Understanding Users Context, Communication & Construction
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Transcript Understanding Users Context, Communication & Construction
Understanding Users
Context, Communication & Construction
Michael Olsson
Lecturer, Information and Knowledge Management
University of Technology, Sydney
Theory & Practice
We all have a
conceptual framework
Lens through which we
see ourselves, our work
and our clients
Theory & research
allow us a richer, better
informed view of our
world
Users - Prevailing Approaches
Fundamental Shift - User-centered Paradigm
Cognitive Theory & Research
Not custodians of information artifacts &
systems but as active facilitators assisting
individuals & organisations in meeting their
information needs
Strengths but also weaknesses
Focus on the Individual
Focus on Individual Information Seeker
Neglects role of social context
Objective Reality – Individual Subjectivity
Researching the unknowable – cognitive structures
‘Needy’ Information Users
Strong Focus on
Information Need, ASK
Users as ‘Children’ or
‘Patients’
Unequal Power
Relationship
Construct Users based
on what they do know
Purposive Seeking & Affective Factors
Focus on active, purposive
seeking & searching
Only one aspect of information
behaviour
Rational problem solving
Either ignore affective factors
or regard them as a barrier to
‘effective’ information seeking
Ignores central role of social
relationships
Social Constructivism
sees individuals not as
isolated intellects, but as
inextricably linked to their
social environment.
Dervin – Sense-Making
Foucault - Discourse
Making Sense
Information is not a ‘thing’ to be transferred
An interpretive, constructive process of meaning
making
‘Death of the Author’
Social Construction
Individuals & groups make sense using:
Language
Existing knowledge & beliefs, previous experience
Social norms & conventions – ‘rules of the game’
Knowledge & Power
Knowledge & Power are two sides of the same coin
We relate new knowledge to established knowledge
power structures e.g. recognized authors, theories
institutions, etc
Inductive view of Power – based on our Acceptance
Practice Implications
Reconceptualise Clients
Not isolated ‘needy’ individuals but dynamic
members of a community
Embedded in networks of ongoing
relationships and power relations
What is the social role of information
professionals in the communities they serve?
SC Information Professionals
Reference Interviewing
Classification Schemes
Reject objectivized, reductionist approaches
Recognize multiple ‘truths’
Build on existing Knowledge/Power relations
within communities to provide clients with
information they will regard as ‘authoritative’