Heath1991a

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Heath1991a
BibType INPROCEEDINGS
Key Heath1991a
Author(s) Christian Heath, Paul Luff
Title Collaborative activity and technological design: task coordination in London Underground control rooms
Editor(s) Liam Bannon, Mike Robinson, Kjeld Schmidt
Tag(s) EMCA, Collaboration, Tasks, Transportation, CSCW
Publisher Kluwer Academic
Year 1991
Language
City Dordrecht
Month
Journal
Volume
Number
Pages 65–80
URL Link
DOI
ISBN
Organization
Institution
School
Type
Edition
Series
Howpublished
Book title ECSCW'91: Proceedings of the Second European Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work
Chapter

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Abstract

Despite technical advances in CSCW over the past few years we still have relatively little understanding of the organisation of collaborative activity in real world, technologically supported, work environments. Indeed, it has been suggested that the failure of various technological applications may derive from its relative insensitivity to ordinary work practice and situated conduct. In this paper we discuss the possibility of utilising recent developments within social science, and in particular the naturalistic analysis of organisational conduct and interpersonal communication, as a basis for the design and development of tools and technologies to support collaborative work. Focussing on the Line Control Rooms on London Underground, a complex multimedia environment in transition, we begin to explicate the informal work practices and procedures whereby personnel systematically communicate information and coordinate a disparate collection of tasks and activities. These empirical investigations form the foundation to the design of new tools to support collaborative work in Line Control Rooms; technologies which will be sensitive to the ordinary conduct and practical skills of organisational personnel in the London Underground.

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