Exploring the Openness of Cognitive Artifacts in Cooperative Process Management

This paper presents a field study at a Stockholm underground control room, with particular focus on the different interactional affordances of the artifacts, used by the operators. The analysis is based on the notion that the design of cognitive artifacts affords different degrees of openness, i.e. to what extent they render the interaction of a task performer with the artifact open to others in the vicinity. A comparison between the dayshift and nightshift demonstrates how the various levels of openness are manifested during work. Some tentative design comments are made with regard to computer support systems for the underground line control.