by Pablo-Alejandro Quinones A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for

228 Pages·2013·6.13 MB·English

by  Pablo Quinones

DESIGN, APPROPRIATION, AND UNANTICIPATED USERS: A SERIES OF STUDIES
TO ADDRESS THE DESIGN, IMPLEMENTATION, AND USE OF COLLABORATION
TECHNOLOGIES IN WORKPLACE SETTINGS
by
Pablo-Alejandro Quinones

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
(Information)
in the University of Michigan
2013

Doctoral Committee:
Research Professor Stephanie D. Teasley, Chair
Professor Mark S. Ackerman
Assistant Professor Cliff A. Lampe
Assistant Professor Chris L. Quintana
© Pablo-Alejandro Quinones
2013
DEDICATION

Dedicated
 to
 my
 family,
 friends,
 and
 the
 shoulders
 of
 giants

ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Getting a PhD can sometimes feel like an arduous process and there have been a small,
but potent group of people who have made this possible. First, I would like to
acknowledge my advisor, Stephanie Teasley, who called me on 2008 to tell me I had
been accepted into the University of Michigan’s School of Information and then became
my advisor. Stephanie introduced me to CTools and a quick comment that she had
made about staff using the system sent me on my 5-year path to try to understand why.
Since then, she was always supportive to me and my research. In the same vein, I’d like
to thank Steve Lonn from the USE Lab, who has helped review a sizeable portion of the
work presented in various incarnations for conferences, and who has helped me on
many occasions with various tasks such as running queries for me and assisting me
with data management.
I would also like to thank my committee for assisting me and guiding me
through the process and urging me to develop different ways of thinking about my
analytical frameworks. In particular, Mark Ackerman helped me by exposing me to
information ecologies—a framework that allowed me to collapse two separate
frameworks that I was considering. I also owe my examination of boundary objects to
Cliff Lampe, who inspired me to pursue the concept while I was still hesitating to adopt
it. I also owe gratitude to Chris Quintana for guiding me toward scaffolding, which
then guided me to consider learning as the basis for interpreting my interviews.
I would also like to thank the many friends who have helped me along the way,
whether as writing partners, people to test ideas on, or someone to listen about a bad
day. There are too many to name. To a great extent, I owe a great deal to the Quaker
iii
House, the community of friends with whom I lived for three years—especially Rachel
Diem, who I still consider a close friend.
I’d like to thank my family for all of their support. I am a first generation
graduate student and the only member in my family with a graduate degree. My
parents had cultivated within me a work ethic and mentality that was supportive of
learning, when so many members of the Latino community find themselves in quite the
opposite situation. By pushing me to work hard and reassuring me of how proud they
are, they have also motivated me to stick with to it even when times were rough. My
father, Pablo Sr., especially, talked to me through times when I doubted myself and he
pushed me forward.
Lastly, I want to thank the long line of teachers in my past. Their encouragement,
support, and skills made me believe in my ability to achieve and value the process of
learning. In particular, I owe much of who I am to a few key teachers—Ronnie
Rothchild (flute), Philip Malcolm (band), Gloria Gold (English), and Anthony Arico
(Biology). I also owe my ability to pursue my research path to Susan R. Fussell and
Leslie Setlock, with whom I worked at Carnegie Mellon, introduced me to HCI, and
mentored me in the process of research. I may not have ever considered a PhD without
encouragement from Sue.
iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Dedication
 ..............................................................................................................................................
 ii

Acknowledgements
 ............................................................................................................................
 iii

Table
 of
 Contents
 ..................................................................................................................................
 v

List
 of
 Figures
 ......................................................................................................................................
 vii

  List
 of
 Tables
 ..................................................................................................................................
 viii

List
 of
 Appendices
 ...............................................................................................................................
 ix

Chapter
 1.
 Introduction
 .....................................................................................................................
 1

1.1
 Appropriation
 and
 Unintended
 Users
 in
 Design
 ........................................................................................
 1

1.2
 Problem
 Statement
 ..................................................................................................................................................
 5

Chapter
 2.
 Literature
 Review
 ...........................................................................................................
 9

Introduction
 ............................................................................................................................................................................
 9

2.1
 Appropriation
 .........................................................................................................................................................
 11

2.2
 Bridging
 the
 Socio-­‐technical
 Gap
 ...................................................................................................................
 15

2.3
 Group
 Work
 and
 Groupware
 ............................................................................................................................
 20

2.4
 Appropriation
 of
 Groupware
 ...........................................................................................................................
 28

Summary
 ................................................................................................................................................................................
 31

