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DIAM : TOWARDS A MODEL FOR DESCRIBING APPROPRIATION PROCESSES THROUGH THE EVOLUTION OF DIGITAL ARTIFACTS

Amaury Belin, Yannick PriéUniversité de Lyon, CNRS Université Lyon 1

LIRIS, UMR5205, F-69622amaury.belin@liris.cnrs.fryannick.prie@liris.cnrs.fr

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MOTIVATIONS

Appropriation of Digital Technology

Important topic in design Complex processMultiple dimensions

Scattered body of works and theoriesTaken from social perspectiveDistant from technical concern

Literature

Problem

Context Knowledge work Digital ToolsMediation

Contribution • A model to see appropriation through the evolution of digital artifacts

• An additional way to consider appropriation

evolution of digital material

artifact oriented objective

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OUTLINE

1. Appropriation of (digital) Technology

2. Digital Instrument Appropriation Model (DIAM)

3. Validation of the DIAM Model : Case Study

4. Conclusion & Perspectives

APPROPRIATION OF TECHNOLOGY

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Customization

Assigning new functionsUser Artifact

Organization

“Appropriation is the way in which technologies are adopted, adapted and incorporated into working practice.“ [Dourish, 2003]

Appropriation

Reorganization of activity

New skills and knowledge

Practice SharingCollaborative Settings

APPROPRIATION OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

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InformationConceptualization 

Developing new understandings of

information

User Digital Device

Digital Representations

Appropriation

Bridgingthe

Setting up information structures

Gap

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A MODEL FOR APPROPRATION: REQUIREMENTS

• Account for the richness of appropriation process

• Variety of related processes• Situated into a social / cultural / technological

context

• Explain specifics of digital technology appropriation

• Gap between user and digital representations• Structures and operations to bridge this gap

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OUTLINE

1. Appropriation of (digital) Technology

2. Digital Instrument Appropriation Model (DIAM)• Theoritical Fundation : Instrumental Theory• Static model of an appropriated artifact• Exemple of an artifact (re)appropriation• Dynamic model of artifact appropriation

3. Validation of the DIAM Model : Case Study

4. Conclusion & Perspectives

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Function

User

Artifact

Customization

Developing skills & strategies

Functional perception

UtilizationSchemes

Abstraction of a functional unit :

Instrument

[Rabardel & Bourmaud, 2003]

Object

DIAM : INSTRUMENTAL THEORY

Set of Goals

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DIAM : DIGITAL INSTRUMENT ?

FunctionArtifact

UtilizationSchemes

User

User

ArtifactComponent

“I’ll be really busy next week !”

User particularization

User particularization

Appropriation Schema

DIGITALINSTRUMENT (STATIC) Data StructureInteraction Structure

SchemesComponent

Utilization Schemes

DataSchema

InteractionSchema

Function

DIAM: A STATIC INSTRUMENT

Appropriation

DIAM: INSTRUMENT EVOLUTION

DIAM: INSTRUMENT EVOLUTION

DIAM: INSTRUMENT EVOLUTION

DIAM: INSTRUMENT EVOLUTION

DIAM: INSTRUMENT EVOLUTION

Problem

New Category

Duplication

Solution=> New Habits

1

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3

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DIAM: INSTRUMENT EVOLUTION

Problem

New Category

Duplication

Solution=> New Habits

1

2

3

4

1

DIAM: INSTRUMENT EVOLUTION

Problem

New Category

Duplication

Solution=> New Habits

1

2

3

4

1

2

DIAM: INSTRUMENT EVOLUTION

Problem

New Category

Duplication

Solution=> New Habits

1

2

3

4

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DIAM: INSTRUMENT EVOLUTION

Problem

New Category

Duplication

Solution=> New Habits

1

2

3

4 4

3

2

1

DIAM: INSTRUMENT EVOLUTION

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3

2

1

Problem

Duplication

Solution=> New Habits

1

2

3

4

New Category

User

ArtifactComponent

User particularization

User particularization

Appropriation Schema

DIGITALINSTRUMENT (DYNAMIC)MODEL

Data StructureInteraction Structure

SchemesComponent

Utilization Schemes

DataSchema

InteractionSchema

Function

Circulation initiated by the user

Circulation initiated by the designer

Designer

User

ArtifactComponent

User particularization

User particularization

Appropriation Schema

DIGITALINSTRUMENT (DYNAMIC)MODEL

Data StructureInteraction Structure

SchemesComponent

Utilization Schemes

DataSchema

InteractionSchema

Function

Circulation initiated by the user

Circulation initiated by the designer

Designer

User

ArtifactComponent

User particularization

User particularization

Appropriation Schema

DIGITALINSTRUMENT (DYNAMIC)MODEL

Data StructureInteraction Structure

SchemesComponent

Utilization Schemes

DataSchema

InteractionSchema

Function

Circulation initiated by the user

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OUTLINE

1. Appropriation of (digital) Technology

2. Digital Instrument Appropriation Model (DIAM)

3. Validation of the DIAM Model : Case Study

4. Conclusion & Perspectives

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CASE STUDY: PRESENTATION

• Context• 7 Cinema Researchers• New Video Annotation Tool• Collaborative Movie Analysis Practice

• Research Question• To what extent does DIAM help to describe

appropriation?

• Material• Pre & Post Interviews (14)• On field-observations• Interaction traces & Screenshots

CASE STUDY: CIRCULATIONS 1

Graphical User Interface of Lignes de Temps

28Graphical User Interface of Lignes de Temps

CASE STUDY: CIRCULATIONS 2

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The model helps to describe appropriation

• Explain user particularization of information structures

The model fails into taking into account

• Instrument based on multiple-tool• Collaborative dimension of appropriation

Potential of interaction traces

• Detect circulation and moment of instrumental instability

• Detect utilization schemes

CASE STUDY : CONCLUSION

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• A dynamic model to describe evolutions of digital artifact over the appropriation process

• Extending Instrumental Theory• Taking into account specifics about appropriation of

digital artifacts

• First experimentation promising

• Key concepts to design and evaluate appropriability of artifacts

CONCLUSIONS

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PERSPECTIVESFine-grained modelling of interaction level

Understand the role of mediation over users’ representation of data

Overstepping the « 1 Instrument = 1 Application » simplification

Towards appropriation-aware technology ?

• From interaction traces to appropriation traces• Better understanding of usage evolution over time• Assist user with instrumental development