Abstract
This paper draws on pragmatic philosophy and design theory to propose the concept of the socio-instrumental design pattern. These patterns are design theories that acknowledge that solutions are to be found in the source social setting (where design takes place) and the target social setting (where the IT artefact will be embedded and put into action). Solutions may be discussed in terms of what to do and what to focus in the design process, not merely in terms of properties of the IT artefact. Besides introducing the concept, the paper proposes a way to structure socio-instrumental design patterns, and an example pattern is included to illustrate the approach. The example is grounded in empirical data from an ongoing action research project with an emphasis on socio-instrumental qualities of IT artefacts in their social context.
Recommended Citation
Sjöström, Jonas and Ågerfalk,, Pär J., "Socio-instrumental Design Patterns" (2008). MCIS 2008 Proceedings. 10.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/mcis2008/10