Bonnie A. Nardi

Victor Kaptelinin

Looks at activity theory, its application to interaction design, and how it is used as a basis for understanding the ways people interact with technology.

Activity Theory and Interaction Design

Acting with Technology

V. Kaptelinin

The term "Affordance" is a key concept for designers. If you want to build products that are intuitive and easy to use, it is crucial to fully understand the liaison between the human mind and technology. The concept of Affordance was made popular by Don Norman in the late 80s and has played an essential role for user experience professionals and researchers ever since. This book is a short, example-based reference guide into the history and practical application of the term Affordance. It is essential reading for anyone who wants to get a deeper understanding of what it means for a product to be "intuitive."

Affordances and Design

Activity theory -- a conceptual framework originally developed by Aleksei Leontiev -- has its roots in the socio-cultural tradition in Russian psychology. The foundational concept of the theory is human activity, which is understood as purposeful, mediated, and transformative interaction between human beings and the world. Since the early 1990s, activity theory has been a visible landmark in the theoretical landscape of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). Along with some other frameworks, such as distributed cognition and phenomenology, it established itself as a leading post-cognitivist approach in HCI and interaction design. In this book we discuss the conceptual foundations of activity theory and its contribution to HCI research. After making the case for theory in HCI and briefly discussing the contribution of activity theory to the field (Chapter One) we introduce the historical roots, main ideas, and principles of activity theory (Chapter Two). After that we present in-depth analyses of three issues which we consider of special importance to current developments in HCI and interaction design, namely: agency (Chapter Three), experience (Chapter Four), and activity-centric computing (Chapter Five). We conclude the book with reflections on challenges and prospects for further development of activity theory in HCI (Chapter Six). Table of Contents: Introduction: Activity theory and the changing face of HCI / Basic concepts and principles of activity theory / Agency / Activity and experience / Activity-centric computing / Activity theory and the development of HCI

Victor Kaptelinin

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