Desirableapproachesandformatsforthesefunc)onality
conceptscanbehighlycon)ngentonteamspredic)onsabouthowtheirproductwill
beusedinconjunc)onwithothertechnologies.Supportformoreopenstandardsmay
promotedirectedinteropera)onwithavarietyofcompu)ngtools,includingthosethat
maynotyetexistduringapplica'onenvisioningoratthe)meofaproductseventual
release(M4).
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhowknowledgeworkersmaywanttodi
rectlyinteroperatetheirapplica)onswithotheronscreentools,resul)ngproductsmay
beexperiencedasinaccessibleislandsoffunc)onality.Theseapplica)onsmaypose
cri)calbarrierstolongtermproduc)vityandsa)sfac)on(D2,D3,G3),crea)nganeed
forredundantdataentry(E3,E4)thatcantaketheplaceofhigherorder,and
poten)allyhighervalue,pursuits(D4).
Conversely,forreasonsinvolvingtopdownbusinessorbrandstrategy,teamsmay
inten)onallydecidetokeeptheirapplica)onconceptsclosedtothissortofinterop
era)on,regardlessofthevalueitcoulddelivertoworkersandtheirorganiza)ons.
However,over)meandundertheinuenceofInternetdriventhinkingthisline
ofprotec)vereasoningappearstobebecominglessprevalentinmanyworkplace
compu)ngdomains.
Seealso:A,B,C8,E,G1,I5,K,M
Whichinteropera)onsfrequentlyresultfromac)velyandsequen)allymovingdata
betweencompu)ngtools?
Wheremighttheysuggestclosedapproaches?

Whatmarkettrendsandtechnologicalreali)esmightyourteamconsiderwhile
envisioningpossibili)esforthedirectedmovementofdatabetweencertain
compu)ngtools?
$
Whataltudesandexpecta)onsdotargetedindividualsandorganiza)onshave
regardingexpor)ngandimpor)ngasameansofbridgingtheirownassembliesof
varioustoolsandsystems?
Whichcollec)onsofinterac)onobjectsinyourapplica)onconceptsmighttargeted
userswanttoexport?Whatdatamighttheyliketoimport?
"

!

Whatdataformatscouldsupportdirected,manualexchangesofcontentbetween
compu)ngtools?Whatopenstandardscouldallowworkerstomovedatainto
forthcomingandfutureapplica)onssomeofwhichyourteammaynotyetknow
aboutorbeabletopredictduringyourownproductdevelopmentprocess?
Whatexibili)escouldallowworkerstohavedesirablelevelsofcontroloverthe
contentthatismovedintoandoutofyourapplica)onconcepts?
Whatvulnerabili)esandsecurityproblemsmightbecreatedbyallowingtheimport
ofoutsidedata?Whatfunc)onalityresponsescouldmi)gatetheserisks?
K10. Openness to Application Integration and Extension

In order to better support their local processes, knowledge
workers and their organizations may want to effectively
combine different applications or add to a computing tools
functionalities. Product teams can envision technical features
and support that could facilitate integration, or customized
functional extension, of their application concepts.

mediate could bridge multiple computing tools in knowledge
workers technology environments? Where might custom
functional extensions address unsupported needs? What
specific, publicized points of technical openness could allow
target organizations to locally recombine and add on to your
application concepts?

$

Anancialtradernolongerhastocutandpasteinforma)onbetweenhistrading
applica)onandasecondarytool.HisrmsITstahascodedanautoma)onthat
hasremovedthesefrequent,tedioustasksfromhisday,openingupmore)mefor
himtofocusontradingandanalyzingmarkettrends(seeillustra(on).
AnarchitectaskedherITdepartmenttodevelopasmalladdi)onfortheirstudios
buildingmodelingapplica)on.Thisnewop)onallowshertoviewbuildingmodel
datainthecontextofprojectbudge)ngdata.
Ascien)stmakesvendorselec)ondecisionsbasedinpartonherdesiretohaveher
en)reclinicallabsopera)onsintegratedintoauniedclinicaldatarepository.She
looksatpoten)alproductsascollec)onsoffunc)onalitythatcouldbeintegrated
intothatcentralsystem.
Giventhatasingleapplica)onisokenonlyonecomponentofanoverallcompu)ng
system(A5),technicallyintegra)ngvarioustoolstogethercanbecomeadesirablesce
nario.Organiza)onscanalsobuilduniquefunc)onalextensionswithinanapplica)ons
frameworktomeetlocalchallengesinsidethecontextoftheirvaluedtools(A8,K13).
Theseneedsbased,technicalinterven)onscanposi)velyaltertheessen)alcharacter
ofknowledgeworkersexperiences.Forexample,integra)ngtwoproductstogethercan
ooadmanualinteropera)oneorts(E3,E4,K9)thatwouldotherwisedetractfrom
workerslesstedious,highervalueeorts(D3,D4).
forknowledgework:
Financial
Trader
""#

$
1++2,
*/
*)..+(
-,/*0
ac)vi)es?
toaccomplishtheirgoalsindierentscenarios?
Whichinteropera)onsbetweencompu)ngtoolsarefrequentandstandard
enoughandoutsidethecoreofenjoyable,valued,thinkingworktorepresent
opportuni)esforintegra)onandautomatedinteropera)on?
Whatintegra)onsandcustomextensionsarealreadypresentintargetedworkers
environments?Whoaccomplishedthesehighlytechnicalfeats?Whatsuccesses
andproblemsdidtheyhavealongtheway?
Whatmarkettrendsandtechnologicalreali)esmightyourteamconsiderwhen
idea)ngaroundthetechnicalopennessofyourapplica)onconcepts?
Whataltudesandexpecta)onsdotargetedindividualsandorganiza)onshave
abouthowopentheirchosentoolsshouldbetosystemicconnec)onandcustom
improvements?
Howfeaturesmightallowyourapplica)onbecomeaplatormforinnova)velocal
solu)ons?Whatspecicpointsoftechnicalopennesscouldprovidevalue?
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhowindividualsandtheirorganiza)ons
maywanttocombineandextendnewtools,resul)ngapplica)onsmaybeexperienced
asinaccessible,unchangingislandsoffunc)onality(M4).Fromknowledgeworkers
perspec)ves,theseclosedoeringscanbecomecri)calbarrierstolongterm
produc)vityandsa)sfac)on(D2,D3,G3).
Seealso:A,B,C8,E,I5,I6,K,M
Atwhatpointmightyourproductandbrandbecometooinvisibledueto
integra)onortoomutatedbylocalmodica)ons?
Productteamscanfacilitatetheseintegra)onsandextensionsbyenvisioningconcepts
foropeningupcertainfacetsoftheirapplica)onsinnerworkingstotargetedaudi
ences.Forexample,teamscanplantopublishdocumented(K7)technicalinterfaces
andcodeforwelldenedpointsofexibility,whichcouldthenbeusedincustomer
organiza)ons,orlargercommuni)esofprac)ce,tomakedesiredsystemicconnec)ons
andcustomimprovements.
Conversely,fromaproductrmsperspec)ve,extensiveintegra)oncanleadtoasitu
a)onwherethebrandoftheiroeringbecomestooinvisibletoindividualusers(C1,
C2,L4).Inasimilarvein,aproductstopdownstrategymaynotbeconducivetomany
typesofintegra)onorextensionscenarios,despitetheirpoten)alvaluefortargeted
individualsandorganiza)ons.DenersanddesignerscanaZempttobalanceprotec
)vethinkingwithadesiretosupportopentailoringandinnova)veevolu)onoftheir
productwithintheirusercommunity.
121
Howmightyourteameec)velydocumentandpublishtechnicalinterfacesand
code?Whataddi)onalsupportandservicesmightyouprovide?
!

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"
Whatvulnerabili)esandsecurityproblemsmightbecreatedbyopeningupyour
producttooutsideintegra)onandextension?Howcouldyourenvisioneddesign
responsesmi)gatesomeoralloftheserisks?
Howmightyourteameventuallylearnfromthechangesthatyouruserswill
presumablymakebasedontechnicalopeningsinyourcompu)ngtool?Howcould
youpromotecommunitysharingoftheselocalinnova)ons?
K11. End User Programming

Product teams can envision functionality concepts that could
allow knowledge workers to program different sorts of coded
routines within their computing tools, such as the steps
followed by an automated process. Interactive, task specific
methods can make programming straightforward in the
context of workers own goals and technical skills.
122
What functionality concepts might your team envision to allow

targeted knowledge workers to create their own algorithmic
rules in order to meet local and emergent needs? What inherent
constraints, representations, and interaction idioms might you
draw upon to promote clearly bounded and intuitive coding
experiences?

#

Ascien)stwritesherownalgorithmwithinheranalysisapplica)ontovisualize
thedatafromoneofherlabsclinicalresearchstudies.Shestartswithastandard
algorithmprovidedbythetool,thenexploitsdenedexibili)estomodifyitsrules
towardthenewvisualiza)onapproachthatshewantstotry(seeillustra(on).
Anancialtraderisreviewingperformancetrendsinhisgroupinordertondpo
ten)alareasforimprovement.Tolocateonlydealsmadewithinthelastmonththat
matchhighlyspeciccriteria,heuseshistradingapplica)ontocomposeandsavea
longandcomplexBooleanquery.
Anarchitectselectsanop)ontohaveherbuildingmodelingapplica)onrecordher
ac)ons.Onceshehasnishedrecordingtheinterac)onsequence,shecanthen
easilyapplythesamesequenceofstepstootherobjectswithinthesameproject.
Whenconfrontedwithexac)ngandeortulprocesses(D2,D3),knowledgeworkers
maywanttoprogramspecializedaddi)onsandmodica)onstotheircompu)ngtools
thataretailoredtomeettheirindividual,localneeds(E,A7,A8).Theymay,however,
ndtheno)onoftacklingevensmallprogrammingeortstobedaun)ng.Forexample,
whilefunc)onalityforcodingmacroscanallowworkerstoextendsomecontemporary
productsindiverseways,itmayrequirethemtoinvestsignicanteortinorderto
learnunfamiliarandabstractprogramminglanguages.
Sincemanypeoplearenotaccustomedtowri)ngcodelikeacomputerscien)st,
productteamscanenvisiontailoredprogrammingmethodsthatencapsulateknown,
inherentrulesintargetedworkprac)cesandthatareintrinsicallyappropriateforusers
technicalskillsets.Forexample,enduserprogramscanbeconstructedfromsequences
ofrestric)ve,easilyunderstoodblocksthatarerelevanttoworkersgoalsandmental
models(I2,I3).Alternately,moreimplicitmethods,suchasac)onrecordingfunc)onal
itycanallowworkerstoprogramtheirtoolsbasedonrecordedinterac)onswithina
productseverydayinterface,whichcanthenbeplayedbackonotherinterac)on
objects(B1).
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderpoten)alneedsforenduserprogram
mingintheirapplica)onconcepts,resul)ngproductsmaynotbeexibleenoughto
eec)velysupportthediversityofworkersprac)ces.Insomeinstances,comple)ng
certaintasksorlargerac)vi)esmaysimplynotbefeasiblewithoutcustomizedauto
ma)on.Intheabsenceofsuchfunc)onality,productteamsmayreceiveaseemingly
unsupportablevarietyofconic)ngautoma)onrequests,eachrepresen)ngagranular
needinlocal,adoptedprac)ce(M4).
Seealso:A,C8,D4,I1,K,M
forknowledgework:
Whatdotargetedindividualsandorganiza)onsthinkofanyenduserprogramming
featuresintheircurrentcompu)ngtools?
Clinical
Scientist
Whatprogrammedextensionshavetheycreatedusingthesefeatures,andwho
createdthem?
Whichoftheworkprac)cesthatyourteamisstrivingtomediatecontains
importantvariabili)esinrulebasedprocesses?
#

#

Whattypesofchangesmighttargetedknowledgeworkerswantmaketothedefault
algorithmsinyoursketchedapplica)onconcepts?Arethesechangespredictable
enoughtobecomecustomiza)onop)onsoraretheydiverseyetimportant
enoughtowarrantsomekindofprogrammingexibility?
Mightprogrammingneedsbesoinfrequentandunchangingastomaketechnical
opennesstoextensionbyITstamoredesirablethanenduserprogramming
op)ons?
Whatlargertechnologytrendsandadvancedanalogiestootherproductscould
valuablyinformyourteamsenvisioningofpoten)alprogrammingconcepts?

!

$%
Whatinterac)veprogrammingmethodscouldallowuserstoexiblycode
algorithmsinwaysthatareappropriatefortheirskillsandthetargeteddomain
context?
Howmightyoursketchedfunc)onalityideasforenduserprogrammingallow
individualstocarveoutpar)cularyeteasilyunderstandablepathsthroughwell
characterizedspacesofrulebasedpossibility?
Howmightpeopletestouttheirownalgorithmswithoutanyriskstovalueddata?
Howcouldthesetes)ngoutputsreferenceyourproductslargererrorpreven)on
andhandlingconven)ons?
#

!
"

Howmightyourteameventuallylearnfromthechangesthatyouruserswill
presumablymakeviaprogrammingop)onsinyourcompu)ngtool?Howcould
yourproductsoverallsystempromotecommunitysharingoftheselocal
innova)ons?
K12. Trusted and Credible Processes and Content

When knowledge workers are confident that an interactive
application follows known professional standards or was
contributed to by credible sources, they may be more likely
to trust the computing tools processes and content. Product
teams can envision honest and direct ways to engender
these cues in their application concepts.