Chapter
 3.
 Research
 Setting
 &
 Research
 Questions
 ...............................................................
 35

Introduction
 .........................................................................................................................................................................
 35

3.1
 Staff
 &
 The
 University
 of
 Michigan
 ................................................................................................................
 35

3.3
 CTools
 Project
 Sites
 ..............................................................................................................................................
 37

3.2
 Appropriation
 of
 CTools
 Project
 Sites
 by
 Staff
 .........................................................................................
 39

3.3
 Research
 Paradigm
 &
 Questions
 ....................................................................................................................
 40

Chapter
 4.
 Survey
 Study
 ...................................................................................................................
 42

4.1
 Reasons
 for
 Appropriating
 Technology
 ............................................................................................................
 42

4.2
 Research
 Questions
 ..............................................................................................................................................
 43

4.3
 Methods
 .....................................................................................................................................................................
 43

4.4
 Results
 ........................................................................................................................................................................
 45

4.5
 Discussion
 ................................................................................................................................................................
 57

Chapter
 5.
 Use
 Log
 Study
 .................................................................................................................
 63

Introduction
 .........................................................................................................................................................................
 63

v
5.1
 Research
 Questions
 ..............................................................................................................................................
 63

5.2
 Methods
 .....................................................................................................................................................................
 64

5.3
 Results
 ........................................................................................................................................................................
 65

5.4
 Discussion
 ................................................................................................................................................................
 72

Chapter
 6.
 Collaboration
 Ecologies:
 Interview
 Study
 ............................................................
 74

Introduction
 .........................................................................................................................................................................
 74

6.1
 The
 University-­‐Wide
 Transition
 to
 Google
 ................................................................................................
 76

6.2
 Research
 Questions
 ..............................................................................................................................................
 78

6.3
 Methods
 .....................................................................................................................................................................
 79

6.4
 Staff
 ‘Social
 World’:
 Defining
 Ecologies
 &
 Practices
 ...............................................................................
 87

6.5
 The
 Appropriation
 of
 Project
 Sites
 ................................................................................................................
 97

6.6
 Practices
 around
 Project
 Sites
 ......................................................................................................................
 108

6.7
 Google,
 A
 comparitive
 Case
 Study
 ...............................................................................................................
 114

6.8
 Technology-­‐Related
 Species
 in
 the
 Ecology:
 Themes
 and
 variations
 on
 Gardeners
 ............
 120

6.9
 Discussion
 .............................................................................................................................................................
 131

Chapter
 7.
 Conclusion
 ....................................................................................................................
 146

Introduction
 .................................................................................................................................................................
 146

7.1
 Summarization
 of
 Findings
 ............................................................................................................................
 147

7.2
 Revisiting
 Appropriation
 ................................................................................................................................
 148

7.3
 Theoretical
 Implications
 of
 Unintended
 Users
 .....................................................................................
 151

7.4
 Design
 Implications
 ...........................................................................................................................................
 157

7.5
 Current
 &
 Future
 Work
 ...................................................................................................................................
 168

Summary
 .............................................................................................................................................................................
 170

Appendices
 ........................................................................................................................................
 172

Works
 Cited
 .......................................................................................................................................
 204

vi
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure
 1.
 Conceptual
 model
 of
 appropriation
 process
 ....................................................................
 2

Figure
 2.
 User/Use
 Technology
 Appropriation
 Matrix
 ....................................................................
 4

Figure
 3.
 Conceptual
 Framework
 for
 Chapter
 2
 ..................................................................................
 6

Figure
 4.
 Development
 and
 research
 context
 (Grudin,
 1994)
 ..................................................
 22

Figure
 5.
 The
 Group
 Task
 Circumplex
 (McGrath,
 1984)
 ..............................................................
 25

Figure
 6.

 Wheel
 of
 Collaboration
 Tools,
 Weiseth
 et
 al.
 (2006),
 pg
 243.
 .............................
 27

Figure
 7.
 Sample
 screenshot
 of
 a
 Project
 Site
 ....................................................................................
 38

Figure
 8.
 Project
 Site
 Tool
 Brekdown
 by
 Categories
 ......................................................................
 38

Figure
 9.
 Triangulation
 Scheme
 .................................................................................................................
 41

Figure
 10.
 Pie
 Charts
 for
 respondent
 unit,
 job
 type,
 and
 computer
 expertise
 ................
 45

Figure
 11.
 Project
 Sites
 by
 number
 of
 tools
 used
 .............................................................................
 67

