CHAPTER 11

Activity Theory

Olav W. Bertelsen and Susanne Bødker,     University of Aarhus, Denmark

11.1 MOTIVATION

Since the mid 1980s, activity theory has been explored as a basic perspective on human-computer interaction (HCI). In order to understand why this form of HCI came into being, let us consider the Scandinavian research on computer technology use and design of the early 1980s. The 1970s had been a period in which, in general, conventional theory had been challenged in the universities, at the same time as many new areas, such as computer science, evolved. In the Scandinavian context, this led to research projects that critically reconsidered the introduction of computer technology in the workplace. The projects developed an action ...

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