Anancialtraderknowsthathighlyrespectedpeopleathisrmprovidedfeedback
thatwasincorporatedintothenewversionofhistradingapplica)on.Thismakes
himmorecondentthatthetoolsinterac)veapproachesandunderlyingrules
arewellsuitedtohisworkprac)ces(seeillustra(on).
Ascien)stviewsthealgorithmssuppliedbyheranalysisapplica)onascredible
becauseleadingluminariesinherclinicalresearcheld,includingherownmentors,
wereconsultedduringthecrea)onoftheproduct.
Financial
Trader
Whattrustedprofessionalstandardscouldberelevantfortheworkprac)cesthat
yourteamisstrivingtomediate?
Whatcredibleindividualsandorganiza)onscouldbevaluablecontributorsand
collaborators?
Whichofthesesourcesmightbeagoodmatchforyourteamssketchedstrategic
direc)ons?
Whatrisksmightoccurfromaligningyourcompu)ngtoolwithpar)cularindustry
standardsandwellknownindividuals?WhatcontroversiesmightbebeZer
avoided?
Howmightyourteamincorporateper)nentinsightsandinforma)onfromcertain
sourcesintoyoursketchedapplica)onconcepts?
Leading Traders
Whilethehighlevelbrandpromiseofaproductrm,productfamily,orindividualap
plica)oncanbeapersuasivepartofestablishingaconnec)onwithknowledgework
ers,thepar)cularsofhowanapplica)onfunc)onsmayalsobeacri)calingredient
inpeoplespercep)ons.Allproductsimplicitlycommunicatesomeoftheunderlying
assump)onsoftheircreators,andpeoplemayques)onthecontribu)ngsourcesand
ra)onalebehindspecicdeni)on,design,andimplementa)ondecisionsthatarepar
)cularlyrelevanttotheirowndaytodayeorts.
Whatsourcecuescouldbevisiblyincorporatedintothestructure,content,and
interac)veprocessesofyourproduct?Whattypesofsourcerelatedmessaging
mightbeeec)vewithintargetedmarkets?
Whatposi)veimpactscouldthesehonestandapplicablecita)onshaveonyour
oeringsbrandposi)oning?
Howmightyourteaminvolvetrustedcontributorsinyourcompu)ngtools
eventualusercommunity?
Productteamscanpromotetrustworthinessandcredibilitybyvisiblycommunica)ng
thatanapplica)onfollowsacceptedapproachesandstandardswithinaknowledge
workdomain.Productscanalsoexplicitlycitecertaintrustedindividualsandorganiza
)onsintargetedprofessionalelds.Theinvolvementofthesepar)esinapplica'on
envisioningcangeneratevaluableinsights,andresul)ngcompu)ngtoolscanmeaning
fullyinvoketheircontributorsindustrycacheviathestructuralembodimentoftheir
leadingideas.
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhowtheycouldestablishthetrustworthi
nessandcredibilityoftheirapplica)onsprocessesandcontent,knowledgeworkers
maygreetresul)ngproductswithahealthydoseofskep)cism.Alackofcredibilitycan
impactbothindividualandcollec)vealtudesaboutabrand,whichmaythenstrongly
inuenceproductacquisi)onandadop)ondecisions.
Seealso:C1,C8,G1,E3,E4,E6,E5,G6,I5,K,M
Which domain standards and thought leaders are viewed

as credible by targeted knowledge workers and their
organizations? How might your team meaningfully involve
certain trusted sources in your ideation efforts, incorporating
their input and insights in order to enhance the usefulness,
usability, and desirability of your offerings?
forknowledgework:
Anarchitecttruststhedefaultreferenceinforma)onaboutconstruc)onmaterials
thatherbuildingmodelingapplica)onsuppliesbecauseitcomesfromoneofher
preferredinforma)onsources.
Knowledgeworkersareokenvaluedfortheirabilitytoassessthesuitabilityofpoten)al
toolsfortheirown,andtheirorganiza)ons,processes.Theseskillscanbeespecially
importantwhentheintroduc)onofanewcompu)ngtoolcouldhavesignicant
impactsonthecharacterandoutcomesofcentralworkac)vi)es(A).
123

K13. Reliable and Direct Activity Infrastructure

Interactive applications that perform reliably and give knowledge workers a sense of uninterrupted, direct action have the
potential to become at hand infrastructure in work activities.
To prevent situations where individuals and organizations limit
their adoption of unreliable computing tools or jettison them
entirely product teams can envision early requirements for
experienced performance.
124
How might the experienced reliability of your teams computing

tool instill a sense of confidence in targeted individuals and
organizations that could lead them to adopt its options into the
structure of their work? How might your functionality concepts
provide a sense of direct, low latency action on the objects
of workers goals?
$!

!
!

forknowledgework:
Anarchitecthasusedhernewbuildingmodelingapplica)onforseveralmonths,
andmanyofhertypicalac)onsintheproductnowfeellikesecondnature.Sincethe
applica)onhasbeendependable,shefeelscomfortablees)ma)nghowlongitwill
takehertoaccomplishspeciceortsusingthetool(seeillustra(on).
Anancialtraderissousedtohistradingapplica)onworkingsmoothlyandwithout
interrup)onthathebecomesfuriousduringthoserareoccasionswhenthetool
unexpectedlydisplaysaglitch.Heisknownforhavingthrownhisphonethrough
hisscreeninatofrageakerasmallbutdamagingtechnicalproblem.
Ascien)stlikesthathernewanalysisapplica)ondoesnotfreezeupduringlarge,
computa)onallyintensiveanalysisprocesseslikeother,similarlyfocusedproducts
thatshehasusedinthepast.
Stableandusefultoolscanbecomerelieduponinfrastructureinknowledgework.
Akeranonscreenapplica)onhasfullleditsini)alpromisesandusershavebegunto
developtheirownmeaningandskillswithinitsframework,sequencesofcalland
responseinterac)oncanbecomehighlyrehearsed,rou)ne,andevenseeminglyauto
ma)c(D7).Ideally,akerworkershaveadoptedanapplica)onintotheirprac)ces,they
cansimplyturntotheathandproducttoaccomplishtheirgoalsinafamiliarand
directmanner(D4,G1).
Productteamscanenvisionhighstandardsforreliability.Theycanalsostrivetocul)
vateasenseofondemandavailabilityand)ghtlycoupledac)onandreac)onwithin
theirtechnologies.Ataminimum,teamscaniden)fycri)calperformanceareaswithin
theirapplica)onconceptsandsetappropriategoalsforthem.Goingfurther,theycan
setperformancegoalsforeachofthecentralfunc)onalityconceptsthattheyhave
sketched,benchmarkingadesirablesenseofowfortheirtoolscorepathways.
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhowtheirapplica)onscouldbecome
reliableanddirectxturesinknowledgeworkersprac)ces,resul)ngproductsmay
promotefrustra)nguserexperiences,evenakerextendedusage.Applica)onsthatdo
notbehavedependablymaynotengendertrusted,rstchoicestatus,giventheavail
abilityofotherbrandsoralternateavenuesofac)on(K12,E6).Whenconfrontedwith
inconsistentsystembehaviors,peoplemayspendaddi)onaleortperformingdefen
siveprocedures,suchasversioningwork(D2,D3,H1).Ourhumantendencytoward
sensemakingaroundunusualoccurrencesmaycauseuserstoincorrectlyredene
theirconceptualmodelsofhowatoolfunc)ons(C1).Intheworstcases,thesealter
nateconcep)onscanbecomeghoststoriesofwhattoavoidandwhyitisdangerous,
poten)allyleadingtorollingfailuresinadop)on.
Seealso:A,C,D1,G,H,K,M
Whatrequirementsdotargetedindividualsandorganiza)onshaveforthestability
oftheircompu)ngenvironments?Howfardotheycurrentlygotoprevent
reliabilityissuesintheirITinfrastructures?
Architect
Howwelldotheircurrentonscreenapplica)onsliveuptothesestandards?
#
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Whatcanbelearnedfromunderstandingreliabilityproblemsinsimilarproducts?
Whathaspreventedothercompu)ngtoolsfrombeingsuccessfulinmarketssimilar
tothenichesthatyourteamistarge)ng?
)*

%
Whatadvancedanalogiestohighqualityproductsmightyourteamdrawupon
whenthinkingaboutthereliabilityofyouroerings?Howmightthesegold
standardstoriesinuenceyourideasaboutbaselineperformanceforyour
compu)ngtool?
Whichprimaryfunc)onalareasinyoursketchedapplica)onconceptsarecri)cal
toenvisionashighperformanceinterac)ons?Howmighttheseareaspromote
compellingexperiencesofdirectavailabilityand)ghtlycoupledac)on?
$!
%
Whichofyoursketchedfunc)onalityconceptsmightnothavesuchhigh
performancerequirements,basedonfrequencyofuseorotherfactors?
Whatrisksmightyourproductfaceifitdoesnoteventuallymeetyourteams
envisionedlevelsofperformanceinimplementedreality?
$
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*+
L. Pursuing Aesthetic Refinement
125
Valued computing tools can desirably

communicate with knowledge workers on an
emotional level, delighting users and creating
a sensory environment that is conducive to
focused thinking.
Generallyspeaking,productaesthe)cshavetradi)onallybeenanakerthoughtinthe
developmentofcompu)ngtoolsfortheworkplace.Thisposi)oningokenstemsfrom
thefragmentedspecializa)onswithinproductteams,ademonstra)onoftheimplicit
priori)esofprojectgroupsstaedwithapropor)onatelyhighnumberoftechnically
orientedengineers.Perhapsmoreimportantly,thecaseforemphasizingaesthe)cscan
bediculttomakeinmanyhighlyspecializedandnichemarkets,wherethebarfor
productdesignisokensetverylow.
Designing such compelling aesthetics requires

the critical examination of a products formal
qualities, behaviors, and larger positioning.
Atthe)meofwri)ng,explora)onsofaesthe)cmeaningincomplexandtechnical
interac)veproductsbeyondsurfacelevelbrandinghavereceivedrela)velyliZle
aZen)on.Althoughaesthe)cdecisionscontributetobrand,notallaesthe)cideasneed
tobedrivenexclusivelyfromtopdownideasaboutliteralbrandaZributes.Applica)on
conceptscanmeaningfullyreferenceaesthe)cideasfromtargetedknowledgework
domainsinordertoinvokeworkersexis)ngunderstandingsandbeZersituateproducts
withinworkcontexts.

can map and explore potential aesthetic
meanings and refined aesthetic directions.
By taking time to locate and generate relevant
emotive qualities for their onscreen tools,
teams can uncover opportunities for more
appealing, recognizable, comprehensible,
and brand differentiated experiences.
Goingastepfurther,productteamscanenvisiontheaesthe)csoftheirapplica)oncon
ceptswithpleasure,engagement,andworkerssenseofaccomplishmentasprinciple
mo)va)ons.Whilethesegoalsmaynotweighasheavilyastheywould,forexample,
inanentertainmenttechnology,thereisnothinginherenttoknowledgeworkproducts
thatrequiresthemtobesofarbehindconsumerproductsinmeaningfulanddesirable
aesthe)crenement.Teamscanstrategicallyreconsiderestablishedaesthe)cpriori)es
withintheirtargetedmarkets,especiallyinmatureproductgenreswherenewsources
ofvalueanddieren)a)onareatapremium.
L1.Highqualityandappealingworkproducts
L2.Contemporaryapplica)onaesthe)cs
L3.Iconicdesignresemblanceswithinapplica)ons
L4.Appropriateuseofimageryanddirectbranding
L5.Iconoclas)cproductdesign
Productteamscanusetheseideastoexploreoverridingaesthe)capproachesfortheir
applica)onconcepts,whichcansubsequentlybeusedtoinformaesthe)cdecisions
throughoutdetaileddesignandimplementa)on.Earlyidea)onfocusedonthoseover
ridingchoices,ratherthanposthoceortsduringthemidornalstagesofaproducts
development,canhelpteamsuncoverinnova)veopportuni)esandpromoteaunifying
clarityinapplica)ondesign.
Thecentralno)onofthiscategoryismostcloselyrelatedtotheDeninginterac)on
objects(B),Establishinganapplica)onframework(C),andEnhancinginforma)on
representa)ons(F)categories.
100APPLICATIONENVISIONINGIDEAS|L.PURSUINGAESTHETICREFINEMENT
L1. High Quality and Appealing Work Products

Knowledge work typically results in artifactual outputs that
are communicated to others, which recipients may then use to
understand work progress and evaluate its outcomes. Product
teams can envision functionality concepts that could make it
easier for users to generate desirable work products with
refined aesthetics.
What types of artifacts are created in the knowledge work

practices that your team is striving to mediate? How might your
computing tool offload some of the effort of generating certain
outputs while at the same time enhancing the effectiveness and
appeal of their design?

forknowledgework:
Anancialtraderlikesthatwhenhesendsaspecicoerorcompletedtradeform
asanemailaZachment,histradingapplica)onautoma)callycreatesthedocument
intheprofessionallookofhiscompany(seeillustra(on).
Anarchitectlikesthatshecantailorthevisualconven)onsthathernewbuilding
modelingapplica)onuseswhenitautoma)callycreatesdesigndrawings,speci
ca)ons,andotherdocumenta)on.Thisexibilityallowshertomaintainastrong
con)nuitywithhowherstudiohastradi)onallypresentedtheirworktolong
standingclientsandotheraudiences.
Ascien)stissurprisedbythequalityofthegraphsthatshecanexportfromher
analysisapplica)on.Previously,togethighqualityvisualsthatappropriatelyrepre
sentherlabswork,shehadimporteddierentsubsetsofclinicaldataintoseparate,
specializedgraphingtools.
Whichworkproductsdotargetedindividualscurrentlyputthemostemphasison?
Theleastemphasis?
Whatrolesdospecicar)factualoutputs,whetherphysicalordigital,playin
targetedworkprac)ces?
Financial
Trader
Whataudiencesaredierentworkproductsintendedfor?
Isthereasepara)onbetweeninformal,workingversionsandformal,presenta)on
versionsofthesear)facts?Howdoprofessionalprac)cesandstandardscommonly
varyfordierentlevelsofformality?

