exploring the use of the human artifact model for studying ubiquitous interactions

Exploring the Use of the Human-Artifact Model for Studying

Ubiquitous Interactions

Ilya Shmorgun, David Lamas

Institute of Informatics

Tallinn University

Introduction

• As people have access to more devices it is becoming increasingly important to consider the ways in which those devices and services are used and how they can co-exist with newly designed digital artifacts.

• Activity Theoretical HCI, with its focus on purposeful activities mediated by artifacts, can be used as a framework for analyzing activities supported by technology to inform the design of new artifacts.

• Conducting ethnography in the context of use with the Human-Artifact Model can further help understand the dynamics in ecologies of artifacts.

Institute of Informatics, Tallinn University 217.08.2014

The Human-Artifact Model

• The Human-Artifact Model is an Activity Theoretical HCI based analytical tool, which helps understand the dialectical relationship between the user and the artifact.

• Analysis with the Human-Artifact Model focuses on 3 levels of Activity Theory: activities, actions, and operations.

• The model helps provide answers to the questions of Why?, What?, and How?


Case Study

• Expectations of using many different devices for supporting activities are becoming more commonplace, also in schools.

• A rapid ethnographic study in the context of the LearnMix project has been conducted in 5 Estonian schools with advanced technology usage.

• A pilot study was conducted in May 2013, main study – in October 2013.

• The Human-Artifact Model was used for analyzing the collected data and structuring the findings.

• The study identified the activities commonly taking place, the artifacts used in those activities, the roles of the artifacts, and the potential issues and tensions that arise during use.


Findings

• Although every classroom had at least some available technology, such as a projector and a computer, non-digital artifacts and especially paper still played an important role, being used alongside digital artifacts.

• Artifacts were used for guiding the lesson, showing information to the class, doing assignments, finding and managing information, and communicating.

• The primary motivations for choosing which artifacts to use were convenience and ease of use.

• A lot of the tensions were related to learning how to use an artifact, being efficient in carrying out tasks, or being satisfied with the activity.


Discussion

• The keywords used to code the collected data were produced by the researchers and still need to be validated by users to avoid gaps in the findings.

• Structuring and analyzing data with the Human-Artifact Model produces a lot of information, which may become difficult to manage. While using spreadsheets and coding could be used, other approaches should be considered.


Conclusion

• Using the Human-Artifact Model for studying ubiquitous interactions helped maintain a focus on the underlying activities mediated by artifacts. The perspectives of different users were highlighted and the potential tensions occurring during use were identified.

• Insights were provided on how different artifacts can work together, what are their roles, what motives they serve, and how they are meant to be used.

• These insights can help interaction designers to produce artifacts that work better with existing tools and result in less breakdowns.


exploring the use of the human artifact model for studying ubiquitous interactions

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