Video and transcripts of two architectural design meetings are presented in an analysis of a specific design process. The focus of the analysis presented here is the social and cultural aspects of cognition in design. The argument begins with a discussion of the parallels in design studies and cognitive science as each has begun to consider the importance of environmental influences in how we design and how we think. By applying three situated frameworks to understand the situated nature of design meetings, the analysis shows that notions of social creation and cultural cognition are complementary and necessary for a holistic understanding of the collaborative design process.

The physical and social cues on which we rely during collaboration can vanish in the digital realm. inSpace focuses on physical-digital codesign, leveraging an approach grounded in social behavior patterns.

Values play an integral role in design: they inform the kinds of trade-offs the designer makes when considering different solutions; they create a basis for the client to assess how a particular artefact may fit into their lives; and they are an important part of negotiating a common understanding in collaborative design settings. In this paper, we examine the interactions in meetings between architect and client to better understand how different values are brought into the design discourse. By analysing the verbal content and non-verbal communication between the architect and client, we identify patterns of discourse that imbue design problem-solving with the language and concepts that express values. From this analysis, we develop a theory of value transfer and describe the social mechanism that facilitates this transfer during design negotiation. This work provides an observational basis for understanding value transfer in the context of collaborative design and is relevant to design domains beyond architecture.

CHI researchers are beginning a shift from studying technology use in uncommon or exotic communities to designing and deploying technology interventions into those same settings. This paper picks up on these recent developments and further examines the impact and implication of using a bespoke technology platform within the context of providing shelter and basic social services to homeless mothers and their children. I build on findings from a previous system deployment by describing targeted changes made to the technology, the design impetus for making those changes, and the resulting impact those changes had on the relationship between shelter staff, residents, and the information they shared via the system. By way of the findings reported here, I continue to develop the framing of Deweyan publics as a way to scaffold an environmental approach to technology design in contexts with multiple and diverse stakeholders.

In recent years, the HCI and CSCW communities have be-gun to examine the role technology plays in personal, rather than professional settings. Part of this work has begun to address a specific class of life events that are unpredictable, uncontrollable, and destabilizing—what we refer to as life disruptions. While each disruption is unique, we find that patterns of social and technical reconfigurations occur in a variety of different contexts. Drawing on three case studies of severe life disruptions—intimate partner violence, home-lessness, and death—we remark on the ways that life dis-ruptions prompt a journey towards a “new normal.” We enumerate the common lessons learned among our case studies and seek to inform future technology research and design work which may involve life disruptions.

Today, commodity technologies like mobile phones—once symbols of status and wealth—have become deeply woven into social and economic participation in Western society. Despite the pervasiveness of these technologies, there remain groups who may not have extensive access to them but who are nonetheless deeply affected by their presence in everyday life. In light of this, we designed, built, and deployed a ubiquitous computing system for one such overlooked group: the staff and residents at a shelter for homeless mothers. Our system connects mobile phones, a shared display, and a Web application to help staff and residents stay connected. We report on the adoption and use of this system over the course of a 30 week deployment, discussing the substantial impact our system had on shelter life and the broader implications for such socio-technical systems that sit at the juncture of social action and organizational coordination.

The design and use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has now evolved beyond its workplace origins to the wider public, expanding to people who live at the margins of contemporary society. Through field work and participatory co-design with homeless shelter residents and care providers we have explored design at the common boundary of these two “publics.” We describe the design of the Community Resource Messenger (CRM), an ICT that supports both those in need and those attempting to provide care in a challenging environment. The CRM consists of three components: 1) a message center that pools messages to and from mobile users into a shared, persistent forum; 2) a text and voice messaging gateway linking the mobile phones of the homeless with the web-enabled computer facilities of the care providers; 3) a shared message display accessible from mobile texting, voice, e-mail, and the web, helping the two groups communicate and coordinate for mutual good. By democratizing design and use of technol- ogy at the margins of society, we aim to engage an entire “urban network,” enabling shared awareness and collective action in each public.

The use of ICTs in the public sector has long been touted for its potential to transform the institutions that govern and provide social services. The focus, however, has largely been on systems that are used within particular scales of the public sector, such as at the scale of state or national government, the scale of regional or municipal entity, or at the scale of local service providers. The work presented here takes aim at examining ICT use that crosses these scales of influence and accountability. We report on a year long ethnographic investigation conducted at a variety of social service outlets to understand how a shared information system crosses the boundaries of these very distinct organizations. We put forward that such systems are central to the work done in the public sector and represent a class of collaborative work that has gone understudied.

Video and transcripts of two architectural design meetings are presented in an analysis of a specific design process. The focus of the analysis presented here is the social and cultural aspects of cognition in design. The argument begins with a discussion of the parallels in design studies and cognitive science as each begun to consider the importance of environmental influences in how we design and how we think. By applying three situated frameworks to understand the situated nature of design meetings, the analysis shows that notions of social creation and cultural cognition are complimentary and necessary when trying to understand how the design process works.

