So much technology works, not by good design or by being a good fit to purpose, but because people make it work because they have to for some reason. We humans are incredibly creative and resourceful when it comes to getting something done. There are numerous stories we could all tell of the ingenious work-arounds we've developed to make something do what we want it to; or the enormous amount of time we've spent trying to find out how to make some technology work as we want, e.g., trying to find out how to turn off auto-editing commands in a word processing package when all we want is for it...
So much technology works, not by good design or by being a good fit to purpose, but because people make it work because they have to for some reason. ...
The idea of a Virtual Design Studio (VDS) has been around for many years. In the early days, establishing a way of transferring documents by file transfer was enough to establish a virtual design studio. Our expectations are greater now. Along with document transfer, we expect to be able to work with others at a distance as if they were in the same physical room. We have seen how email, video conferences, and shared whiteboards can provide environments in which we can do many of the things we are used to doing face to face. The internet has changed the way we communicate at a personal level...
The idea of a Virtual Design Studio (VDS) has been around for many years. In the early days, establishing a way of transferring documents by file tran...
Collaboration technologies play a vital role in modern business by providing the infrastructure for key strategies such as collaborative commerce, knowledge management, process improvement, virtual teamwork and e-learning. This book provides a wide-ranging overview of current experiences from industry on the organisational implementation and use of these technologies. It focuses on strategies for overcoming obstacles in the implementation process, and measures that can be taken to enable effective use. Among the key features are: - Overview of the current state of the area of...
Collaboration technologies play a vital role in modern business by providing the infrastructure for key strategies such as collaborative commerce, ...
Virtual reality (VR) technology has been developed commercially since the early 1990s 1]. Yet it is only with the growth of the Internet and other high-bandwidth links that VR systems have increasingly become networked to allow users to share the same virtual environment (VE). Shared YEs raise a number of interesting questions: what is the difference between face-to-face interaction and interaction between persons inside YEs? How does the appearance of the "avatar" - as the graphical representation of the user has become known - change the nature of interaction? And what governs the...
Virtual reality (VR) technology has been developed commercially since the early 1990s 1]. Yet it is only with the growth of the Internet and other hi...
The area of networked learning (learning in which information and communications technology (ICT) is used to promote connections between people and resources) is wide and growing in importance, especially in further and higher education. It offers the opportunity to offer more flexible access to learning programmes over time and space, but not enough is yet known about exactly what it can offer and how best to ensure that institutions maintain and improve the quality of the learning experience. This book focuses on the key issues which anyone involved with the use, administration, or study of...
The area of networked learning (learning in which information and communications technology (ICT) is used to promote connections between people and re...
There is a growing body of interesting research exploring the social shaping of mobile phones, covering a wide range of topics, from new forms of communication, to the changes in time organization, the uses of public places, the display of emotions and the formation and sustaining of communities. This book evaluates the launch and adoption of mobile phones, drawing out lessons for the future. In particular, it explores how social scientists can collaborate with designers and engineers in the development of new devices and uses. It will interest people from both industry and academia. Those...
There is a growing body of interesting research exploring the social shaping of mobile phones, covering a wide range of topics, from new forms of comm...
Mobile telephony has arrived on the scene.According to statistics of the International Telecommunications Union, in the mid-1990s, less than one person in 20 had a mobile telephone; as of 2003, this had risen to on p- son in five.In the mid-1990s, the GSM system was just being commerci- ized, there were serious coverage and interoperability issues that were not yet sorted out and handsets were only beginning to be something that did not require a car to transport them.In the mid-1990s, if a teen owned a mobile telephone it was likely an indicator of an over-pampered rich kid rather than...
Mobile telephony has arrived on the scene.According to statistics of the International Telecommunications Union, in the mid-1990s, less than one perso...
Electronic commerce is regarded as one of the most important commercial uses of information technology in recent times. As more and more companies adopt networking technology, ways of doing business are changing dramatically and electronic commerce is proving invaluable for dealing with suppliers, customers and partners distributed across the globe. This volume provides a collection of readings covering all the major areas of electronic commerce, including those related to the World Wide Web. It does not focus on technical issues, but instead examines the general, commercial, social and...
Electronic commerce is regarded as one of the most important commercial uses of information technology in recent times. As more and more companies ado...
Public and situated display technologies can have an important impact on individual and social behaviour and present us with particular interesting new design considerations and challenges. While there is a growing body of research exploring these design considerations and social impact this work remains somewhat disparate, making it difficult to assimilate in a coherent manner. This book brings together the perspectives of key researchers in the area of public and situated display technology. The chapters detail research representing the social, technical and interactional aspects of...
Public and situated display technologies can have an important impact on individual and social behaviour and present us with particular interesting...
'User-designer relations' concerns the sorts of working relationships that arise between developers and end users of IT products - the different ways designers of IT products seek to engage with users, and the ways users seek to influence product design. It is through the shifting patterns of these relations that IT products are realised. Although it has generally been accepted that achieving better user-designer relations will improve the quality of IT products, there has been little consensus on how this might be achieved.
This book aims to deepen our understanding of the...
'User-designer relations' concerns the sorts of working relationships that arise between developers and end users of IT products - the different wa...
