Information and context: lessons from the study of two shared information systems

With the increasing ease and power of wmputer netsvorking technologies, many organisations me taking information which was previously managed and distributed on paper aud making it available electronically. Such shared information systems are the basis of much organisational collaboration, and electronic distribution holds great promise. However, a primary focus of such systems is on the ease of information retrieval. We believe that an equally important component is the problem of information interpretation, and that this interpretation is .@ded by a context which many electronic systems do not fully acknowledge. We report on a study of two systems, one paper-based and one electronic, managing similar information within the same organisation. We descrike the ways in which information retrieved from these systems is interpreted subjectively by individuals, and point to some of the factors contributing to this interpretation. These factors, together making up the context of the information, an3 of critical importance in the design of successful electronic shared information systems.