Fostering user-developer collaboration with infrastructure probes

Abstract

In this paper we present a new variation of cultural probes, called Infrastructure Probes (IP). IPs can be seen as an additional ethnographic method to get a deeper understanding of the user's working context and thus help to improve the collaboration between users and developers regarding requirements elicitation. They consist of a screenshot tool, a digital camera, Post-it's, forms, an IT diary and a writing pad, allowing end users to observe and document their use of the IT infrastructure in question with special emphasis on problematic situations. The results of a first evaluation of the concept show that IPs could supplement traditional ethnographic methods to give researchers as well as software engineers a deeper insight into the working habits of users, but could also be a means for users to document and exchange technology usages. For a reflection of the IP concept we conducted feedback workshops together with the participants of the evaluation. The feedback resulted in an improved version which is currently already under evaluation.