Suchman, L., & Trigg, R. (1991). Understanding Practice: Video as a Medium for Reflection and Design. In J. Greenbaum, & M. Kyng (Eds.), Design at Work: Cooperative Design of Computer Systems (pp. 65-90). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. (edit)

In their research review, Suchman and Trigg summarize their approach to understanding workplace practices. They present a video-based research study as a method for accessing the workplace interactions of technology users, and understanding the observed user needs when building information systems to support those users. Suchman and Trigg identify the relationship between work and technology as key to understanding how workplace practices evolve and how technology can enhance or detract from those practices. Suchman and Trigg propose that video-based research provides an excellent method to record and analyse workplace practices from the perspectives of practice, design, and research. Their collaborative approach, while incredibly time and resource intensive, provides a model example of how designers and researchers should approach technology development. While best suited to large-scale or custom systems development, their methodology also provides key insights into the relationship between workplace practice and technology use. -- Ken Bryson (2004)