In the last 30 years, the desktop metaphor has become the standard user interface for workstations, with its pros (e.g., ease of learning) and cons (e.g., interaction constraints for skilled users, lack of context awareness). In this tutorial we present itsme, an initiative to create the next-generation workstation – especially designed for users who think that what they do holds value. Much of what we present derives from CSCW research, while Interaction Design research shapes the project, as well as the involvement of a wide and heterogeneous community of contributing people. The early design phases of the project led to the definition of a new metaphor for personal computing, called ‘stories and venues’. The metaphor is being adopted for the development of a radically new front-end for the Linux operating system. The tutorial illustrates (through the itsme case) how CSCW research can drive the design and development of an innovative project

1. From CSCW to new workstations:
the itsme project
by Giorgio De Michelis and Marco Loregian
giorgio.demichelis@itsme.it
marco.loregian@itsme.it
© 2008 by Itsme S.r.l.
All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of Itsme S.r.l.

2. Outline
The scenario
CSCW research
The metaphor of ‘stories and venues’
The itsme approach
Research
Development
Communication
Conclusion, Q&A
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3. The scenario
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4. 1984: during the Superbowl
Apple launches the Macintosh
A new personal computer with a
graphical user interface based on the
desktop metaphor
It delivers the ideas developed at
Xerox PARC by Alan Kay (and
colleagues) to a large public, at a
reasonable price
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5. The desktop metaphor
Based on similarity with physical
environment
Familiar tools and operations
Reflecting some specific work
practices
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6. From the ‘90s on
All personal computers adopt the desktop metaphor
There is a dramatic growth of the size of internal and external
(fixed and removable) memories of personal computers
The email becomes a universal medium
The Web, invented by Tim Berners-Lee, evolves far beyond some of
the PC limits (e.g., social computing)
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7. Problems of the desktop metaphor
well known since the ‘80s
Very dependent on the culture (of the designers) (Olsen and
Korfhage 1994)
Implies a physical organization of elements that is tightly coupled to
the logical organization, and vice versa
Requires memorizing where a lot of stuff is (Ravasio et al. 2004)
Depends on hierarchical file system
OK for a limited number of items, if each item is meant to be available in a
single place (and not in different contexts), as long as the user is able and
willing to keep things sorted
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8. Additional problems with the user interface
(Ravasio et al. 2004)
Concerning the interface: the desktop metaphor should help novice
users but it does not, the screen plane is regularly misused and
overcrowded, skilled users are irritated by similarities between the
screen plane and the file system’s interface, and the user interface
is too intrusive
Concerning the underlying system: the separation between files,
email and bookmarks is inconvenient, temporary material (short
term notes) are not supported, resources cannot be linked even if
they belong together, classification and gaining overview implies
additional effort
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9. Three main problems with PCs
The personal computer has been unable to cope with the evolution
of the Cyberspace:
information overload (from keys to gigas; more and bigger objects)
dispersion of information (in the file system, attachment folder, e-mail,
browser)
backwardness of the PC file system with respect to the Web (no tags,
hyperlinks, and structure)
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10. Today
On-line computing is not yet ubiquitous
The PC lacks some capabilities, compared to the Web
Different users have different needs and desires
Who has control?
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11. How to possibly solve these issues
Refer to better metaphors (also non-physical)
Get rid of hierarchies (when they are not needed)
Learn from the Web (e.g., folksonomies)
Put the user, and not the workplace, at the center of the world
There is a lot of (forgotten?) research literature from which we can
learn how to do it
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12. CSCW research: basis for innovation
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13. The early CSCW debates
CSCW community formed in the mid ‘80s
The early years of CSCW were extraordinary for the number of new
ideas that were presented to its conferences and for the passion
animating the discussions raised by them
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14. Winograd & Flores
Language-action perspective
Inextricable binds linking together words and actions, conversations and
interactions
The concepts of ‘conversation for action’ and of ‘commitment for future
action’ has deeply influenced our research for over twenty years (e.g., De
Cindio et al., 1986; De Michelis and Grasso, 1994)
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15. Suchman (vs. Winograd)
Situated action perspective
Very nature of human practice, its being situated in space and time and
within the experiences people share during their life
Sharp dispute with Winograd and Flores (Suchman, 1987b, 1994; Winograd,
1995), but we think they offer complementary views (De Michelis, 1995)
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16. Holt
Coordination theory with the idea of centers
Projects as networks of inter-related centers
Better having a personal system than one shared by all the participants to a
cooperative process
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17. Dourish
Concepts of place and of embodied interaction
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18. Malone et al.
Semi-structured messages
Even text objects like messages contain a structure where you can find
some information that can be used to trigger agents and/or commands
Coordination Theory
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19. Our idea, itsme vision:
Stories and Venues
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20. A new workstation
Helping to avoid the dispersion of information
Embodying what we know about knowledge work
Designed for those people who “think what they do holds value”
Based on a new metaphor: ‘stories and venues’
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21. Avoiding the dispersion of information
A new front-end where:
Related objects, messages, urls, people contact details, information sources,
and tools appear together
All objects are characterized by tags and links
A ‘back-end’ enabling Linux to support it
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22. The lessons of ethnographic research on work
What human beings do is embedded in their relations with other
people: actions and interactions
Action and communication are strictly intertwined
Any action is situated in space, time and, often, in the story within
which it has sense
The stories a person lives are not disjoint
Stories are viewpoints on actions and interactions
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23. The target users of itsme
High-value users, i.e., all those who have a great number of
interactions with other people, manage loads of information, live a
great number of stories at the same time, but do not have adequate
support to manage the complexity of their life
Professionals
Managers
Intellectuals
Knowledge workers
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24. A new metaphor: ‘stories and venues’
Our life interweaves a large number of different stories
Each story has its participants and objects
Each story has its venue, where you can access its participants and
objects
Each person lives in several diverse interweaving venues
The new metaphor is characterized by its being plural and its
reflecting situatedness of human experience
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25. itsme: research
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26. itsme workstation scheme (vision)
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27. itsme: a workstation based on the metaphor of ‘stories
and venues’
At any moment, itsme presents the venue of the story in which its
user is acting
itsme users do not need to search for things: they have them at
hand
itsme creates, maintains and updates the venues of its user
itsme venues can be corrected, modified and organized by its user
itsme is not intrusive: its behavior is purely reactive
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28. What’s a venue in the itsme UI?
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29. itsme interface layers
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30. The look of a venue
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31. Venue details
Create new message Highlight related items Single channel view
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32. The home, where venues are
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33. Limbo and transition panel
Limbo: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limbo
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34. itsme: development
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35. itsme: components
A new workstation, with a radically new design
An open-source ‘back-end’ supporting stories (named Guglielmo)
A front-end embodying the venue metaphor
A service supporting the migration of Microsoft, Apple, and Linux users to
itsme
A consistent and reliable plan for further improvements of the system
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36. itsme architecture overview
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37. “Our” Linux
Two members of our team started Sabayon Linux www.sabayon.org
Binary GNU/Linux based on Gentoo
Focused on user: simplicity, style, usability
Entropy package management framework
The way to easily distribute and maintain itsme
itsme front-end as an alternative UI
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38. Front-end architecture (version 0.1)
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39. itsme: the back-end rationale
Files can be tagged, linked and have an XML-like structure
An email system supporting conversations, with bi-directional links
between messages and attachments
A browser locating its bookmarks in the file system
Navigation systems within venues
Multiple views of venues
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40. The itsme back-end: Guglielmo (more about rationale)
Open source project, available as a framework (with plugin
technology) to implement any other metaphor
But with design requirements initially extracted from itsme interaction
manual
Technologically decoupled from front-end implementation
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41. Guglielmo (architecture, version 0.1 RC3)
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42. Development milestones
A three - year process
Two years for the development of the system beta
(spring 2008 - spring 2010)
Two years for the development of the migration support system
(autumn 2008 - autumn 2010)
Creating a partnership for the development of a hardware prototype
to hit the market
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43. itsme: communication, involvement,
participation
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44. itsme community website
Provide information about the project
Create a community discussing about the scenario in which we are
working
Design with us and interactively evaluate what we are doing
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45. May 2009 45

46. May 2009 46

47. Concept evaluation http://www.itsme.it/evaluation (since October 2008)
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48. itsme emulator (version 0.2.0, unreleased: public release scheduled for early June 2009)
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49. itsme first interactive prototype (version 0.1 released internally Apr. 1st)
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50. The help we need
Three active communities, supporting itsme from the very beginning:
Research (CSCW, KM, ID)
Open source software (Linux community)
High-Tech industry (particularly in Europe)
Good coverage of Itsme milestones by media and research community world-
wide
Support from public institutions in Italy and Europe
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51. Next steps in communication
Presentations in major Universities/conferences
Courses at major Universities and Educational Institutions
Collaboration with research groups on itsme’s issues and related
topics
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52. Conclusion
The desktop metaphor can no longer support effectively personal
computing
CSCW research provides the basis for innovation
itsme is implementing next-generation personal computing
We are an open community, in which you are welcome
May 2009 52

53. Any other question?
May 2009 53

54. Thank you for your attention!
giorgio.demichelis@itsme.it
marco.loregian@itsme.it
www.itsme.it