Howaredierenttypesofoutputscurrentlydelivered?
Whatdotargetedknowledgeworkersthinkabouttheircurrentprocessesfor
crea)ngandcommunica)ngtheirownoutputs?Whatpartsoftheseprocesses
requiretediouseortorcanfrequentlyleadtobreakdowns?Couldtheseproblems
representpoten)alopportuni)esforyourproduct?
Insomeknowledgeworkdomains,workproductsmaybetheculmina)onofcountless
hoursofeort.Inotherdomains,theymaybecreatedrela)velyrapidlyandrepeat
edly,inhighlystandardizedformats.Ineithercase,thestakeholdersofanac)vitymay
onlyseeworkersar)factualresults(G7,J).Sincemanyindividualeortsandstages
inknowledgework(A)canbecomelargelyinvisibleoncetheyarecompleted,workers
okenplaceahighpriorityonthecontent,format,andappearanceoftheiroutputs.
Inordertoenvisionfunc)onalityconceptsthatcouldreducetheeortneededtocre
atevaluedworkoutputs(E3,E4),productteamsmustunderstandrelatedprofessional
prac)ces,standards(A4,F2,J6,K3),andexibilityrequirements(A9).Appropriateaes
the)cdirec)onscanemergefrommeaningfullyreferencinginforma)onar)factsthat
targetedworkerscurrentlyusewhileatthesame)meenhancingtheirgraphicdesign
clarity(F,L3).
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsidersupportforcrea)nghighqualityand
appealingworkproductsintheirapplica)onconcepts,theymayoverlookopportuni
)estoprovidevalueattheitera)veandconcludingseamsofworkersac)vi)es(G1).
Althoughusersmayprizearesul)ngtoolsfunc)onaloeringsforgelngtheirwork
done,theymaythenneedtoexpendconsiderableaddi)onaleorttocreateout
putsthattheyconsidertobedesirable(D2,D3).Sincemanyknowledgeworkersdo
notnecessarilyhavenuanceddesignskills,theirowncrea)onsmaynoteec)vely
communicatetheirimportantcontent.
Conversely,noteveryapplica)onneedstoincludeextrafunc)onalityforcrea)ng
appealingworkproducts.Whenconstraintsvarywidely(A6,A7,A8,K1),documenta
)oneortscanbeooadedthroughseamlessinterac)vity(K8),interoperability(K9),
orintegra)on(K10)withworkersrelatedcompu)ngtools.
Seealso:B,C5,C8,E,K12,L,M
126
Whatdorecipientsofworkproductsthinkaboutcurrentar)facts?

Whatworkproductsmightbecomethenaturaltakeawaysofyourteams
applica)onconcepts?Whatnewtypesofoutputscouldprovidevalueaspartof
yourstrategicapproachtomedia)ngwork?
""
Whatfunc)onalityconceptsmightyourteamenvisiontoautomatestandard
opera)onsintheprocessofcrea)ngcertainworkproducts?
Whatmediaformatscouldbeappropriateforeachtypeofworkoutputthatyour
teamisenvisioning?Whattechnologyimplica)onsmightthesechoiceshave,inthe
contextofcurrenttrendsandexis)ngsystems?
Whichofyoursketchedinterac)onobjectscouldcertainoutputsbebasedupon?
Howmightworkproductsretainrecognizablerepresenta)onalfeaturesfromthese
sources?
"

##
Howmightyourteamvaluablyenhancethegraphicdesignclarityofimportantwork
products,withoutanyextraworkonthepartoftheircreators?
!
Whatexibili)esmighttargetedindividualsandorganiza)onswantorneedinorder
tomaketheautoma)cgenera)onofworkproductsusefulandrelevantintheir
own,localculturesofprac)ce?
Whatcontextualpathwaystocommunica)onop)onscouldconcludetheprocess
ofcrea)ngworkoutputsinyoursketchedapplica)onconcepts?
L2. Contemporary Application Aesthetics

The stylistic aspects of conventional onscreen interaction
and visual design have changed over time and will continue
to do so. Product teams can promote learnability, as well as
attributions of product quality and utility, by envisioning usages
of contemporary user interface aesthetics in their application
concepts.
Anarchitectrecognizesmanyoftheuserinterfaceconven)onsofcurrentarchitec
turalsokwareinhernewbuildingmodelingapplica)on.Althoughthenewtoolis
substan)allydierent,ithaselementsthatsomehowlooksimilartothelatest
versionsofothertoolsshehasused,andshefeelsthatthesestylis)ccueshelp
hertoknowwheretogo(seeillustra(on).
Anancialtraderrecallshowhisrmstradingapplica)onhasgonethroughseveral
dierentuserinterfacesovertheyears,witheachitera)onreec)ngvisualbest
prac)cesofthe)mes.Heissomewhatofagadgetconnoisseur,andhelikesusing
toolsthatfeeluptodate.
127
What current and emerging trends in user interface aesthetics

could be relevant for your teams targeted markets and the work
practices that you are striving to mediate? How might your
team distill selected contemporary interaction and visual design
directions into stylistic conventions that could be applied across
your application concepts?
In our building modeling applica!on, I see

visual similari!es with
the best architectural
tools. Its like I can
somehow read the
appearance of the
product based on
what I already know...
forknowledgework:
Whatdotargetedindividualsthinkabouttheaesthe)csoftheonscreentoolsthat
theycurrentlyuse?
Architect
Whatcontemporarydesignstandardsaretheyfamiliarwithinthecontextoftheir
daytodaywork?Intheiruseofpersonaltechnology,outsideoftheirworkinglives?
Whatlargerstylis)ctrendsinapplica)ondesignmightyourteammapandmake
predic)onsaround?
RECOGNIZED SIMILARITIES
Whattypesofemo)onalconnec)onsbetweenuserandbrandarecentraltoyour
designstrategyandapplica)onconcepts?
Ascien)stisusedtoworkingwithapplica)onsthatdonotlookverycurrent,even
whentheyarenewlyreleased.Hernewanalysisapplica)onisanexcep)on,andshe
issurprisedbyhowmuchsheenjoysitsemphasisonmodernlookandfeel.
Whichcontemporaryaesthe)capproachesininterac)onandvisualdesigncould
promotethesetypesofconnec)onsandaZribu)ons?
Contemporarydesignstandardsforcompu)ngtoolsare,atleastinsomepart,amoving
target.Whilecertainfounda)onalinterac)vityconven)onsofgraphicaluserinterfaces
appeartobeheretostay,avarietyofstylis)cvaria)onsonthoseconven)onsare
con)nuallyemerginginnewproducts,bothwithininterac)vecompu)ngatlargeand
withinabreadthspecializeddomains(C2,C3,D7,F2).Applica)onsarealsoincreasingly
subjecttopurelygraphictrends,andusersjudgmentsofaproductsvisualdesigncur
rencymaydriktoreectcontemporarystyles(L).
Whichcontemporaryapproachesmighttargetedknowledgeworkersperceiveas
beingappropriateandappealingfortheirowndaytodayvisualenvironments?
Howmighttheyiden)fywithcertainaesthe)cdirec)onsinthecontextoftheir
workinglives?
Whileenduringtoolsforworkshouldprobablynotbecomepurelyfashionar)facts,
notallinterfacestandardsremaincontemporary,anddatedconven)onscandisrupta
productsdesignvocabulary.Byexplicitlymappingcurrentandemergingapplica)on
designtrends,productteamscanselectcontemporaryapproachesandstandardsthat
suittheac)vi)esthattheyarestrivingtomediateandgenerallymatchtargeted
workerspreferences(A).
Howmightcertaininterac)onswithrela)velyknownonscreenaesthe)cs
promoteemo)onalresponsesthatareconducivetoaZen)ve,focusedthinking?
Whichapproachesmightbetoounproven,inecient,oredgyforyourapplica)on
concepts,giventhatyourteamisstrivingtocreateahighlyfunc)onaltoolfor
thinkingwork?
Howmightyourteamschoicesaboutcontemporaryinterac)onandvisualdesign
aesthe)csplayoutacrossyoursketchedapplica)onframeworks,informa)on
representa)ons,andfunc)onalityconcepts?
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhowtheymightreusecontemporary
userinterfacestandards,opportuni)estoappropriateestablishedinterac)onstyling
andvisuallanguages(F10)inaconsistentmannercanbelost.Workersmayperceive
resul)ngtoolsasbeinglessrelevantorindustryleading(K12),whichdependingon
aproductscompe))veenvironmentanditsothersourcesofproposedvaluemay
leadtonega)veoverallhaloeects.
Conversely,envisioninginterfacesfromanarrowperspec)veofcurrent,permissible
standardscanexcludemorelearnable(K2,K6)andotherwiseop)mal(D2,D3,D4)
interfaceconven)ons.Itmayalsodetractfromlinesofdesignthinkingthatcanresult
inmorecompelling,iconoclas)cdesigns(L5).
Seealso:A,A4,C8,F,J6,K1,M
CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURAL SOFTWARE
OTHER ONSCREEN PRODUCTS
L3. Iconic Design Resemblances within Applications

Knowledge work domains have visual cultures of iconic designs
and related products that have evolved over time. Product
teams can leverage those familiar cultural understandings to
give their onscreen elements intangible, or outright meaningful,
family resemblances with known artifacts.
Ascien)stfeelsthatthelookofhernewanalysisapplica)ontsintoherclinical
researchwork.Ithasawhite,colorcoded,clearlylabeledfeelthatremindsherof
thesimpleandinforma)velabelsonherlabsreagentcontainersandpackages
(seeillustra(on).
Anarchitectseesavisualresemblancebetweentheelementsinherbuildingmodel
ingapplica)onandoinetoolsfoundonadrakingtable.Forexample,theapplica
)onssemitransparentmenusarethesamemilkycolorastheold,semitransparent
protractorsinherdeskdrawer.
What iconic artifacts are part of the visual and material culture
of targeted knowledge workers day to day professional
environments? How might your sketched functionality concepts
and interaction objects subtly or directly reference these
artifacts in ways that are both compelling and evocative?

forknowledgework:
Whaticonicdesignsandproductsdotargetedindividualsndespeciallyinteres)ng
andmeaningful?Whichworkplacear)factsdotheynotfeelananityfor?
Clinical
Scientist
Whathistoricaldesignsintargetedculturesofprac)ceares)lliconic,evenifthey
arenotcurrentlyused?
WhatdoworkersaZributetothoseiconicar)factsthattheyvalue?Whathave
theseobjectscometomean?Whatemo)onalconnec)onsdotheyhold?
Anancialtraderhasno)cedthatanumberofkeytradingapplica)onsarestar)ng
tolookmoreandmorelikeastartuprmsmarketinforma)onapplica)on,which
hashadanindustryleadinginuenceondesign.Thestylesomehowlooksvery
nancetohim,inagoodway.
Whichfeaturesofcertainiconicar)factsstandouttoknowledgeworkers?
Howmightyourteammeaningfullyincorporatechosenaspectsoficonicdesigns
intoyourapplica)onconcepts?
Arethereanyopportuni)estodrawsweepingparallelsbetweenyourenvisioned
productandanexis)ng,iconicproduct?Whatimpactmightthoseiconicparallels
haveonyourapplica)onsstrategicdirec)on?
Knowledgeworkprofessionscanhaverichvisualhistoriesoficonicar)factsthathave
becomeemo)onallysymbolicoftheirworkculture(A1,K1,F,J6).Giventhatworkers
okeninterpretnewtoolsfromthevantagepointsofknownar)factsandexis)ngap
proaches(C1),targetedreferencestoearliervisualformscansummonuseful,pleasing,
andcomfortableassocia)ons.
Whichreferencestoiconicar)factscouldbeappropriateforyourproducts
emergingbrand?WhatimpactmightthesereferenceshaveonbrandaZribu)ons?
Whatsmallerresemblancestoiconicdesignscouldbevaluableinyoursketched
func)onalareas?
Productteamscaninten)onallysituatetheirinterac)veapplica)onswithintargeted
culturalcontextsbyenvisioningdiversedesignapproachesthatdirectlydisplay,
orindirectlyevoke,ani)eswithestablisheddomainar)facts.
Althoughteamsmaynditdiculttoincorporateiconicresemblancesatthelevelof
anen)reapplica)on(C2),cleareropportuni)esmaypresentthemselvesatthelevelof
individualfunc)ons(C3)orinterac)onobjects(B1).Thesereferencescanbeenvisioned
withinanapplica)onstopdownbrandapproachtoensurethatindividualcuesarepart
ofalarger,cohesive,aesthe)c(L).
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhowiconicdesignresemblancescouldbe
incorporatedwithintheirapplica)onconcepts,opportuni)estomakeinten)onaluse
ofworkersexis)ngar)factualliteraciescanbelost.Withoutthesecues,resul)ngap
plica)onsmayfeelmoregenerictotheirtargetedaudiences.Individualusersmaynd
itmorediculttoapplytheirspecicculturalunderstandingstosuchproducts(D2,K2,
K6),makingitmoredicultforthemtorecognizethatthesetoolsareintended
fortheirownworkprac)ces(K3).
Conversely,someiconicreferencesdonottranslatewellintoacontemporaryinterac
)veapplica)on(A3,F2).Workersmayassociatecertainar)factualcues,suchasdomi
nantandliteralmetaphors,withwaysofworkingthatarenolongerrelevanttothemor
generallynotconducivetobeingenactedonacomputerscreen.
Seealso:A,B3,K5,M
128
Howmighticonicreferencesleadtoinappropriateinterpreta)onsofyourproducts
roleandfunc)oning?Wheremightmoregenericdesignapproachesbeappropriate
forwhatyourteamisaZemp)ngtoaccomplish?
Howmightcertainiconiccuesrelatetolargeruserinterfaceconven)onswithinyour
sketchedapplica)onconcepts?Whichreferencescouldpoten)allyprovidevalueas
partofyourteamsreusableinterfacepaZerns?
S


"
!

