Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

What we talk about when we talk about context

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Personal and Ubiquitous Computing Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The emergence of ubiquitous computing as a new design paradigm poses significant challenges for human-computer interaction (HCI) and interaction design. Traditionally, HCI has taken place within a constrained and well-understood domain of experience—single users sitting at desks and interacting with conventionally-designed computers employing screens, keyboards and mice for interaction. New opportunities have engendered considerable interest in “context-aware computing”—computational systems that can sense and respond to aspects of the settings in which they are used. However, considerable confusion surrounds the notion of “context”—what it means, what it includes and what role it plays in interactive systems. This paper suggests that the representational stance implied by conventional interpretations of “context” misinterprets the role of context in everyday human activity, and proposes an alternative model that suggests different directions for design.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. Although I described the three approaches as characterising theories of social science, they also apply more broadly, and engineering approaches to HCI inherently embody (perhaps implicit) theories of social analysis and social action.

  2. Except, perhaps, in some ironic sense; which, of course, would not be ordinary at all. This is clearly not something that one would ordinarily say.

References

  • Abowd G, Mynatt E and Rodden T (2002) The human experience. IEEE Perv Comput Jan-Mar:48–57

  • Ark W, Selker T (1999) A look at human interaction with pervasive computers. IBM Sys J 38(4):504–507

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowker G, Star L (1999) Sorting things out: classification and its consequences. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA

    Google Scholar 

  • Brave S, Dahley D (1997) inTouch: a medium for haptic interpersonal communication. In: Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI’97), Atlanta, GA, 22–27 March 1997

  • Brumitt B, Meyers B, Krumm J, Kern A and Shafer S (2000) EasyLiving: technologies for intelligent environments. In: Proceedings of the Conference on Handheld and Ubiquitous Computing (HUC’00), Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York

  • Cheverst K, Davis N, Mitchell K, Friday A and Efstreatiou C (2000) Developing a context-aware electronic tourist guide: some Issues and experiences. In: Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computer Systems (CHI’00), The Hague, The Netherlands, 1–6 April 2000

  • Dashofy E, van der Hoek A and Taylor R (2001) A highly-extensible, XML-based architecture description language. In: Proceedings of the Working IEEE/IFIP Conference on Software Architecture (WICSA 2001), Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 28–31 August 2001

  • Dey A, Abowd G and Salber D (2001) A conceptual framework and a toolkit for supporting the rapid prototyping of context-aware applications. Hum-Comp Interact 16(2–4):97–166

    Google Scholar 

  • Dourish P (1995) Accounting for system behaviour: representation, reflection and resourceful action. In: Proceedings of the Third Decennial Conference on Computers in Context (CIC’95), Aarhus, Denmark, 14–18 August 1995

  • Dourish P (1998) Using metalevel techniques for flexibility in CSCW toolkits. ACM Trans Comp-Hum Interact 5(2):109–155

    Google Scholar 

  • Dourish P (2001) Where the action Is: the foundations of embodied interaction. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA

    Google Scholar 

  • Dourish P, Button G (1998) On technomethodology: foundational relationships between ethnomethodology and system design. Hum-Comp Interact 13(4):395–432

    Google Scholar 

  • Dourish P, Lamping J and Rodden T (1999) Building bridges: customisation and mutual intelligibility in shared category management. In: Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Supporting Group Work (GROUP’99), Phoenix, AZ, 14–17 November 1999

  • Dourish P, Edwards K, LaMarca A, Lamping J, Petersen K, Salisbury M, Terry D and Thornton J (2000) Extending document management systems with user-specific active properties. ACM Trans Info Sys 18(2):140–170

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dourish P, Redmiles D (2002) An approach to usable security based on event monitoring and visualization. In: Proceedings of the New Security Paradigms Workshop 2002, Virginia Beach, VA, 23–26 September 2002

  • Fischer C (1992) America calling: a social history of the telephone to 1940. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA

    Google Scholar 

  • Freeman E, Gelernter D (1996) Lifestreams: a storage model for personal data. SIGMOD Rec 25(1):80–86

    Google Scholar 

  • Garfinkel H (1967) Studies in ethnomethodology. Polity Press, Cambridge, UK

  • Garfinkel H, Lynch M and Livingston E (1981) The work of a discovering science construed with materials from the optically discovered pulsar. Phil Soc Sci 11:131–158

    Google Scholar 

  • Heritage J (1984) Garfinkel and ethnomethodology. Polity Press, Cambridge, UK

  • Hutchins EL, Hollan JD and Norman DA (1986) Direct manipulation interfaces. In: Norman & Draper (eds) User centered system design: new perspectives on human-computer interaction, Lawrence Earlbaum Associates, Hillsdale, NJ

