Situated information systems: supporting routine activity in organisations

We argue that the traditional approach to information system design, which has become crystallised in widely promulgated Information Engineering Methodologies, is informed by a particular theory of human goal-directed action which emphasises mental representation and deliberation. This theory of action has recently been criticised for its inability to explain the fluid, unreflective, real-time action characteristic of skilled routine activity. An alternative theory stressing action as a direct response to situations in structured environments has emerged. This paper reports our attempts to theorise an alternative "situated information systems" conception, and to embody it in an analysis and design methodology based explicitly on this situational theory of action. A methodology based on an authentic theory of routine action is likely to produce systems that are more effective in organisational settings where work is complex but largely routine.