L4. Appropriate Use of Imagery and Direct Branding

Thoughtfully applied branding and non-interactive imagery
are often noticeably absent in computing tools for knowledge
work. Product teams can envision how aesthetic treatments and
added graphic elements could help build emotional connections
with users, promoting brand recognition and appeal while at
the same time improving individuals understandings of product
functionality.
Star!ng up my building
modeling applica!on
has this great, slightly
cinema!c feel...
Ascien)stlikesthatsomedialogsinheranalysisapplica)onusecomplementary
illustra)onstoexplaincertainideas,insteadofjustpresen)ngtext.Evenakershe
haslearnedtheillustratedinforma)on,shes)llndsthecolorfulimagestobe
appealing,andtheysome)mesactaslandmarksthathelpherndherway.
Howcouldyourteamsinterpreta)onofbrandingexpandtomeanmorethanjust
alogoorswatchofcolor?
Architect
Specializedcompu)ngtoolscanhaveunique,recognizablevisualcharacters.Usingthe
termbrandingtomeanmorethanjustalogoorswatchofcolor,productteamscanex
tensivelybrandknowledgeworkapplica)onswhileenhancingproductusefulnessand
usability(D4,F).Whenbrandingisaddressedduringearlyidea)onofpoten)alapplica
)onconcepts,teamscanenvisionapproachesthatbroadlyembodybrandinaholis)c
sense(A,K12).Denersanddesignerscanalsoiden)fyopportuni)esintheirfunc)on
alityconceptsforinforma)ve,s)mula)ng,andmemorableimagery(F10).Thiscontent
canappearasapartofintroductoryinstruc)on(K2),infrequentlyaccessedprocesses
(K5,K6),tasksthatinvolvewai)ng(D3),andotherclassesofpoten)aluserexperience.
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderhowtheymightincorporatesupple
mentaryimageryanddirectbrandingintotheirapplica)onconcepts,opportuni)esto
driveuseful,unied,andmeaningfulvisualapproachescanbelost.Whilesomevisual
treatmentsandgraphicelementscanbeaddedonanitembyitembasisduringproduct
implementa)on,anearly,founda)onalemphasismaybenecessaryforteamstoarrive
atconsistent,strategicallydieren)ated,andindustryleadingdesignapproaches(L5).
Seealso:K1,L,M
designstrategyandapplica)onconcepts?
Whatlargerdesigntrendscouldinuenceyourteamsapproachtoofbrandingand
complementarygraphicelementsinyoursketchedproduct?
The log in screen comes

up fast, and I enter my
informa!on...
Anancialtraderndsthebrandedcolorschemeofhiscurrenttradingapplica)on
moreappealingthantheblackandgreenmainframescreensthatheusedtouse.
Theressomethingaboutthenewtoolsanima)onsanduseful,aZen)ongrabbing
cuesthatreallysetitapartfromothertradingproducts.Itisallverysimple,andit
doesnotgetinhisway.
Manycontemporaryproductsforknowledgeworkareaesthe)callybland,unrened,
andundieren)atedfromoneanother.Whileproductteamsfrequentlypriori)ze
certaintypesoficonographyandotherconven)onallynecessarygraphicalelements
intheirapplica)ons,othervisualtreatmentsandnoninterac)veimagerymaynotcarry
thesameweightinteamsdesignpriori)es.
How might your teams application concepts be extensively

and recognizably branded, while enhancing not distracting
from onscreen clarity and utility? Where in your sketched
functionality ideas could there be opportunities for useful,
stimulating, and memorable supplementary graphic elements?
forknowledgework:
Anarchitectenjoystherichlyanimatedimagerythatcoverstheloginscreenof
herbuildingmodelingapplica)on.Onceshehasloggedintothetool,however,
itsinterfacebecomesaquiet,cool,unobtrusiveframethatdoesnotdistractfrom
herfocusedaZen)ononthebuildingmodelthatsheiscurrentlyworkingon
(seeillustra(on).
129
Howmightyourcompu)ngtoolhaveauniqueandrecognizablevisualcharacter,
evenifthatcharactermayemergefromthesumofrela)velysmalldesigndetails?
Howcouldselectedbrandcharacteris)csofyourrm,productfamily,and
envisionedoeringbeusefullyandvaluablyappliedtoyoursketchedapplica)on
frameworksandfunc)onalareas?
Howmighttargetedindividualsiden)fywithandrespondtocertainbranding
approaches,giventhatyourteamisstrivingtocreateahighlyfunc)onaltoolfor
thinkingwork?
Whatpartsofyourapplica)onsscopehaveaZen)onalandonscreenconstraints
thatmightnotbeconducivetoincorpora)nganysortofaddi)onalvisualcontent?
And while its loading,

there this great anima!on
going on in the background that sort of gives
you an indirect feel for
what the product does.
It feels like all of this slick,
integrated building data...
Whatkeyideas,processes,andop)onswithinyourfunc)onalityconceptsmightbe
clearlycommunicatedtotargetedworkersthroughgraphicimagery?
Wheremightinstruc)vecontentinyoursketchedscreensbenetfromillustra)ons?
Couldtheuserexperiencesofstar)ngyourproduct,wai)ngduringspecic
processes,orexi)ngthecompu)ngtoolpresentopportuni)esforengagingvisual
communica)on?
Whatstylesofillustra)oncouldbedomainandbrandappropriate?Howmight
thesestylesreferenceorplayagainsttheaesthe)cconven)onsofcontemporary
compu)ng?
But its just a quick thing,

and its important that it
fades as soon as it can to
leave me with the details
of my tool and my work...
L5. Iconoclastic Product Design

Many knowledge work applications do not stray very far from
the aesthetic mold of standard user interface design. Products
teams can envision how their application concepts could fully
preserve their proposed utility while at the same time gaining
uniquely stimulating and emotionally compelling differentiation
through novel interaction and visual design approaches.
Anancialtraderisgenuinelysurprisedbytheexperienceofusinghisnewtrad
ingapplica)on.Hethinksthatitissomethingdisrup)velydierent.Itsinforma)ve,
animatedtransi)onsandsleek,streamlined,almosthiappearancemakesthe
tradingtoolfeelsomethinglikeanadvanced,luxuriouselectronicproducta
devicethatheiden)eswithandactuallywantstouse,notjustbecausehehasto
(seeillustra(on).
130
How might your team use your insights into targeted knowledge
work practices to sketch truly different, surprisingly engaging,
and highly relevant user interface design breakthroughs? What
impact could these ideas have on the larger design strategies
of your application concepts?

!

forknowledgework:
Whatlargerdesignandtechnologytrendscouldinuenceyourteamsidea)on
aroundiconoclas)capplica)onproposals?
Financial
Trader
Whatmighttrulyiconicdieren)a)onmeanforyourproduct?Coulditbeworth
thedesigninvestmentgivenyourtargetedmarketcontext?
Anarchitectndsthathernewbuildingmodelingapplica)onlooksmorelikeawell
designed,humanizedmedicalproductthanatypicalarchitecturalproduct.While
sheconsidersthefunc)onalaspectsofthecompu)ngtooltobemoreimportant
thanitsaesthe)cs,sheissurprisedbyhowmuchsheappreciatesitsreneddesign
quali)esdayakerday.
Ascien)stndsthathernewanalysisapplica)ontransi)onsthroughanddisplays
dataviewsinarevolu)onary,highlyspa)alway.Sheisnowlesslikelytogetlost
whilenaviga)ngherlabslargeclinicaldatasets.
Whilethevalueoficonoclas)cproductdesignhasbeenrecognizedinarangeofbusi
nesssectors,manyrmscrea)ngcompu)ngtoolsforknowledgeworkhaveatthe
)meofwri)ngnotputapriorityonthistypeofinnova)on.Someproductteams
mayimplicitlybelievethatdisrup)velynoveldesignissomehowcountertothegoal
ofcrea)ngfunc)onaltoolsforskilledprofessionals.Itisnot.
Productteamscansketchandevaluatedivergent,iconoclas)capproachesfortheir
applica)onconcepts.Itisimportanttonote,however,thatnotallaspectsofuser
interfacedesignareripeforhighlynovelconcep)ng.Changingsomefundamentaluser
experienceconven)onsinthenameofrevolu)onarydesigncanleadtounnecessary
confusionandfrustra)on(G1,K5).Thesefundamentals,whichcomputerusershave
learnedthroughyearsofexperience,areokenrootedinthepioneeringdesignpaZerns
ofinterac)vecompu)ng(C3,C9,G2,G3).Outsideofthesefundamentals,however,
productteamscanuncoverlargeterritoriesofinterac)veandvisualdesignconven)on
thataremoreopentoexplora)onandbreakthroughdesignconcep)ng(C1,C2,F3).
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderwhethertheirapplica)onconceptscould
benetfromiconoclas)capproaches,opportuni)esforcompellingbranddieren)a
)on(L4),benecialhaloeects,ands)mula)nguserexperiencescanbelost.
Conversely,notallknowledgeworkersmaywanttouseapplica)onswithsubstan)ally
dierentdesignemphases,especiallyiftheyperceivenovelapproachesaspoten)al
obstruc)onstotheirworkoutcomes(K2,K3,K6).
Seealso:A,C,L,F,K1,M
emergingideasaboutdesignstrategy?
Howmightyourteamusefullyfocusyourdesiretodosomethingdierent,moving
beyondsimplycontradic)ngtheconven)onaltoinsteadideatearoundpoten)ally
importantopportuni)esformedia)ngknowledgework?

Howmightyouuserelevantbigpicturemetaphorstothinkthroughdras)cally
dierentdesigndirec)ons?
Howmightyougreatlyexpanduponsmalliconicreferencestoar)factsthathave
culturalsignicancetoyourtargetedaudience?Whatlinesofdesignthinkingcould
beopenedupbycertaininspira)onalreferencepoints?
Whatadvancedanalogiestoother,poten)allyunrelatedrelateddomainsmight
drivenewdirec)onsinyourteamsapplica)onconcepts?
INNOVATIVELY REFERENCING
TECHNOLOGIES FROM OTHER
ASPECTS OF A TRADERS LIFE
Whatnovelapproachescouldclarifyspecicinterac)ons?Howmightyourteam
freelyreenvisionsomeofyourfunc)onalityconceptswiththegoalofpromo)ng
moredynamicandengaginguserexperiences?
Whatchoicesaboutradicaldesigndeparturesmakesensegiventhehistoricaltrajec
toryandbrandofyourrm,aswellastheproductlinethatyouareworkingwithin?
Howmighttargetedworkersiden)fywithcertainnewaesthe)cdirec)onsinthe
contextoftheirownworkinglives?
Howmightcertaininterac)onswithiconoclas)conscreenaesthe)cspromote
emo)onalresponsesthatareconducivetoaZen)ve,focusedthinking?
Whatriskscouldbeinvolvedwhenbreakingthemoldincertainways?Whichof
youriconoclas)cideasmightbetooinecientoredgy,giventhatyouarestriving
tocreateahighlyfunc)onaltoolforthinkingwork?

!

!

Howmightyourteamgainanunderstandingofwhethertargetedindividualssee
certainiconoclas)cdesignconceptsasbeingsomethingnew,appealing,and
genuinelyuseful?
M. Planning Connection with Use

Valued computing tools are borne from
intensive conversations, and those
conversations may then evolve and continue
throughout a products dispersion and
adoption.
Designing for such meaningful connection
requires critical thinking about potential real
world scenarios of use both desirable and
negative as well as potential interventions
that might help steer usage toward intended
outcomes.
can actively talk about potential downstream
effects of their design concepts. Teams can
also generate ideas about future connections
with their applications eventual users,
envisioning integral touch points that can allow
them to remain systemically responsive and
strategically relevant over time.
131
Beyondinputgatheredfromtargetedindividualsduringproductdevelopment,alaunch
datecanrepresentthebeginningofameaningfuldialogbetweenacompu)ngtools
creatorsanditsusers.Asindustries,culturesofprac)ce,andtechnologicalenviron
mentsevolve,somusttheinterac)veapplica)onsthataresituatedwithinthem.Con
versa)onsaroundadoptedusagecanprovideawellspringofinsightsfortechnologists
strivingtoprovideenduringvalueincomplexworkprac)ces.
Longbeforeacompu)ngtoolslaunch,productteamscanenvisionconnec)onswith
realworlduseinordertodevelopdesignstrategiesthatcouldposi)velyinuencethe
sociotechnicalsystemsthatwillenveloptheircrea)ons.Forexample,envisionedcon
ceptscouldcontainintegralchannelsforongoingcollabora)onarounduserneedsand
designadvancements.Teamsmayevengosofarastoconceptualizetheiren)reoer
ingsasservicesinsteadofproducts,eitherliterallyorinspirit.Workerscanexperience
vendororganiza)onsthroughavarietyofsuppor)ve,serviceorientedtouchpoints
thatarethoughtully)edintotheirac)vitycontexts.Thenatureofthesetouchpoints
maydependonthedomain,thecharacteroftargetedworkprac)ces,andthelevelof
disrup)venessormaturityoftheproductcategory.
Beyondconnec)onswithindividualworkersandorganiza)ons,productteamscanalso
fosterandlearnfromthecommuni)esofprac)cethatwillideallygrowaroundtheir
applica)ons.Onceaproducthasbeenincorporatedbroadlyintoaknowledgeworkdo
main,workersinrelatedprofessionsmaybecomeinvestedinthetoolsadvancement.
Fromusersperspec)ves,applica)onsthatsucceedinbecomingpartoftheinfrastruc
tureofaeldcanactuallybelong,insomesense,tothepeoplewhohavemadethe
technologymeaningfulintheirownprac)ces.
M1.Itera)veconversa)onswithknowledgeworkers
M2.Systemchampions
M3.Applica)onusercommuni)es
M4.Unan)cipatedusesoftechnology
Productteamscanusetheseideastoexploreconceptsforhowtheirorganiza)onsand
oeringscouldsystemicallysupportworkprac)cethroughoutaproductsevolu)on,
basedonmutuallybenecialexchangeswithusersandstakeholders.Earlyidea)on
focusedonthissupport,ratherthanposthoceortsakeraproductlaunch,canhelp
teamstointegratetheserela)onshipsintothecoreoftheirapplica)onconcepts.Early
thinkingabouttheseconnec)onscanalsoposi)velyshapetheongoingproductdevel
opmentprocessesthatanenvisioningeortini)ates.
)onanddeterminingscope(A)andPromo)ngintegra)onintoworkprac)ce(K)
categories.
100APPLICATIONENVISIONINGIDEAS|M.PLANNINGCONNECTIONWITHUSE
M1. Iterative Conversations with Knowledge Workers

