Understanding activity documentation work in remote mobility environments

Abstract

Activity documentation is a critical part of the work of many professionals. Documents are used as a means to store personal information, remind things to do, convey and generate new meaning, and mediate contact among people. In this paper, and based on the results of an observational study, we propose a model of how activity documentation work in remote mobility environments is performed. Further, based on this model and on some identified issues that remote mobility workers face while performing activity documentation work, we propose a set of design insights that designers and developers of support systems could use to inform their designs and developments. These results allow designers and developers not only to support a single activity documentation work phase if so desired, but also to envision the creation of comprehensive services for activity documentation work throughout its complete lifecycle in a seamless, effortless and secure manner. © 2009 Springer Berlin Heidelberg.