Figure
 12.
 Comparison
 of
 number
 of
 tools
 used
 (Sample
 population)
 ...............................
 67

Figure
 13.
 Number
 of
 active
 tools
 by
 site
 purposes
 ........................................................................
 68

Figure
 14.
 Elements
 of
 Activity
 Theory
 ..................................................................................................
 85

Figure
 15.
 Staff
 Ecology
 and
 resulting
 Communities
 of
 Practice
 .............................................
 89

Figure
 16.
 Types
 of
 tools
 in
 the
 ecology
 ................................................................................................
 94

Figure
 17.
 Tool
 Ecology
 ...................................................................................................................................
 94

Figure
 18.
 Decision
 tree
 for
 use
 (and
 disuse)
 of
 Project
 Sites
 ................................................
 106

Figure
 19.
 Actors
 in
 the
 appropriation
 process
 ..............................................................................
 140

Figure
 21.
 Tailoring
 Appropriation
 and
 skill
 level.
 MacLean
 (1990)
 .................................
 162

Figure
 22.
 Templates
 provided
 by
 Google
 .........................................................................................
 165

Figure
 23.
 Full
 Technology
 Acceptance
 Model
 (TAM)
 .................................................................
 174

vii
LIST OF TABLES
Table
 1.
 Breakdown
 of
 staff
 Project
 Sites
 Use
 (Branching
 question)
 ...................................
 45

Table
 2.
 Component
 Matrices
 for
 Attribute
 variables
 with
 one
 (1)
 component
 ............
 46

Table
 3.
 Component
 Matrices
 for
 Technology
 Adoption
 Barriers
 variables
 ...................
 47

Table
 4.
 Component
 Matrix
 for
 Project
 Sites-­‐related
 items
 questions
 ...............................
 49

Table
 5.
 Binomial
 Logistic
 Regressions
 .................................................................................................
 50

Table
 6.
 ANOVA
 results:
 Project
 Sites
 designed
 with
 my
 work
 in
 mind
 .............................
 53

Table
 7.
 Post
 hoc
 results:
 Project
 Sites
 designed
 with
 my
 work
 in
 mind
 ...........................
 54

Table
 8.
 ANOVAS:
 Project
 Sites
 Adaptability
 ......................................................................................
 55

Table
 9.
 Post
 hoc
 results:
 Project
 Sites
 is
 adaptable.
 .....................................................................
 55

Table
 10.
 Post
 hoc
 results:
 I
 can
 adapt
 Project
 Sites.
 .....................................................................
 55

Table
 11.
 ANOVA
 &
 Post
 Hoc
 ........................................................................................................................
 56

Table
 12.
 ANOVA
 &
 Post
 hocs:
 Purpose
 &
 Activity
 Support
 Value
 Ratings
 .......................
 57

Table
 13.
 K-­‐W
 ANOVA:
 Number
 users,
 total
 events
 per
 site,
 and
 log-­‐ins
 ...........................
 66

Table
 14.
 Percent
 of
 total
 activity.
 K-­‐W
 ANOVA,
 &
 Post
 hocs
 ....................................................
 69

Table
 15.
 Percentage
 of
 Project
 Sites
 using
 each
 tool
 &
 PCA
 Tools
 Used
 Together
 .....
 71

Table
 16.
 Staff
 participant
 subtypes
 ........................................................................................................
 82

Table
 17.
 Collaboration
 across
 distance
 in
 relation
 to
 community
 of
 practice
 ..............
 92

Table
 18.
 Percentage
 of
 tools
 sorted
 into
 each
 category
 ...........................................................
 202

viii
LIST OF APPENDICES
Appendix
 A:
 List
 of
 Tools
 in
 Course/Project
 Sites
 ...........................................................................
 173

Appendix
 B:
 The
 Technology
 Acceptance
 Model
 (TAM)
 ...............................................................
 174

Appendix
 C:
 Survey
 Instrument,
 Main
 ...................................................................................................
 175

Appendix
 D:
 Survey,
 Seasonal/Current
 Users
 ...................................................................................
 182

Appendix
 E:
 Recruitment
 Email
 ...............................................................................................................
 189

Appendix
 F:
 Interview
 Protocol,
 Main
 interview
 .............................................................................
 190

Appendix
 G:
 Interview
 Protocol,
 Think-­‐Aloud
 ...................................................................................
 196

Appendix
 H:
 Coding
 Scheme
 ......................................................................................................................
 197

Appendix
 I:
 Additional
 Card
 Sort
 Analysis
 ..........................................................................................
 201

ix