Product teams can iteratively co-envision valuable interactive
applications with selected knowledge workers, grounding
resulting technologies in current and emerging needs within
targeted organizations and communities of practice. This dialog
can commence in early, strategic design concepting and then
continue throughout development and across product versions.
Anarchitectbelievesthatthebuildingmodelingapplica)onthatherstudiouses
needssomekeyimprovements.Akervoicingheropinionstothevendorrmthat
createdthecompu)ngtool,sheisinvitedtoprovidefeedbackonearlydesign
conceptsandprototypesfornewandimprovedfunc)onali)es(seeillustra(on).
How might your team gather and use input from targeted
knowledge workers as part of your application envisioning
process? What functional channels within your product
might allow you to gather such input over time? How could
representative workers insights, ideas, and feedback inform
your decision making processes as you evolve your product?

forknowledgework:
Whoshouldyourteamincludeinitera)veconversa)onsaboutyourteams
compu)ngtool?Whatsamplingofvoicescouldrepresentkeyvariabili)esinyour
targetedmarketsincludingsocalledleaduserswhookenadvancetheirown,
localinnova)ons?
Architect
Anancialtraderusesaphonenumberinhistradingapplica)ontocontactaprod
uctteamdirectly.Hewantstoletthemknowaboutsomechangesinregula)ons
thatwilldenitelyimpacttheu)lityofcertainfunc)onalop)onsintheirtool.
Ascien)stopensherclinicalresearchlabtoavisi)ngproductteam.Thisteamis
mee)ngasamplingoftheircustomersinordertogainabeZerunderstandingof
howscien)stsareincorpora)ngtheirown,andothervendors,analysisapplica)ons
intocomplexlaboratoryprocesses.
Trulyengaging,useful,andusableinterac)veapplica)onsmaytakemul)pleitera)ons
toemerge.Unsurprisinglythen,rela)velyfrequentupdateshavebecomeanassumed
andessen)alpartofmanyonscreenproductslifecycles.
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsideranapproachforitera)veconversa)ons
withtargetedknowledgeworkers,theymaymisskeyopportuni)eswhileatthesame
)meinves)ngtheireortsinother,nominallyusefuldesignstrategiesandfunc)onality
oerings(A9).Thisdisconnec)onmaydamagebrandandopenthedoortocompet
ingrmswhomaketheeorttomeaningfullyengageintheseconversa)onswithin
targetedmarkets(K12).
Conversely,whenteamsworkliterallyfromworkersinputsinsteadofthoughtully
extrac)ngtheunderlyingintentsoftheircomments,theseongoingconversa)onsmay
resultinunfocusedanduncompellingFrankensteinapplica)ons(C).
Seealso:D1,G7,M
Whatlargermarkettrendscouldimpactyourideasabouthavingdiscussionswith
representa)veknowledgeworkers?Dotargetedindividualsandorganiza)ons
expecttohavepersonalinterac)onwiththeirvendors?
"

Howmightyourteamgetstartedwithitera)veconversa)onsduringearly
envisioning,beforedefactochoicesappearinyourapplica)onconcepts?
Couldinformingpar)cipantsbecomefull)meadvisorsinyourteam,orpartof
alargernetworkofconrmedbutoccasionalreviewers?
Whatinsightsmightthesepar)cipantshaveintowheretechnologiescouldprovide
newsourcesofvalueintheirworkprac)ces?
Toensurethattheyareheadingindesiredanddesirabledirec)ons,productteamscan
haveauthen)c,ongoingconversa)onswithtargetedknowledgeworkersduringanyor
allphasesoftheirdevelopmentprocesses.Duringapplica'onenvisioning,teamscan
engageinconversa)onswithpoten)aluserstoiden)fywherecompu)ngtoolscould
providevalueintheirprac)ces(A).Theseearlyconversa)onscanalsoallowteamsto
gatherinputontheirsketchedapplica)onconcepts,inputwhichtheycanselec)vely
andintelligentlyusetoshapetheirproductsessen)alforms.
Withthegoalofanongoingdialoginmind,teamscanenvisionfunc)onalityconcepts
thatcouldmakeiteasierfortheireventualuserstoestablishcontactorsimplymake
sugges)ons(J1,J6).Workersmayexperiencethesechannelsaskeytouchpointswitha
vendor,connec)velyextendingoutwardfromthetoolitselfintoalarger,service
orientedsystem.
132
Whatideasmighttheyhaveregardingdesirablechangesinhowonscreentools
couldtintotheirac)vi)es?
Vendor Product Team

Whatfeedbackmighttheyprovideaboutyoursketchedapplica)onand
Whatprocessescouldyourteamcreatetoextractintentsandpriori)zeknowledge
workersinputs,ratherthantakingthemliterally,withoutanyltering?
Howmightdis)lledinputsfrompar)cipa)nginformantsimpactthedesignstrategy
ofyourcompu)ngtool?
Howcouldthinkingofyouroeringasaserviceratherthanaproductchangeyour
teamsperspec)veonknowledgeworkersstrategicinputs?
Whatfunc)onalityconceptsmightyouenvisiontopromotemutuallyvaluable
connec)onswithyourtoolsexpandingpopula)onsofendusers?Howmightyou
gatherinputthroughthesechannelsasyouevolveyourproducttomeetemerging
needsover)me?

"

"

!

Whatimplica)onscouldsuchconversa)onshaveonthebrandofyouroering?
Onyourmarke)ngmethodsandmessaging?
M2. System Champions

Product teams can envision valuable support for individuals
who champion the adoption and effective use of their interactive
applications within certain communities of practice. These
champions can be identified both within targeted customer
organizations and within knowledge work fields at large.
Anancialtraderreceivestrainingaboutnewtradingapplica)onfunc)onali)es
fromatrustedvendor.Helearnseverythinghecanaboutchangesinthecurrent
versionsothathecaneec)velytrainhiscolleaguesaboutthemostrelevantnew
featuresfortheirownwaysofworking(seeillustra(on).
Ascien)ststartsanewposi)onatalargeclinicalresearchlab.Asshearrivesatthe
newlab,shepromotesthepurchaseanduseofananalysisapplica)onthatshe
foundtobeimmenselyvaluableinherearliereorts,ensuringthateveryoneunder
standsitsvalueandworkings.
Anarchitectcontactsaproductvendortoaskhowtheirbuildingmodelingapplica
)oncouldbeintegratedwithanothercompu)ngtoolthatherstudioisconsidering
using.Sheisprovidedwithadirectcontactintheproductsdevelopmentteamthat
cananswerherdetailedques)ons,andasaresultofthosepersonalconversa)ons,
shebecomesanoutspokenadvocateofthemodelingapplica)onwithinherrm
andcommunity.
133
How might your team eventually identify and engage with system champions? What functionality concepts and interaction
pathways could reach out to these targeted knowledge
workers? What types of support could help them to effectively
promote your computing tool in their own local environments
and cultures of practice?

forknowledgework:
Whomightbeexcitedaboutthepossibili)esofapplyingyourteamseventual
producttorealworldwork?
Financial
Trader
Whichestablishedrolesintargetedorganiza)onstypicallypromotetheadop)on
anduseofneworupdatedcompu)ngtools?
Whichexis)ngusersofyourrmsproductscouldberecognizedassystem
champions?
"-

*
Whoisadvancingtheuseofsimilarapplica)onsinyourtargetedmarkets,
eec)velytransla)ngthemintolocalsitua)ons?
Vendor
'$& &'$%#& "$"!&(&
Knowledgeworkerscanbecomesystemchampionsthroughjobresponsibili)esor
throughintrinsicinterestsandskillsthatmakethemgotopeopleforques)onsabout
compu)ngtools.Thesechampionscanactastranslatorsbetweenproductteamsand
anapplica)onsotherendusers,reframingatoolsownlanguageinthecontextof
localprocessesandprac)ces(A1,A7,A8).Championsmaytrainotherworkers(K2,K7)
andrepresenttheminvendorrela)onships.Perhapsmoreimportantly,suchchampions
ofanonscreenapplica)onokenbecometheinformalhelpdeskthatkeepsmediated
ac)vi)esmovingsmoothlyandeec)vely.
Seealso:A,D,G7,M
connec)ngwithandsuppor)ngthesepoten)allyinuen)alindividuals?
Whatlargermarkettrendscouldimpactyourteamsideasaboutconnec)ngwith
thoseuserswhoeventuallychampionyourproduct?
Howmightsystemchampions,inprac)ce,actuallyadvancetheadop)onand
eec)veuseofyourcompu)ngtool?Whatbackgroundandinstruc)onmightthey
becalledupontoprovide?Whattypesofproblemscouldtheyface?
Whatfunc)onalityconceptsmightyourteamenvisiontoprovidetargetedcommu
nica)onchannelsbetweensystemchampionsandsuppor)ngstawithinyourrm?
Productteamscannotcreatesystemchampions,buttheycanpromotetheidea
withintheirtargetedmarketsandthenwatchforemergingindividualsthatcouldplay
therole.Noteverycustomerorganiza)onwillhaveasystemchampion,andsome
championswillnotbeassociatedwithanypar)cularorganiza)on.Thesevoicescan
alsoariseinoutsidegroupsthatcontributetolargereldsandvoca)ons,suchasonline
communi)es(M3)andprofessionalassocia)ons.Onceteamshaveiden)edpoten)al
championsoftheirapplica)ons,productrmscansupplytheseindividualswithdirect
communica)onchannels(J),specializedinforma)on,andtargetedservicestohelp
themadvancetheadop)on(K)andeec)veuseoftheircompu)ngtools.
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsidersupportforsystemchampionsintheirap
plica)onconcepts,strategicopportuni)estoscaoldrealworlduseandgainvaluable
newsourcesofinsightsmayremainoverlooked(M1).Moreconcretely,productsupport
costsmaybehigherwithoutwellsupportedlocalchampionsrespondingtootherwork
ersmanycomplexyetdaytodayproblems.
Whatprocessesmightyourteamenvisiontoensurethatyourrmiden)es
andpromotesrela)onshipswithemergingsystemchampions?
Whataddi)onalspecializedinforma)onaboutyourproductmightsystem
championsvalue?
Whattargetedservicescouldyourrmprovidetosupportiden)edchampions?
Whatfunc)onalityconceptsmightyourteamsketchtoenableanddirectthese
serviceideas?
Howmightsystemchampionseventuallyrepresenttheirorganiza)ons,communi
)esofprac)ce,orlargerprofessionaleldsinongoingconversa)onswithyourteam
abouttheevolu)onofyourproduct?
&)

+

,

Whatimplica)onscouldsupportforchampioningindividualshaveonthebrandof
yoursketchedcompu)ngtool?Onyourmarke)ngmethodsandmessaging?
Other Traders
M3. Application User Communities

The social networks and collective focus of user communities
can provide valuable support to knowledge workers who are
trying to make the most of computing tools in their own organizations and personal practices. Product teams can envision
concepts for fostering and reaching out to these communities,
opening up channels to discuss issues and gather feedback.
134
How could your firm be more than a distant provider to the

larger communities that will eventually discuss and converge
around your computing tool? What inputs might related
communities contribute to your application envisioning efforts?
How might interactive touchpoints and human support for
certain communities eventually lead to positive impacts on
product adoption, workers outcomes, brand reputation,
and other factors?

