Traces of Work: Developing human-centered design principles for leveraging digital traces of activity in knowledge work
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Location:
Objective of the practice:
Fill a crucial cap in understanding the social impact of traces in the contemporary workplace
Subtopics of the practice:
Establish a typology of traces through empirical studies, providing insights into the design of workplace technology in the professional landscape
Geographical scope of the practice:
Europe
Short summary of the practice:
The TRACE-WORK project aims to establish a typology of traces through empirical studies, providing insights into the design of workplace technology in the professional landscape. It studies how traces of computer-mediated activities help knowledge workers carry out computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW).
Detailed information on the practice:
The idea for this practice originated from the recognition that digital traces, such as change logs and timestamps, play a crucial role in how people interpret the state of work and connect to past activities. However, in fields like CSCW and human-computer interaction (HCI), the concept of traces has not been clearly defined, and their role in work environments has not been systematically studied. This gap creates a lack of human-centred design principles for interacting with traces, especially considering their social impact. The increasing shift to remote and hybrid work has heightened public concern about the role of technology in shaping workplace relationships, making this an important and understudied topic in CSCW. The primary goal of the practice is to address the gaps in understanding the role of digital traces in workplace technology by developing a typology of traces. This typology will be applied in an empirical study of knowledge workers’ practices and experiences of using digital traces. The implementation of TRACE-WORK will result in high-quality scientific outcomes and practical resources. These outcomes will provide opportunities for publication and presentation in top-tier venues, as well as have a direct impact on the industry.
Resources needed:
Eu contribution: € 199 694,40
Results achieved:
(i) Develop a typology of traces, to be applied in an empirical study of knowledge workers’ practices and experiences of using traces; (ii) Co-produce design principles for traces
Potential for learning:
The insights into the design of workplace technology in the professional landscape provided by the project can be helpful for anyone who wants to understand the social impact of traces in the contemporary workplace.
Further information:
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101110480
Keywords:
Computer-Supported Cooperative Work, CSCW, Knowledge Work