The Value Sensitive Design (VSD) methodology provides a comprehensive framework for advancing a value-centered research and design agenda. Although VSD provides helpful ways of thinking about and designing value-centered computational systems, we argue that the specific mechanics of VSD create thorny tensions with respect to value sensitivity. In particular, we examine limitations due to value classifications, inadequate guidance on empirical tools for design, and the ways in which the design process is ordered. In this paper, we propose ways of maturing the VSD methodology to overcome these limitations and present three empirical case studies that illustrate a family of methods to effectively engage local expressions of values. The findings from our case studies provide evidence of how we can mature the VSD methodology to mitigate the pitfalls of classification and engender a commitment to reflect on and respond to local contexts of design.

How can designers of ubiquitous computing technologies ensure that they understand the non-functional needs, values, and expectations of end-users? In this paper, we use a qualitative method from public policy to elicit reflective feedback from end-users about technologies that they may not yet have used nor fully comprehend. Our study uncovers information about end-user perceptions of RFID, including a range of “folk theories” held by the public about this technology, and their associations of it with certain social groups and values. We argue that these perceptions can limit technological adoption, and conclude with a discussion of challenges for the design and deployment of ubiquitous computing systems.

Nonprofit social service organizations provide the backbone of social support infrastructure in the U.S. and around the world. As the ecology of information exchange moves evermore digital, nonprofit organizations with limited resources and expertise struggle to keep pace. We present a qualitative investigation of two nonprofit outreach centers providing service to the homeless in a U.S. metropolitan city. Despite similar goals shared by these organizations, apparent differences in levels of computerization, volunteerism, and organizational structure demonstrate the challenges in attempting to adopt technology systems when resources and technical expertise are highly constrained.

Technology, it is argued, has the potential to improve everyone’s life: from the workplace, to entertainment, to easing chores around the home. But what of people who have neither job nor home? We undertook a qualitative study of the homeless population in a metropolitan U.S. city to better understand what it means to be homeless and how technology—from cell phones to bus passes—affects their daily lives. The themes we identify provide an array of opportunities for technological interventions that can empower the homeless population. Our investigation also reveals the need to reexamine some of the assumptions made in HCI about the relationship people have with technology. We suggest a broader awareness of the social context of technology use as a critical component when considering design innovation for the homeless.

Values play an integral role in design: they inform the kinds of trade-offs the designer makes when considering different solutions; they create a basis for the client to assess how a particular artifact may fit into their lives; and they are an important part of negotiating a common understanding in collaborative design settings. In this chapter, we present a grounded analysis of a collaborative architectural design process. We examine the interactions between architect and client to better understand how different values are brought into the design discourse. By analysing the verbal content and non-verbal communication between the architect and client, we identify patterns of discourse that imbue design problem-solving with the language and concepts that express values. From this analysis, we develop a theory of value transfer and describe the social mechanism that facilitates this transfer during design negotiation. Our theory provides an observational basis for understanding value transfer in the context of collaborative design and is relevant to design domains beyond architecture.

In this paper I present three aspects of legitimacy as paramount when designing technologies for marginal users. The legitimacy of categories, use, and adoption is framed in context of the urban homeless. I argue, briefly, that the tensions that form around these aspects of legitimacy are as important to consider as the func- tionality or usability of technologies designed for the urban homeless as well as other marginalized groups.

In this paper we present two case studies illustrating how qualitative research techniques from disciplines outside of HCI can be useful for engaging in value- centered design activities. These case studies also provide example domains for discussing the challenges of addressing human-values in HCI.

In this paper, we unpack three themes for the multidisciplinary co- design of a physical and digital meeting space environment in supporting collaboration: that social practices should dictate design, the importance of supporting fluidity, and the need for technological artifacts to have a social voice. We describe a prototype meeting space named inSpace that explores how design grounded in these themes can create a user-driven, information-rich environment supporting a variety of meeting types. Our current space includes a table with integrated sensing and ambient feedback, a shared wall display that supports multiple concurrent users, and a collection of storage and infrastructure services for communication, and that also can automatically capture traces of how artifacts are used in the space.

This past March, a man used his mobile phone to take a picture of Michelle Obama serving food in a soup kitchen in Washington D.C. The immediate assumption from some conservative commentators was that the man taking the photo was homeless. The commentators further argued that a homeless person had no business lining up for a free meal if he could afford the luxury of a mobile phone. These comments opened up the debate of whether choosing between food and a mobile phone was choosing between necessity and luxury.

Are food and shelter more important than a mobile phone? For the urban homeless, the answer to this question is unclear. Public phones are disappearing from cities, job services are increasingly accessible mainly through digital means, and modern society has become ever more accustomed to instant availability and dependent on personal communication devices. Each of these factors raises the importance of a mobile phone for finding and securing basic needs.