Ascien)stpostsaques)ontoanonlineforumaboutheranalysisapplica)onand
receivessugges)onsfromotherusers,aswellasadetailedanswerfromthevendor
rmthatcreatedthetool(seeillustra(on).
Clinical
Scientist
AnarchitectaZendsanannualconven)onwheretheusergroupforherbuilding
modelingapplica)onishos)ngapaneldiscussionondierentmethodsofapplying
thetooltorealworldprojects.Sinceherrmisrela)velynewtousingtheproduct,
shelearnsalotfromhearingabouthowotherarchitecturalstudiosapproachtheir
projectswithinit.
Howac)vearetargetedindividualsinvariouscommuni)esthatarerelatedto
theirprofessionalprac)ces?
Whichexis)ng,domainspeciccommuni)esmightbeinterestedinmutually
benecialconversa)onsabouttheforma)vedirec)onofyourproduct?
Anancialtraderregularlymeetswithothertradersworkinginthesamemarket
specialty.Inaddi)ontobuildingbusinessrela)onships,oneoftheusualtopicsof
discussionishowtomakebeZeruseoftheindustrystandardapplica)onsthat
mostrmsuse.
Usercommuni)escanconnectknowledgeworkersinapar)cularorganiza)ontoa
largerpoolofpeoplewhoareusingcompu)ngtoolsinsimilarac)vi)es.Interac)ve
applica)onswithentrencheduserbasescanhavelarge,ac)ve,andformalizeduser
groups,whosemembersanswereachothersques)onsandcollec)velylobbyproduct
rms.Alternately,domainspeciccommuni)es,suchasagroupresearchingmalaria
cures,maydiscussrelatedcompu)ngapplica)onsasonepartofamuchlargerconver
sa)onabouttheirspecial)es.
forknowledgework:
Howmightyouconnectwithcertaintrustedandinuen)alcommuni)estogather
insights,ideas,andfeedback?Whattechnologiesandeventsdothesegroups
congregatearoundandcommunicatethrough?
Whatlargerdesign,technology,andmarkettrendscouldimpactyourideasabout
suppor)ngusercommuni)es?Docontemporarycollec)vesexpecttohaveac)ve
conversa)onswithrelatedproductvendors?
Whatnewusercommuni)esmightideallyformaroundtheuseofyourenvisioned
product?Howmighttheiden))esandsegmenta)onsofthesegroupsreect
targeteddomainsandmarketsegments?
#$!$"
Howcouldyourteamfosterthecrea)onofoneormoreofthesecommuni)es
aspartofac)velyreleasingyourtechnology?
%!$&
Productteamscanenvisionconceptsforfosteringthecrea)onofusercommuni)es
andsuppor)nggroupsthatariseorganically.Onceacommunityisestablished,teams
canmakeresponsivecontribu)ons,providinganswersandtechnicalsupport(M2),
addressingconcernsinaconstruc)vemanner,andsolici)nginputonnewdesign
conceptsandprototypes.
Productrmsandmembersofusercommuni)escancommunicatethroughemaillists
(J1),centralizedforums(J6),longertermknowledgebases(E1,G6,I7,J5),andfaceto
faceevents.Workersmayexperiencethesechannelsaskeytouchpointswithavendor,
connec)velyextendingoutwardfromthetoolitselfintoalarger,serviceoriented
system.Ausercommunitysinuencecanextendintoproductstrategyanddevelop
ment,brandreputa)on,purchasingbehavior,theadop)onprocess(K),andongoing
use(K12).
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderpoten)alsupportforusercommuni)es
intheirapplica)onconcepts,opportuni)estoscaoldadop)onandgainnewsources
ofvaluableinsights(M1)mayremainoverlooked.Moreconcretely,applica)onsupport
costsmaybehigherwithoutrobustusercommuni)esrespondingtoindividualworkers
manycomplexyetdaytodayproblems.
Seealso:G3,G5,J2,M
Whatfunc)onalityconceptsmightyourteamenvisiontostrongly)etheac)vi)es
ofcertainusercommuni)estoyourcompu)ngtool?
Howcouldintegraltouchpoints,alongwithcommunityac)onoutsideofyour
onscreenoerings,createopportuni)esforyourrmtomeaningfullyconnect
withandsupportyouruserbase?
Howmightyourteamsapproachesforsuppor)ngapplica)onusercommuni)es
relatetoyourotherfunc)onalityconceptsforsuppor)ngcoopera)on,
Whatimplica)onscouldconnec)onwithusercommuni)eshaveonthebrandof
yoursketchedapplica)onconcepts?Onyourmarke)ngmethodsandmessaging?
Vendor Support
Other Users

M4. Unanticipated Uses of Technology

History contains many examples of unanticipated uses that
come to life once technologies are released into the world.
Product teams can explicitly envision the design of their
interactive applications to steer clear of support for certain
usage scenarios. Teams can also inform the evolution of their
offerings by investigating the unexpected ways that knowledge
workers think about appropriating them.
What early predictions might your team make about surprising

and novel uses of your computing tool, simply by taking time
to consider them? What inventive usages would you like
to prevent or discourage due to ethical, legal, or strategic
concerns? What processes might your team follow to identify
emergent and unexpected uses of your product in a timely way?
& && !

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forknowledgework:
Anarchitectusestoolsinanairplanedesignapplica)ontocreatehighlysculptural
forms,whichshethenimportsintoherbuildingmodelingapplica)ontouseas
elementsinanexperimentalbuildingproposal(seeillustra(on).
Ascien)stsearchedextensivelytondadatavisualiza)ontoolforanongoing,
highlyspecicanalysisneed.Herclinicalresearchlabnowrou)nelyusesasingle
interac)vegraphfromananalysistoolthatisnormallyonlyusedbyenvironmental
engineers,notclinicalresearchers.
Anancialtraderusesaninstantmessagingfunc)on,whichwasspecically
designedasamethodforrapidlybookingdealswithoutsiderms,toquicklydistrib
uteexcessworktofellowtradersinhisgroupduringpeakintervalsofac)vity.
Althoughhighlyspecializedinterac)veapplica)onsmaysomehowseemimmunetoun
an)cipateduses,knowledgeworkersokenmakeuseofcompu)ngproductsinunfore
seenways.Individualsandorganiza)onscommonlydevelopinnova)venewmethods
forapplyingatooltotheworkprac)cesthatitwasoriginallydesignedtomediate(A7,
A8).Inothercases,workersmayndfurtherusesforproductsthatareen)relyoutside
thescopeofwhataproductteamhadini)allyenvisioned(A9).Theselateraljumps
canleadtoanapplica)onsinvolvementinabroaderrangeofknowledgeworkeorts,
poten)allyeveninothereldsandprofessions.
Architect
Seealso:B,C,D,G,M
Aretheprofessionalsthatyourteamistarge)ngknownfordeliberatelyusingtheir
toolsininnova)veways,ordotheyseemmorelikelytoadopttechnologiesasthey
wereintendedtobeapplied?
Whattechnologieshavetargetedindividualsandorganiza)onsappropriatedin
novelwaysinthepast?Whatmightyourteamlearnaboutyouraudiencefrom
thesestories?

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unexpectedscenariosofuse?
Whatthoughtexperimentsmightyourteamconducttouncoverpoten)al
unan)cipatedusesofyourapplica)onconceptswhileyourproductiss)lljust
abstractmodelsandsketches?
Whatinven)veusagesmighttargetedknowledgeworkerspredict?
Whatimportantvariabili)esinworkingmethodsmightyourteamhaveoverlooked
whenra)onalizingworkprac)cefordesignpurposes?
Whatother,laterallyrelateddomainsandoccupa)onsmightreachouttosome
orallofthefunc)onalityinyourapplica)onconcepts?

