Culture in Design
Vienna Workshop "Agent Culture", 24-25 August 2001
Lorna Heaton
Département de Communication
Université de Montréal
The past decade has seen the development of a perspective holdingthat technology is socially constructed (Mackenzie & Wacjman,1985; Bijker, Hughes & Pinch, 1987; Bijker & Law, 1992). Thispaper examines the social construction of one group of technologies,systems for computer supported cooperative work (CSCW). It describesthe design of CSCW in Japan, with particular attention to theinfluence of culture on the design process. Two case studies arepresented to illustrate the argument that culture is an importantfactor in technology design, despite commonly held assumptions aboutthe neutrality and objectivity of science and technology.
The paper continues by discussing implications of this argument inthe design of agents. It suggests several avenues for reflection onthe themes of the workshop: which cultural considerations enter intointeraction, personality, visual design and context of embodiedagents, and the cross-cultural "portability" of embodied agents.
I do not have a technical background, and I have spent a good partof the summer learning about the field of intelligent agents. Myexpertise lies in reflections on culture and design. I hope you willforgive my ramblings and unsystematic thoughts in the implicationssection of this paper. I am sure that I will learn a great dealthrough interaction with you during the workshop, and that this paperwill come out substantially changed and stronger.