Paper ID
2256
Paper Type
short
Description
Arguing that affordances of an IT can have a hierarchical and network structure, this paper proposes an approach to identify the actualized affordances of an IT artifact and its hierarchical and network structure for a group of users. Based on methods suggested for analyzing social networks, the paper proposes an approach to create a hierarchical network of affordances for a group of users, with affordances that are the closest to the IT artifact clustered at one end, and affordances that are closest to the IT’s consequences clustered at the other end. The resulting affordance network of the IT can provide a context-dependent image of IT usage, which helps in understanding how the IT is used and appropriated, how IT features can trigger long-term outcomes, and what consequences can be anticipated from IT for user groups. This in turn can help improve its design.
Recommended Citation
Savoli, Azadeh and Barki, Henri, "Affordance Networks: An Approach for Linking IT features-in-use to Their Effects" (2019). ICIS 2019 Proceedings. 21.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2019/behavior_is/behavior_is/21
Affordance Networks: An Approach for Linking IT features-in-use to Their Effects
Arguing that affordances of an IT can have a hierarchical and network structure, this paper proposes an approach to identify the actualized affordances of an IT artifact and its hierarchical and network structure for a group of users. Based on methods suggested for analyzing social networks, the paper proposes an approach to create a hierarchical network of affordances for a group of users, with affordances that are the closest to the IT artifact clustered at one end, and affordances that are closest to the IT’s consequences clustered at the other end. The resulting affordance network of the IT can provide a context-dependent image of IT usage, which helps in understanding how the IT is used and appropriated, how IT features can trigger long-term outcomes, and what consequences can be anticipated from IT for user groups. This in turn can help improve its design.