Sinceeachunexpectedusecanpresentopportuni)estotailororextendanapplica
)onsstrategicandfunc)onalcharacteris)cs,productteamscanrecognizeandenvision
supportforviablecases(M3).Teamscanuncoverunan)cipatedusesinavarietyof
ways.Earlyon,theycanconductthoughtexperimentstoenvisionappropriateduses
oftheircompu)ngtoolsthattheywouldliketoavoidforethical,legal,orstrategic
reasons.Duringproductimplementa)on,extensiveprototypestudies(J1,J6)andother
formsofdiscussionwithusers(M1)mayalsorevealtheemergenceofunan)cipated
prac)cesandmarkets.Aspartofplanningpostreleasediscoveryprocesses,teamsmay
alsoseekoutsocalledleadusersknownforgenera)nginnova)veprac)cesaround
theirtools.
Whenproductteamsdonotac)velyconsiderunexpectedandemergentusesoftheir
technologies,opportuni)estoharnessworkersinnova)ons(A,F)andtogrowadop)on
inunexpectedmarkets(K)canbelost.Technologistsmayalsoinadvertentlycreatein
herentopportuni)esforusagescenariosthatarenotconsistentwiththeirownintrinsic
mo)va)onsandpersonalmorals.
135
Ofthepoten)alnotasdesignedusesthatyourteamhasiden)ed,whichwould
beinconsistentwithyourowngoalsandmorals?Whichwouldclearlynottthe
envisioneddesignstrategyorbrandofyourapplica)onconcepts?
Howmightyourteamdesignoutcertainusagescenariosthatyoudonotwant
topromoteorenable?
Whatplansmightyouestablishforgatheringinforma)ononnovelusesofyour
productinitseventualuserbase?Forworkingwithinnova)veleadusersto
translatetheirrelatedideasandcrea)onsintovaluableelementsofyour
compu)ngtool?
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CLOSINGMATTER
Glossary
Manyspecializedtermshavebeeninten)onallyomiZed
throughoutWorkingthroughScreensinfavorlanguagethat
productteamscanmoreeasilyshareduringtheirapplica'on
envisioningeorts.However,giventhatthemaingoalsofthis
bookrepresentahighlyspecializedpursuit,thefollowing
glossarydenesanumberofspecictermsthathavebeenused
inthisvolume.Pleasenotethatthefollowingdeni)onsare
notgeneralpurpose;theyarewriZenspecicallyforthelimited
contextofenvisioninginterac)veapplica)onsforknowledge
work.Broaderdeni)onsofthesametermscouldtakeon
substan)allydierentslants.
Ac(vity:Withinaproductteamsra)onalizedmodelsofwork
prac)ce,anac)vityisalargersetofgoalorientedac)ons
performedbyoneormoreworkersinordertocontributeto
alargerpurpose.Ac)vi)esare)edtofounda)onalmo)ves
ofknowledgework,andtheyareokennameable,discussed
elementsofworkerssharedculturalmodels.Asproductteams
envisionconceptsforhowtheirtechnologycouldmediate
workerseorts,theselec)onoftargetedac)vi)escanbea
keydeterminantofanapplica)onsdesignstrategy,func)onal
scope,andpoten)almeaningstofutureusers.Ac)vi)esareone
partoftheopera)ons,tasks,andac)vi)eshierarchicalap
proachtomodelingwork(seeotherdeni)onsinthisglossary),
ascoarselyborrowedfromAlexeiLeon)evsAc)vityTheory.
Ac)vi)esmayalsonestintoother,higherorderac)vi)es,
whichmayinturnnestintofurtherac)vi)es,andsoon.
AdvancedAnalogies:Lateralreferencestotheinnova)veuse
oftechnologiesinother,okenseeminglyunrelated,domains.
Anadvancedanalogycreatesameaningfulconnec)ontoan
outsidereferencepointthatcaninspireproductteamstothink
abouttheirdesignproblemsindierentways.Some)mesthis
inspira)oninvolvesliteraltransla)onfromananalogoussitu
a)on,whileother)mestheforwardlookinginuenceisless
directandmoreevoca)ve.
Analysisapplica(on:Inthecontextofthisbooksexamples,this
termreferstoacompu)ngtoolforclinicalresearch.Analysis
toolsdesignedforthescien)cmarketrepresentsomeofthe
mostadvancedexamplesofinterac)veapplica)onscurrently
availabletoknowledgeworkers.Thesetoolscantakeseemingly
countlesspiecesoflaboratorydataandpresenttheminways
thatallowscien)ststounderstandtrends,uncoveranomalies,
andmakedecisions.Robustvisualiza)onfunc)onalitycanallow
researcherstosikthroughexperimentalresultsfromawideva
rietyofperspec)vesbasedonemergentwayndingapproach
es.Inclinicalresearchareaswherecertainestablishedanalyses
areokenusefulforunderstandingdata,highlytailoredfunc
)onscanautomateknown,wellcharacterizedtestsandpresent
theirresultsinclearandac)onableinforma)ondisplays.See
thePrimeronexampleknowledgeworkdomainssec)onfor
136
addi)onalbackgroundinforma)onontheclinicalresearch
compu)ngexamplesusedthroughoutthisbook.
Applica(on:Seedeni)onforinterac)veapplica)on.
Applica(onconcept:Sketchedassembliesthatintegratese
lectedfunc)onalityconcepts,alongwithstrategicandinfra
structuralideasaboutaproductsdesign,intoanamed,overall
approachtomedia)ngachosenscopeofknowledgeworkac)v
i)es.Productteamseventuallychooseoneoftheirenvisioned
applica)onconcepts(orahybridconcept)toserveasthebasis
fortherestoftheproductdevelopmentprocess.
Applica(onenvisioning:Anearly,separate)meinproduct
developmentforteamstocollabora)velyconsiderdiverseand
appropriateconceptsofwhatcouldbe,ratherthanbeingpulled
downanincremental,largelyunconsideredcourse.Duringthis
interval,teamscanitera)velygenerateapplica)onconceptsin
lightweightmodelsandsketchesratherthanimplementedcode.
Timespentinthispreproduc)onmodecanresultinoutcomes
thataregroundedinthevectorofacompellingandbroadly
informeddesignstrategy.Attheendofapplica'onenvisioning,
teamscanselecttheZestconceptsfortheirproductsessen
)aldirec)onandformfromarelevantecosystemofpoten)al
ideas.
Architect:Seedeni)onforarchitecturaldomain.Seealso
addi)onalbackgroundinforma)on.
Architecturaldomain:Architectsandtheirrms,generally
speaking,seektoprotablycreatewelldesigneddrawingsfor
buildingsthataddresscomplexcriteria.Someaspectsofthese
complexworkprac)cesareusedinexamplesthroughoutthis
book.SeethePrimeronexampleknowledgeworkdomains
sec)onforaddi)onalbackgroundinforma)on.
Automa(city:Inthecontextofinterac)veapplica)onsfor
knowledgework,thepointoflearningandaccommoda)onat
whichworkerscanexecutecertainopera)onsandlargertasks
withreducedeort.Whennovelsitua)onsariseinotherwise
predictableinterac)ons,workersautoma)cbehaviorscanlead
tospecialerrorcasesinproductuse.Applica)ondesignsthat
promoteautoma)cityinfrequentusagescenarioscanbevery
dierentfromthosedesignresponsesthatemphasizeini)al
learnabilityandusability.
Buildingmodelingapplica(on:Thistermencompassesan
emergingclassofcompu)ngapplica)ons,morecommonly
calledBuildingInforma)onModeling(BIM),thatisbeginningto
driveradicalchangesinarchitecturalprac)ce.InBIM,theen)re
designofabuildingisstoredasacollabora)vevirtualmodel
thatcanbemodiedandreferencedbydierentcontributorsto
aproject,purportedlyimprovingcommunica)onandreduc
ingrepresenta)onalmisunderstandings.SeethePrimeron
exampleknowledgeworkdomainssec)onforaddi)onalback
groundinforma)ononthearchitecturalcompu)ngexamples
usedthroughoutthisbook.
Clinicalresearchdomain:Clinicalresearchscien)sts,generally
speaking,wanttomakeapplieddiscoveriesrelatedtohuman
health.Thesescien)stsadoptdiversemethodsandtechnolo
giestoaZacktheirresearchproblems,dependingonthenature
ofthetopicunderstudyandresearchersownareasofexper
)se.Someaspectsofthesecomplexworkprac)cesareusedin
examplesthroughoutthisbook.SeethePrimeronexample
knowledgeworkdomainssec)onforaddi)onalbackground
informa)on.
Communityofprac(ce:Acommunityofknowledgework
ersmutuallyengagedincollabora)veac)onandlearningin
ashareddomainover)me.Asdescribedinthewri)ngsof
E)enneWenger,thesecommuni)esbuilduponeachothers
eortsandideas,okenthroughdirectpar)cipa)oninsocial
exchanges.Inthecontextofknowledgework,communi)es
ofprac)cecanrepresentthestaofapar)culargroupinan
organiza)onoralargercollec)vewithinadomain,suchasa
longstandingprofessionalorganiza)on.
Conceptualmodel:Inthecontextofenvisioningapplica)ons
forknowledgework,theyarethementalmodelsthatcontain
peoplespar)cularunderstandingsofwhichworkprac)cesan
interac)veapplica)onisdesignedtosupport,howitessen)ally
works,andhowitmighttintotheirownac)vi)es.Asmental
constructs,productteamscannotcreateconceptualmodelsfor
theireventualusers.Knowledgeworkersmustbuildtheirown
nes)ngandinterrelatedunderstandingsaspartofadop)nga
compu)ngtoolintotheirownworkprac)ces.However,product
teamscandevelopintendedconceptualmodelsforvarious
partsoftheirapplica)onsandseektocommunicatethese
modelsthroughembeddeddesigncharacteris)csandexplicit
instruc)on.
nologicalpossibili)es,marketforces,trends,andpredic)ons.
Productteamscanusethesestrategiestodriveclarityintheir
oeringsandfocustheirmembersaroundasharedvisionand
goalset.Sincetheyarederivedfromkeybusiness,marke)ng,
andproductdevelopmentconsidera)ons,designstrategiescan
bethoughtofasalowerlevelexpressionofacompu)ngtools
ini)a)ng,highlevelcharter.
Envisioning:Seedeni)onforapplica)onenvisioning.
Envisioningques(ons:Pointsofinquirythatgetproductteams
thinkingaboutdivergentfactorsthatcouldshapetheirappli
ca)onconcepts.Envisioningques)onsareansweredthrough
ac)ve,considered,andpar)cipatoryprocessesofresearchand
designexplora)on.
Financialtrader:Seedeni)onfornancialtradingdomain.
SeealsothePrimeronexampleknowledgeworkdomains
sec)onforaddi)onalbackgroundinforma)on.
Financialtradingdomain:Themanyspecializa)onsofnancial
tradingare,generallyspeaking,abouttheexchangeofnancial
instrumentstomaximizereturnsfortraders,theirrms,and
theirclients.Someaspectsofthesecomplexworkprac)ces
areusedinexamplesthroughoutthisbook.SeethePrimer
onexampleknowledgeworkdomainssec)onforaddi)onal
backgroundinforma)on.
Func(onalarea:Alargerareawithinanapplica)on,okenorga
nizedaroundapar)culargoalorsetofac)ons.Func)onalareas
canbedesignatedbyaprominentheadinginanapplica)ons
naviga)onandaseparateplaceorsec)onwithinatool.A
singlefunc)onalareacantypicallybefurtherbrokendowninto
anumberofindividualop)onsandrelatedinterac)vi)es.See
alsodeni)onsforfunc)onalityandfunc)onalityconcept.
Domain:Generallyconnotesauniquespecialtyinknowledge
work.Domainscanencompassabroadrangeofexis)ngcultural
knowledgeandskills,rangingfromgeneralmethodsofprac)c
ingtohighlyspecicinforma)onandabili)esthatarecrucial
forsuccessfullyaccomplishingworkac)vi)es.
Func(onality:Featuresinaknowledgeworkapplica)onthat
areprovidedasgoalorientedop)onsforworkerstouseintheir
ownac)vitycontexts.Somefunc)onali)esmaybehighlyspe
cictoolsfornarrowgoals,whileothersmaybemoregeneral
purposeandopentousersinterpreta)ons.Applica)onsare
typicallycomprisedofmanyfunc)onali)es,andindividualsmay
usesomeavailableop)onsmorefrequentlythanothers,de
pendingonhowtheyseeaproductlngintotheirlocalways
ofthinkingandac)ng.Seealsodeni)onsforfunc)onalarea
andfunc)onalityconcept.
Designstrategy:Thesingular,rela)velyunchangingpropos
alsthatsummarizetheessenceofanenvisionedapplica)ons
scope,corevalue,pointsofemo)onalconnec)on,andap
proachestomedia)ngknowledgework.Designstrategiesare
situatedwithinalargercontextoftargeteduserneeds,tech
Func(onalityConcept:Sketchedpossibili)esforworkmedia
)onthatproductteamsgenerateasapartoftheirenvisioning
explora)ons.Theseconceptsrepresentagoalorientedscenario
forpoten)aluserexperience,includingateamsproposed
designresponsestotargetedproblemsandconstraints.Seealso
CLOSINGMATTER|GLOSSARY
137
deni)onsforfunc)onalareaandfunc)onality.
Informa(onmanagementapplica(on:Inthecontextofthis
booksexamples,thistermreferstoacompu)ngtoolforclini
calresearch.Theseapplica)ons,alsoknownasaLaboratory
Informa)onManagementSystems(LIMS),cankeeptrackofall
storeddataaboutalaboratory,fromthestockontheshelves
totheresultsofgene)ctests.Manyofthesesystemsalso
providefunc)onalityfordeningandmonitoringlaboratory
workow,allowingscien)ststodesignanddistributeexperi
mentalprotocolsforlabtechniciansandautomatedinstruments
tofollow.SinceLIMSareokenopentointegra)onwithother
applica)ons,theycanbecomeacentralhubforconnec)ngall
ofalaboratoryscompu)nginfrastructure.SeethePrimeron
exampleknowledgeworkdomainssec)onforaddi)onalback
groundinforma)onontheclinicalresearchcompu)ngexamples
usedthroughoutthisbook.
Interac(onobject:Thecomprehensibleelementswithinanap
plica)onthatworkersactoninordertoaccomplishtheirgoals.
Interac)onobjectsaredenedfromusersac)vityorientedper
spec)ves,andtheydonotnecessarilycorrespondtotheideaof
objectsinthecomputersciencesenseoftheword.Product
teamscantranslatekeyinterac)onobjectsfromar)factsin
workersexis)ngprac)ces,whichcanthenbecomemeaning
fulelementsofanapplica)onsintendedconceptualmodels.
Otherobjectscanrepresentnovelsystemideasthatwould
otherwisenotexistintargetedknowledgeworkculture.Interac
)onobjectscannestandinterrelate,andideasforaddi)onal,
lowlevelobjectsmayemergeduringtheproductdevelopment
process.Theno)onofinterac)onobjectsisderivedfromBen
ShneidermansObjectAc)onInterfaceModel(1998),without
itsemphasisondirectmanipula)on.
Interac(onpa/ern:Areusableconven)oninthedesignof
interac)veapplica)ons.Theseconven)onsareokenthought
ofattheliterallevel,containingspecicarrangementsof
informa)onanduserinterfacecontrols.Interac)onpaZerns
canalsousefullyrepresentlargercommonali)esinconven)onal
interac)ons,suchasapproachestoen)reapplica)onstructures
ortaskprocesses.
Interac(vecompu(ng:Inthecontextofknowledgework,ap
plica)onsofcompu)ngthatworkersdirectlyinteractwith,as
opposedtoanincreasingnumberofembeddedapplica)ons
thatareeec)velyhiddeninar)factsinawaythatprevents
usersfromhavingdirectcontrolovertheirbehaviors.Thisbook
primarilyfocusesoninterac)veapplica)onsthatcouldbefeasi
blyimplementedonpersonalcomputersatthe)meofwri)ng.
Interac(veapplica(on:Aspecializedcompu)ngtoolfor
media)ngtargetedac)vi)es,includingbothinstalledproducts
andthosethatareaccessedviatheInternet.Inthecontextof
envisioningpoten)aluserexperiencesinknowledgework,the
emphasisofthistermfallslessonthetechnicalconstruc)onof
atoolandmoreonitspoten)aldeni)onanddesignopportu
ni)es.
Interac(onmodel:Thehighestlevelexpressionofanappli
ca)onsstructure.Ashellthatdetermineshowinterac)ve
behaviorsanddisclosuresessen)allyowwithinacompu)ng
tool.Aninterac)onmodelframesthefullscopeofanonscreen
product,outliningtheinterac)veapproachesandpointsof
accessforitscons)tuentfunc)onalconcepts.Incontemporary
personalcompu)ng,wheresomesortofkeyboardandpoin)ng
methodareessen)allyagiven,interac)onmodelsmayreside
largelyintheonscreenstructureandbehaviorsofaknowledge
worktool,ratherthaninspecializedhardwarecontrols.
Knowledgework:Abroadcategoryofhumanac)vitythatis
focusedoninven)ng,producing,interpre)ng,manipula)ng,
transforming,applying,andcommunica)nginforma)onusing
specializedskillsandknowledge.
Knowledgeworkers:Individualswho,intheirworkinglives,are
valuedfortheirspecializedintellectualskillsandtheirabilityto
actonandwithcomplexinforma)oningoalorientedways.This
termcanrefertospecializedprofessions(suchasthearchitect,
nancialtrader,andscien)stfoundintheexamplesthroughout
thisbook)ormoregeneralizedvoca)ons.
Object:Seedeni)onforinterac)onobject.
Organiza(on:Anygroupofindividualsworkingtogetherwith
sharedgoalsand,inmanycases,adivisionoflaborandrespon
sibili)es.Thisumbrellaincludesgroupssuchasnonprotsand
onlinecollabora)ves,aswellasthosethataremorecommonly
associatedwithknowledgeworkinthebusinessworld.
Magichappensexpecta(on:Aproblema)cexpecta)oninprod
uctteamsthatasuccessful,evenvisionary,productwillsome
howemergesolelyfromthesumofcountlessdetaileddeni
)on,design,andimplementa)ondecisionswithoutalarger
designstrategyorapplica)onconceptasguidingroadmap.See
alsodeni)onsforstraighttothedetailsprogression
andsinglevisionandconceptdesign.
Marketinforma(onapplica(on:Thesecompu)ngtoolsallow
nancialtraderstoinves)gatecurrentandhistoricaldataabout
specicmarketsectorsandtradednancialinstrumentsfrom
avarietyofdierentperspec)ves.Thefeedsandvisualiza)ons
intheseapplica)onscanhelptraderstostaycurrentonmarket
happeningsandtobeZerassesspoten)aldeals.SeethePrim
eronexampleknowledgeworkdomainssec)onforaddi)onal
backgroundinforma)ononthenancialtradingcompu)ng
examplesusedthroughoutthisbook.
Mediate/media(on:Referstoaninterac)veapplica)ons
interfacingrolebetweenworkersandtheirgoals,ascoarsely
borrowedfromAlexeiLeon)evsAc)vityTheory.Eachapproach
tosuppor)ngaworkprac)cewithtechnologypresentsdier
entmedia)ngchangestotheessen)alnatureofthatprac)ce.
Knowledgeworkerswillinevitablyviewsomemedia)on
approachesasmoreaZrac)veandsuccessfulthanothers.
Modelsofproblemspaces:Ar)factsthatsummarizemeaning
fulprimaryresearch,secondaryresearch,anddesignresearch
insightsintoclearandinforma)verepresenta)onsthatmapout
relevantregionsofproductpossibility.Thesemodelscantake
avarietyofforms,rangingfromgraphs,totextualstories,to
storyboards,tovideoexposi)on.
Ooading:Reducingtheworkneededtoaccomplishanac)on
bydistribu)ngsomeoftheeorttoaninterac)veapplica)on,
collaborator,oranotherpartofadistributedworksystem.
Ac)onsthatini)ateooadingcanrangefromdeliberateand
inten)onaltoimplicitandsubconscious.Ooadingeortcan
changetheessen)alnatureofworkprac)ces.Akeracomput
ingtoolhasbeenappropriatedintoaworkplaceculture,par
)cipa)ngindividuals,intheiraccommodatedwaysofthinking
andac)ng,maynotevenrecognizehowtheyopportunis)cally
ooadeorttotheexternalar)fact.
Opera(on:Withinaproductteamsra)onalizedmodelsof
workprac)ce,opera)onsarelowlevelac)onsthatworkers
canperform.Individualopera)onsaretypicallyenactedina
sequenceinordertoaccomplishlargergoalsforinterac)ngwith
asystem.Opera)onsareonepartoftheopera)ons,tasks,and
ac)vi)eshierarchicalapproachtomodelingwork(seeother
deni)onsinthisglossary),ascoarselyborrowedfromAlexei
Leon)evsAc)vityTheory.Mul)pleopera)onscompriseatask.
Thisbroaddeni)oncanincludeanyonefromhighlevel
managementtoknowledgeworkcustomerswhoare
broughtonasadvisorsanddesignpar)cipants.
Progressivedisclosure:Adesignapproachwhichcandecrease
perceptualloadandpromotemoreeec)veuseoflimited
screenareasbyhidingsomecontentandfunc)onalityun)l
itisinterac)velyaccessed,asneeded,throughusersgoal
orientedpathways.
Scaolding:BorrowedfromLevVygotskysideasontheZone
ofProximalDevelopment,scaoldingisapplica)oncontentor
func)onali)esthatprovideworkerswithsuppor)ngstructures
fortheirlearning,basedonanunderstandingoftheircurrent
knowledgeandabili)es.Userscanaccomplishmorewiththe
supportofscaolding,andbydoingso,theycanmakelearning
leapsthatmaybemoredicultwithoutsuchsupport.Akeran
individualhaslearnedascaoldedinterac)on,thesuppor)ng
featurescanokenberemovedfromdaytodayuse.Alternately,
insomecases,thesefeaturesmaybelekinplacetoprovide
someongoingu)lity.
Scien(st:Seedeni)onforclinicalresearchdomain.Seealso
addi)onalbackgroundinforma)on.
Se[ngs:Meaningfulparametersinanapplica)onthatworkers
canhavesomemeasureofcontrolover.Theseparameterscan
behighlyexibleandnumerousinapplica)onsforearlyadopt
ers.Bycontrast,inhighlydevelopedproductsthattargetless
investedusersegmenta)ons,guidingproductselngsmaybe
rela)velyfewinnumberandmoreconstrainedinscope.
Product:Seedeni)onforapplica)on.Inmanycases,the
termservicecouldbeequallyapplicable(thoughitwasnot
extensivelyusedthroughoutthisbookinordertopromote
brevity).Althoughthetermproducthasacommercialcon
nota)on,theapplica)onsdiscussedherecouldalsobecreated
byanopensourcecommunityorinternallydevelopedwithin
specicorganiza)ons.
Singlevisionandconceptdesign:Theproblema)capproachby
whichproductteamsitera)velycreateonlyonedefactodesign
strategyandcorrespondingapplica)onconcept.Thesesingular
progressionsokenbeginwitharushtowardimplementa)on
andonlylimitedideasaboutproductdirec)onandpoten)al
meaning.Althoughteamsprac)cingthistypeofdesignmay
evolvetheirownconcep)onsabouttheirapplica)onsata
detailedlevel,theirlackofearly,divergentthinkingaboutwork
media)oncanbeconsideredafailuretostrategicallyexplore
poten)aldirec)onswithintheirini)al,highlevelcharters.See
alsostraighttothedetailsprogressionandmagichappens
expecta)on.
ProductTeams:Theprimaryaudienceofthisbook;agroupof
peoplecrea)nganinterac)veapplica)onforknowledgework.
Forthepurposesofthistext,productteamsmembershipscan
includeanyonewhoplaysaroleinproductdevelopment,with
aspecialemphasisonthoseindividualswhoare(orcouldbe)
involvedduringearly,strategic,applica'onenvisioningeorts.
Sketch:Aroughrepresenta)onofaframingideaorpoten)al
designdirec)on,generatedwithinaproductteamduringthe
applica'onenvisioningprocess.Teamscansketchatmanylevels
ofgranularity,rangingfromanapplica)onsoverallvectortothe
diminu)veshapeofasmallfunc)onalityconcept.Duringearly
envisioning,teamstypicallycreatesketchestocaptureandcon
CLOSINGMATTER|GLOSSARY
138
veypoten)alop)onsformedia)ngwork,nottosolidifyhighly
specicdesigndetailslikethosefoundinlaterprototypes.
Althoughtheoutputsofsketchingexercisesareokensomesort
ofdrawing,teamsmayalsousefullysketchtheirideasinvideo
andothermedia.
Straighttothedetailsprogression:Theproblema)cprogression
bywhichproductteamsquicklymovefromhighlevelconsid
era)onofproductstrategyintothespecicsofanapplica)ons
deni)on,design,andimplementa)on.Thisprogressioncanbe
fueledbyvariousteammembersspecializedfocusesonpar
)culartechnocentricfacetsoftheirproducts.Seealsomagic
happensexpecta)onandsinglevisionandconceptdesign.
Tailored:Designedorcustomizedtomeetthespecicneedsof
targetedknowledgeworkersandtheirorganiza)ons,assituated
inthecontextofwellcharacterizedculturesandac)vi)es.
Task:Withinaproductteamsra)onalizedmodelsofworkprac
)ce,tasksareagoalorientedac)onthatworkerscanperform.
Tasksmaybenameable,discussedelementsofworkersshared
culturalmodelsoftheirownwork,ortheymaybeunspoken
rou)nesandimprovisa)ons.Aproductteamsapplica)on
conceptsmayaimtoeec)velyeliminatesomeexis)ngtasks
inworkersprac)ceswhileintroducingnewonesthatcould
stemfromtheadop)onoftheirproduct.Tasksareonepart
oftheopera)ons,tasks,andac)vi)eshierarchicalapproach
tomodelingwork(seeotherdeni)onsinthisglossary),as
coarselyborrowedfromAlexeiLeon)evsAc)vityTheory(where
thetermAc)onisusedinsteadofTask).Mul)pleopera)ons
compriseatask.Mul)pletaskscompriseanac)vity,thoughnot
allofthetasksassociatedwithapar)cularac)vitymayoccur
withintheconnesofasingleinterac)veapplica)on.
Tradingapplica(on:Asanancialtraderswindowintotheir
rmsvaluableinforma)on,thesecompu)ngtoolstypically
allowuserstoexaminesharedtradingrecordsandtobooknew
deals.Tradingapplica)onsokenautomatemanytediousopera
)onsrangingfromsmalldatapredic)onswhenllingoutforms
toautoma)crou)ngandprocessingofcompleteddealsthrough
anumberofrelatedsystems.SeethePrimeronexample
knowledgeworkdomainssec)onforaddi)onalbackground
informa)ononthenancialtradingcompu)ngexamplesused
throughoutthisbook.
Workprac(ce:Theactualmethods,asopposedtoidealizedno
)onsofprocess,bywhichknowledgeworkersaccomplishtheir
eorts.Peoplemayhavedierentapproachestoaccomplishing
thesamecategoriesofac)vity,andobserva)onsofknowledge
workokenrevealconsiderablymoreimprovisa)on,situated
decisionmaking,communica)on,coopera)on,andcollabora
)onthaniscommonlyacknowledgedbyindividualworkersor
theirorganiza)ons.Seealsodeni)onforworkprocess.
Workprocess:Establishedwaysofworkingthatareformally
agreeduponwithinanorganiza)onorlargerprofession.In
manytypesofknowledgework,especiallyinthosedomains
whereprac))onershavedevelopedconsiderableskillsand
exper)se,establishedprocessesmayarisefromformal
acknowledgementandstandardiza)onofworkersown
emergentprac)ces.Alternately,workprocessesmaybedened
basedontopdownconsidera)ons,suchaslegalorbusiness
opera)onsrequirements.Seealsodeni)onforworkprac)ce.
Workow:Establishedworkprocesseswhereeortsare
distributedamonganumberofdierentindividuals,oken
basedontheassignedrolesthatthesepeopleplaywithina
grouporlargerorganiza)on.Dependingonthecontext,
workowcanalsobeasynonymforworkprocess.
Workspaceawareness:AsoutlinedinGutwinandGreenberg
(2002),thistypeofawarenesscanbethoughtofasanongo
ingsense,okenwithoutconsciousaZen)on,ofothersac)ons
withinasharedlocale.Insharedcompu)ngenvironments,this
awarenesscanbeespeciallyrelevantwhenitpertainstoac)ons
thatcouldimpactcoopera)veorcollabora)veeorts.Work
spaceawarenesscanbecri)calforpromo)ngcoordina)onand
communica)on,poten)allyleadingtofewererrorsandhigher
qualityworkoutcomes.Knowledgeworkapplica)onscan
providespecializedworkspaceawarenessfunc)onali)esto
countertheindividualized,okenisola)nginterac)onsof
contemporarypersonalcompu)ng.
CLOSINGMATTER
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CLOSINGMATTER
About the Author + FLASHBULB INTERACTION, Inc.

