Steps Toward an Ecology of Infrastructure: Design and Access for Large Information Spaces

摘要: We analyze a large-scale custom software effort, the Worm Community System (WCS), collaborative system designed for geographically dispersed community of geneticists. There were complex challenges in creating this infrastructural tool, ranging from simple lack resources to organizational and intellectual communication failures tradeoffs. Despite high user satisfaction with interface, extensive needs assessment, feedback, analysis, many users experienced difficulties signing on use. The study was conducted during time unprecedented growth Internet its utilities (1991–1994), respondents turned World Wide Web their information exchange. Using Bateson's model levels learning, we complexity involved access designer-user communication. connection between systems development aimed at supporting specific forms knowledge work, local orga...