Akrich about scripts
Posted: November 9th, 2009 | 5 Comments »
An interesting quote from Akrich, M. (1992). The De-Scription of Technical Objects. In W. Bijker and J. Law (Eds.) Shaping Technology, Building Society: Studies in Sociotechnical Change. Cambridge, Mass, MIT Press: 205-224.
Why do I blog this? The paper describes how users’ attributes are inscribed into technical objects in a study of third world electrification, and which, as a result, stabilize a sociotechnical network. The notion of script is described, something quite relevant for a current research project.
[...] Comme le disait la directrice du Centre de sociologie de l’innovation, Madeleine Akrich, tous les concepteurs d’objets inscrivent dans leurs réalisations des décisions par rapport a… (goûts, motivation, attentes, envies, aspirations…) qui vont prédéterminer leurs usages [...]
If you haven’t read it yet, you should have a look at “How Users Matter: The Co-Construction of Users and Technology” Edited by Nelly Oudshoorn and Trevor Pinch. http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?ttype=2&tid=10755
[...] can be relevant and insightful in the context of designing artifacts. Relying on notions such as scripts or delegation of action to objects the author examines various mundane artifacts (stairs, [...]
[...] Why do I blog this? This reminds me of this quote by Howard Becker: “It makes more sense to see artifact as the frozen remains of collective action, brought to life whenever someones uses them” that Basile pointed me few months ago (which is very close to Madeleine Akrich’s notion of script described here). [...]
[...] that designers/engineers embed a vision of users in the technical objects they create… what Actor-Network Theory describes as script-building (among which certain clichés about users’ attitudes, expectations and needs). It’s [...]