Concerns at work: designing useful procedures

An overview is given on designing procedures. In particular, three case studies that focus on the use of procedures in safety-critical settings are discussed. These case studies not only point to workers making judgments when relating procedures to their practice but also demonstrate the complexity of concerns. A review of approaches to work that inform HCl design suggests that activity-based approaches provide the minimum meaningful context required to accommodate concerns. Further, an analysis of the implementation of medical guidelines in Britain that exemplifies the transformation in thinking required to design practically useful procedures is also detailed.