Week 06: Plans, situated actions, and seams

Task: Lucy Suchman distinguishes between plans and situated actions. In your post, first note that distinction — define both. How does it play out in Vertesi’s characterization of “seamfulness” in the work of NASA’s scientists? And how do you see plans and situated action playing out in another example that you want to bring to bear?

• Lucy Suchman, Human Machine Configurations, p. 25–84
• Janet Vertesi, “Seamful Spaces: Heterogeneous Infrastructures in Interaction,” Science, Technology and Human Values 39.2: 264–284.

Lucy Suchman defines ‘plans’ as a weak resource for what is primarily ad hoc activity. They determine purposeful actions. However, the reality is full of ‘seams’ which are not always dealt with purposeful actions. This is why ‘situated actions’ which are taken in the context of particular, concrete circumstances, is important. At the first time, it seemed like Lucy insist that situated actions are required since it is difficult to anticipate situations and the reality is full of uncertainties but plan may be considered a type of situated actions.

Our circumstances are composed of infrastructures, seams, and actors. Infrastructure is a system. When a infrastructure overlaps, meets, or collides with the other, the seams happen. We are living in the complex and heterogeneous infrastructure where seams are ubiquitous. The way of actors confronting seams might be similar to how Europeans and Trukese navigated. Actors deal with seams with plans or situated actions.

While thinking about the example of seams in my situation, I found that the language difference between countries can be one of them. Language can be called as a infrastructure (and also be a technology), which has been developed to facilitate communication and accumulating knowledge in a specific human society. A number of actors in that society utilize some specific languages for their convenience. However, the seams begin to appear when the actors confront unfamiliar languages. The transmitting and receiving information become retarded and actors begin to feel uncomfortable or awkward. However, they can somehow deal with this seam by plans and situated actions. For example, actors can prepare the script or memorize some certain expressions for the anticipated conversation. However, they might have to react to the unexpected incidents with situated actions; observing and following others’ reaction or trying to find some connection with the past similar experience so that they can find clues.

In designer’s perspective, seams could be opportunities. Even though some of them are difficult to articulate or nearly impossible to deal with, defining them into problems and suggesting solutions in order to seamlessly link the gaps between structure can be one of designers’ roles. However, this thought led me to a question; ‘then, is seamless ideal?’ I didn’t find the answer to this question yet. The concept of seams is mainly related to efficiency or effectiveness of solving the situations, but it is hard to define human beings only with this criteria. They are much more complex than that. Sometimes seams cause discomfort or annoying but also curiosity or motivations of challenge. Thus, seams can be redefined as a facilitator which prompts human beings to make progress.