JacobBurghardtisthefounderofFLASHBULBINTERACTION,
Inc.Heisaresearch,strategy,anddesignconsultantwhospe
cializesinhelpingproductteamstoenvisionpowerful,engag
ing,andproduc)veinterac)veapplica)onsforknowledgework.
Jacobwasdrawntoaspecialtyinknowledgeworkproducts
akerseeinghowinnova)vetoolsinthisspacecanmake
meaningfuldierencesintheexperiencesofpeopleprac)cing
theirchosenvoca)ons.Heviewsthesemeaningfuldierences
throughthelensofpioneeringvisionsininterac)vecompu)ng,
whichop)mis)callyoutlinedthepoten)alfortechnologiesto
augmentourcogni)veandcollabora)veabili)esaswesolve
importantproblems.
Inhiseightyearsofexperiencefocusedoncompu)ngtoolsfor
knowledgework,Jacobhasworkedforindustryleadingclients
ondiverseapplica)ontypes,includingavia)onnaviga)on,sci
en)cinstrumenta)onanddataanalysis,nancialtrading,and
crea)veassetworkow.
Inhisconsul)ngeorts,Jacobseekstoreframestatusquo
conversa)onsinthedevelopmentofspecializedtechnologies
forknowledgeworkers.Heworkswithclientstoadvancetheir
dialogtowardabeZerunderstandingofdesignstrategy,while
emphasizingunderlyingprinciplesandpossibili)esincomputer
mediatedworkprac)ce.
Jacobchallengesclientswithnewgoalsandprocesses,support
ingproductteamsastheyenvisiondiverseoeringsandsketch
elabora)veconcepts.Toinformstrategicidea)onandensure
realworldrelevance,hefacilitatespurposeful,direct,andcol
labora)veconversa)onsbetweenhisclientsandcurrentor
poten)alendusersoftheirinterac)veproducts.
Jacobhaslecturedandpublishedontopicsinuserexperience.
HeholdsaB.S.inPsychologyandaB.S.inTechnicalCommuni
ca)onfromtheUniversityofWashington.Workingthrough
Screensishisrstbooklengthpublica)on.
ThisbookwaswriZenastheinauguralpublica)onof
FLASHBULBINTERACTION,Inc.,aconsul)ngrmthatworks
withclientstoenvisionpowerfulandengagingexperiencesfor
knowledgeworkersattheforefrontsoftheirelds.
Weusedesignthinkingtoposi)velytransformworkplace
applica)ons.
Weworkwithclientsseekingtosethighergoals,asknew
ques)ons,andexploreinnova)veanswers.
Webelievethatcompu)ngtoolsforknowledgeworkers
shouldbeenvisionedfromaperspec)vethatisdis)nct
fromthoseusedtoconceiveconsumerproductsandother
technologies.
Wehelpourclientsimprovepeoplesworkinglivesby
advancingtoolsforthoughtthattargetvaluableintersec
)onsofac)vityandtechnologicalpossibility.
Weactastrainers,advisors,facilitatorsaugmen)ngand
inspiringclientteamsastheyenvisionnewandimproved
onscreenoerings.
Wecollabora)velyinves)gate,interpret,andvisualizeap
plica)ondesignchallengesinawaythatdrivesdecision
making,sharedvision,andmeaningfulinnova)on.
Wearebigbelieversinconcep)ngrelevantfuturesasa
pathwaytodeninglargerstrategicdirec)ons.
Weprovideservicesthattargetdiverseclientchallenges,
rangingfromeduca)ngproductteams,toevalua)ngand
extendingexis)ngfunc)onality,toinformingapplica)on
idea)onthroughtargetedresearch,toenvisioningen)rely
newproductconcepts.
Ifthecontentsofthisbookhavestruckachordinthecontext
ofyourownproductdeni)onanddesignchallenges,please
considercontac)ngFLASHBULBINTERACTIONtodiscusshow
wecouldhelpyourteambeZerenvisionaneworitera)vely
improvedknowledgeworkapplica)on.
Einfo@FlashbulbInterac)on.com
P206.280.3135
F206.260.6280
Wwww.FlashbulbInterac)on.com
142
NOTE:Contentsofthispageexemptfromcrea)vecommons
licenseforthispublica)on.Copyright2008
WORKING
THROUGH
Working through Screens is the inaugural publication of FLASHBULBINTERACTION, Inc.

This book is available for free in .html and .pdf at www.FlashbulbInteraction.com, where you can also find an
abbreviated Idea Cards version designed for use in product ideation exercises.
All original contents of this publication are subject to the creative commons license (Attribution-NonCommercialShareAlike http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/) unless otherwise noted.
Please attribute the work to Jacob Burghardt / FLASHBULB INTERACTION Consultancy.
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WORKING

100 ideas for envisioning

Application Concepting Series

The category of human efforts sometimes called knowledge work

Collectively, we have an infrastructural sense of what these technologies can

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Suggestions for product teams:

Deliberately spend more time envisioning, at a high level, what your

Suggestions for product teams:

Suggestions for product teams:

Make projections and connections in the context of key trends and

Suggestions for product teams:

Extensive concepting, based on intensive

Introduction: The Case for Application Envisioning

The Impacts of Application Design

Issues in Contemporary Onscreen Tools

Making Do with the Status Quo

First Steps of Application Design

Getting to Design Details Too Quickly

COMMON APPROACH TO ITERATIVE APPLICATION DESIGN

Adding Features Until Magic Happens

Begin creating individual

Iteratively add more discrete

Until magic happens,

And a cohesive, or at least

Crucial Understanding Gaps

Uncritical Reliance on Pioneering Ideas

Embracing a More Strategic Creativity

Introducing Application Envisioning

The Higher Goals of Flashbulb Interactions

APPLICATION ENVISIONING APPROACH TO DESIGN

Spend more time in the

Meaningfully question what

Then move forward with your

Summary of Case for Application Envisioning

Using This Book

Book Approach and Exclusions

Thirteen Categories of Envisioning Ideas

Primer on Example Knowledge Work Domains

A. Exploring Work Mediation

Teams can use these models to sketch

A1. Influential Physical and Cultural Environments

How could your teams insights into the realities and

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Fellow Traders + Shared Ways of Working

A2. Workers Interrelations and Relationships

How could your teams insights into the connectivities and

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A3. Work Practices Appropriate for Computer Mediation

Where in your teams big picture characterizations of knowledge

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A4. Standardization of Work Practice through Mediation

Where in your teams big picture characterizations of knowledge

A5. Interrelations of Operation, Task, and Activity Scenarios

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From a vantage point that emphasizes knowledge workers

A6. Open and Emergent Work Scenarios

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