Information behavior and practices (IBP) research has been repeatedly criticized for having little impact on information systems development (ISD). Claiming that there is a complete disconnect would be an exaggeration but it is apparent that it is not always easy to translate findings of IBP research to workable design recommendations. Based on a reading of earlier literature and a closer investigation of three illustrative example contexts, this article underlines that the value of IBP research for ISD lies in its capability to inform ISD of the variety of ways people deal with information beyond individual systems, their own wants and designers assumptions. Moreover, it highlights that the implications of information systems go beyond their primary users. Instead of overemphasizing the contextuality of findings, a part of IBP research would benefit from an increased focus on explicating its epistemological extents and limits and identifying, which findings are transferable, what distinguishes specific contexts, what are their defining constraints and priorities, and what aspects of their uniqueness are assumptions and simple cliches.
Latest Publications
Effects of Patient Accessible Electronic Health Records on Nurses Work Environment: A Survey Study on Expectations in Sweden
(2022). Effects of Patient Accessible Electronic Health Records on Nurses Work Environment: A Survey Study on Expectations in Sweden. Bmj Open, 12, e059188. http://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-059188
. Contract Archaeology
(2019). Contract Archaeology. (L. Börjesson & Huvila, I., Eds.). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. http://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-94177-6_6
. Interrogating Paradata
(2022). Interrogating Paradata. Information Reseach. Proceedings Of The 11Th International Conference On Conceptions Of Library And Information Science, Oslo Metropolitan University, May 29 - June 1, 2022, 27, paper colis2206. http://doi.org/10.47989/ircolis2206
. Sharing Research Design, Methods and Process Information in and out of Academia
(2022). Sharing Research Design, Methods and Process Information in and out of Academia. Proceedings Of The Association For Information Science And Technology, 59, 132-144. http://doi.org/10.1002/pra2.611
. Citing Methods Literature: Citations to Field Manuals as Paradata on Archaeological Fieldwork
(2022). Citing Methods Literature: Citations to Field Manuals as Paradata on Archaeological Fieldwork. Information Research, 27(3), paper941. http://doi.org/10.47989/irpaper941
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