  • Ishii H, Ullmer B (1997) Tangible bits: towards seamless interfaces between people, bits, and atoms. In: Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI’97), Atlanta, GA, 22–27 March 1997

  • Lamming M, Flynn M (1994) Forget-me-not: intimate computing in support of human memory. In: Proceedings of FRIEND21 ‘94, the International Symposium on Next Generation Human Interface, Magufo Jagoen, Japan, 2–4 February 1994

  • Ling R, Yttri B (2002) Hyper-coordination via mobile phones in Norway. In: Katz and Aakhus (eds) Perpetual contact: mobile communication, private space, public performance, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK

  • Luff P, Hindmarsh J and Heath C (eds) (2000) Workplace studies: recovering work practice and informing system design. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK

    Google Scholar 

  • Mackay W (1990) Patterns of sharing customizable software. In: Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW’90), Los Angeles, CA, 7–10 October 1990

  • MacLean A, Carter K, Moran T and Lövstrand L (1990) User-tailorable systems: pressing the issues with buttons. In: Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI’90), Seattle, WA, 1–5 April 1990

  • Mark G (2002) Conventions and commitments in distributed groups. Comp Supp Coop Work 11(3–4):349–387

    Google Scholar 

  • Marshall C, Shipman F (1993) Searching for the missing link: discovering implicit structure in spatial hypertext. In: Proceedings of the ACM Hypertext ‘93 Conference, Seattle, WA, 14–18 November 1993

  • Minneman S, Harrison S, Janssen B, Kurtenbach G, Moran T, Smith I and van Melle W (1995) A confederation of tools for capturing and accessing collaborative activity. In: Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Multimedia ‘95 San Francisco, CA, ACM Press, New York

  • Mørch A, Mehandjiev N (2000) Tailoring as collaboration: the mediating role of multiple representations and application units. Comp Supp Coop Work 9(1):75–100

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rodden T, Cheverst K, Davies K and Dix A (1998) Exploiting context in HCI design for mobile systems. In: Proceedings of the Workshop on Human Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices, Glasgow, Scotland, 21–23 May 1998

  • Plowman L, Rogers Y and Ramage M (1995) What are workplace studies for? In: Proceedings of the European Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (ECSCW’95), Stockholm, Sweden, Kluwer, Dordrecht, The Netherlands

  • Ryan N, Pascoe J and Morse D (1997) Enhanced reality fieldwork: the context-aware archeological assistant. In: Gaffney, Leusen and Exxon (eds) Computer applications in archeology, British Archaelogical Reports, Oxford, UK

  • Sacks H (1984) On doing ‘being ordinary’. In: Atkinson and Heritage (eds) Structures of social action, Cambridge University Press, New York

  • Schilit B, Adams N and Want R (1994) Context-aware computing applications. In: Proceedings of the IEEE Workshop on Mobile Computing Systems and Applications, Santa Cruz, CA, IEEE Press, New York

  • Schilit B, Theimer M (1994) Disseminating active map information to mobile hosts. IEEE Netwk 8(5):22–32

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schön D (1983) The reflective practitioner: how professionals think in action. Basic Books, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Sproull L, Kiesler S (1991) Connections: new ways of working in the networked organization. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA

  • Strong R, Gaver W (1996) Scent and shaker: supporting simple intimacy. In: Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work, Boston, MA, 16–20 November 1996

  • Suchman L (1987) Plans and situated actions: the problem of human-machine communication. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK

    Google Scholar 

  • Sudnow D (1972) Temporal parameters of interpersonal observation. In: Sudnow D (ed) Studies in social interaction, Free Press, New York

  • Tolmie P, Pycock J, Diggins T, MacLean A and Karsenty A (2002) Unremarkable computing. In: Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2002), Minneapolis, MN, ACM Press, New York

  • Weiser M (1991) The computer for the 21st century. Scientific American 265(3):94–104

    Google Scholar 

  • Weiser M (1993) Some computer science issues in ubiquitous computing. Comm ACM 36(7):75–84

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wenger E (1998) Communities of practice: learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The ideas expressed here have benefited from discussions with many people, including Gregory Abowd, Saul Greenberg, Tom Moran, David Redmiles, Tom Rodden, Dave Snowdon, Dag Svanaes and Jack Whalen. I am also grateful to participants at the FX PAL Workshop on Mobile Services and the HCI Consortium on Pervasive Computing, both held in 2001, for their contributions. This work has been supported in part by the National Science Foundation through awards 0133749, 0205724, and 0326105.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Information and Computer Science, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697–3425, USA

    Paul Dourish

Authors
  1. Paul Dourish
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Paul Dourish.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Dourish, P. What we talk about when we talk about context. Pers Ubiquit Comput 8, 19–30 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00779-003-0253-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00779-003-0253-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation