Understanding virtual world usage: A multipurpose model and empirical testing

This paper investigates the role of boundary objects in the interdisciplinary collaborative processes found in computer games development. It draws on data from an in-depth case study in a computer games studio that explores boundary objects in relation to the compelling, sensory and entertainmentcentred game-playing practices that inform computer games design and development. Sensory user experience and aesthetic considerations – of primary importance in computer games development – are becoming increasingly significant in the design and development of many other kinds of software and information systems. For this reason developments in the design and production of computer games have wider implications for other software and information systems settings and provide valuable insights into processes of collaboration that bridge cultural and aesthetic as well as technical forms of expertise. The paper seeks to provide insights into how objects contribute to such collaboration, with attention focusing especially on how game developers devise objects that span boundaries and draw on these in their collaboration. Through its focus on the material production and practices of computer games development, the research presented also seeks to contribute to the theoretical treatment of interdisciplinary collaborative working in software design and development via a critical assessment of the concept of boundary objects in the setting being studied

Origins and development of SWIFT, 1973–2009

Research in this article traces the origins of a not-for-profit financial institution called the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT). SWIFT is a core part of the financial services infrastructure and is widely regarded as the most secure trusted third party network in the world, serving 200 countries with over 8000 users. The analysis focuses on how the design and current state of SWIFT was influenced by its historical origins. In order to ensure widespread compatibility in a sector experiencing asynchronous technological development, legacy Telex specifications had to be accommodated in SWIFT's design. Over time, what began as a closed ‘society’ founded to reduce errors and increase efficiency in interbank payments grew into an industry cooperative supporting an enthusiastic community of practice and transformed into an unexpected network phenomenon. SWIFT achieved such success that it has been accused of being an installed base stifling innovation. In recent years, SWIFT has had to institute new categories of membership in an effort to counter concerns about its bank-dominated governance and it continues to search for ways to meet the requirements of key constituents in the financial supply chain

From knowing it to "getting it" : envisioning practices in computer games development

The development of information systems and software applications increasingly needs to deliver culturally rich and affective experiences for user groups. In this paper, we explore how the collaborative practices across different expert groups can enable this experiential dimension of use to be integrated into the development of a software product. In an empirical study of computer games development—an arena in which the novelty and richness of the user experience is central to competitive success—we identify the challenges of conceptualizing and realizing a desired user experience when it cannot be readily specified in an initial design template, nor represented within the expertise of existing groups. Our study develops a theoretical framework to address these challenges. Through this framework, we are able to show how achieving a desired user experience requires developer groups to not only work across the boundaries that arise from specialized expertise, but also across wider fields centred on cultural production and software development, respectively. We find that their ability to do this is supported by distinctive “envisioning practices” that sustain an emerging shared “vision” for each game. The key research contributions that we then make are (a) grounding envisioning practices as a means of theorizing the collaborative practices centred on conceptualizing the user experience; (b) identifying how these practices are interwoven with the “producing practices” of software development, thus enabling collaboration to span expert groups and disparate fields; and (c) theorizing the role of vision as an emerging conceptual boundary object in these practices