Why Activity Theory in HCI?

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Why Activity Theory in HCI?

• Reaction against what was viewed as the
  limitations of HCI
• The role of the artefact poorly investigated or
  understood
• Focus on novice users
• Limited possibility to use task analyses to
  describe activity and terms for activity
• Focus on automatisation of routine tasks
• Focus on one user one computer
• The view on the user as solely object of study

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Activity Theory

• Sources
• Bertelsen/Bödker, course book chapter 11
• Victor Kaptelinin
• Susanne Bödker
• Yrjö Engeström (developmental work research
  CHAT)
• Origin Culture-Historical school in former
  Soviet
• 1920-30
• Lev Vygotsky
• A. N. Leontjev
• A. R. Luria
• The Making of Mind (1976)
• ...in order to have a theory of brain-behavior
  relations, it is necessary to have a theory of
  both the brain and behavior.

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Dynamic system theory

• Activity the minimal purposeful context for
  analysing human activity
• Is characterised by constant change development
• Humans interact with (and change) their
  environment by using tools (language, other
  artefacts, symbols)
• Avoids dichotomies

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Two basic ideas

• 1) humans consciousness develops, exists and can
  only be understood in the context of the humans
  interaction with the world
• 2) this interaction activity is socially
  and culturally augmented

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Constructs of Activity Theory 5 keys to
understanding human activity

• Object orientedness
• Mediation
• Hierarchal structure of activity
• Internalisation externalisation
• Development

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Object

• A humans activity is oriented towards an object
• An entity that exists in the world and can be
  studied with objective methods
• Can be things or humans, theories, models, ideas,
  social or cultural phenomenon

7
Mediating tools

• Tools form the way we interact with reality
• When external tools are shaped, internal are also
  shaped
• Tools mirror earlier users experiences
• The physical properties of the tool
• Knowledge about how the tool is to be used
• Tools can be physical or psychological
• The situation determines whether an artefact
  functions as a tool that mediates activity (not
  focus for the activity) or functions as an object
  for activity. A transformation can take place....
  Tool object

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Hierarchal Structure of Activity

• Activity (verksamhet)
• Fulfills a motive, behind which a need exists. A
  person may not be aware of the need but the
  motive, or purpose
• Is identified by identifying what object the
  activity is directed towards that is to be
  modified/changed -gt the motive
• Consists of
• Actions (aktivitet)
• Performed consciously, goal-driven
• Consists of
• Operations (operationer)
• Performed without thought, do not have own goals

transformation
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Internalisation Externalisation
transformation

• Internal activities cognition
• External activities (executed outside the body)
  can be internalised (ex calculation)
• Verksamheten som helhet är viktig i denna
  process tex motorisk aktivitet, användandet av
  artefakter
• Internal activities can be externalised for the
  purpose of involving others in the activity
• This continuous transformation is viewed as the
  base for human cognition and activity

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The 5 constructs once again...

• Activity is directed towards an object to be
  modified/changed
• Tools mediate activity
• Dynamic and hierarchal structure of activity
• Verksamhet (activity)
• Aktivitet (action)
• Operation (operation)
• Internalisation externalisation of activity
• Development
• Conflicts breakdowns
• ZPD

11

• All keys are needed to understand the activity
• What is the activity?
• What is the object?
• What is the motive?
• What are the tools? (internal-external)
• How are the above-mentioned changed? (identify
  breakdowns)
• ...even if focus lies on one of the phenomenon,
  e.g., the system as mediating tool in the use
  context...
• Or was the system the object..?

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Development

• What triggers these transformations?
• Conflicts built into activity systems
• Changes in the environment
• Changes in an individuals abilities or resources
• Causes breakdowns -gt transformations -gt
  development, is viewed as something positive!
• Development is viewed as a general research
  methodology formative experiment
• ZPD Zone of proximal development

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Levels of development in an individual (only
intresting in relation to an activity)
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Engeströms Activity System
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Contradictions (Engeström)

• Types of contradictions
• 1) resources vs demands of results
• 2) Internally within the system
• 3) towards neighbour activities
• 4) contradictions between how the activity is
  performed today and how it potentially may be
  performed in the future

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Web of activities
Tool producing activity
Subject producing activity
Future more developed central activity
Rule producing activity
Central activity
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Earlier projects Examples What is the
activity?

• Volvo Montering vs. lager

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Verksamhet Montering Aktiviteter montering av
objekt A-Ö, beställning av fler objekt vid
brist Operationer skruva, skjuta, hämta
Handdator, monteringsverktyg, lista
Färdig, felfri hytt
Hytt
linjemontör
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Verksamhet Hantera material som ska levereras
till linjen Aktiviteter Ta emot beställningar,
hämta varor, leverera varor, fylla på varor i
lager, beställa varor från leverantörer Operatione
r manövrera truck, dator, kolla streckkoder
dator, truck, lista, kodnummer, vagnar
Rätt material levereras i tid till minsta möjliga
kostnad?
Material- hantering
truckförare
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Verksamhet Systemförvaltning Aktiviteter
Uppdatera system, upprätta förvaltningsplan,
identifiera informationsflöden Operationer
manövrera dator, applikationer, ...
Lotus-notes, pärm m förvaltningsplaner,
kommunikationshjm, egna scheman
Friktionsfri, säker system- användning ute
i verksamheter
PROBLEM Visualisering av komplex information
220 system
Systemförvaltare
Organisation
Systemägare, tekniker, användare
Regler
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The course from an activity-theoretical
perspective
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Crystallized Activity Theory

• Checklists
• Bödker (fig 11.8)
• Korpela et al. (fig 11.9)
• Focus and focus shift (fig 11.10)
• Activity checklist
• Kaptelinin Victor, Nardi Bonnie, Macaulay C. The
  Activity Checklist A Tool for Representing the
  Space of Context. Interactions, july, august
  1999

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Contributions of Activity Theory to HCI

• Extending the scope of HCI
• HCI needs to move focus from only human factors
  towards the wider perspective human actors
• Collective learning
• Knowledge generation
• Shift from byrocratic to dynamic organisations
• action research
• Adding dynamic properties to previously
  over-simplified concepts like transparency,
  affordance, direct manipulation

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Literature Tips

• Bödker, Susanne (1989), "A human activity
  apporach to user interfaces", Human-Computer
  Interaction, Ch. 4, pp 171-195.
• Hasu Mervi, Engeström Yrjö (1999), "Measurement
  in Action An Activity-Theoretical Perspective on
  Producer-User Interaction". http//www.edu.helsink
  i.fi/activity/people/mervi.htm
• Kaptelinin Victor, Nardi Bonnie, Macaulay C.
  (1999) The Activity Checklist A Tool for
  Representing the Space of Context.
  Interactions, july, august, 1999
• Kaptelinin Victor, Nardi Bonnie. Acting with
  Technology Activity Theory and Interaction
  Design. The MIT Press (2007)

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