Contribuições da análise da atividade e da entrevista de autoconfrontação para os estudos de usuários

Abstract

This thesis paper discusses the limits of the use only of the conventional techniques of interviews and questionnaire on users study and in software development. The thesis hereof defended, is the one that the use of these techniques using only the interview, the questionnaire and the spontaneous observations, doesnt permit an immersion in the context where are built the meanings that the individuals attribute to everyday situations. Those are the meanings translated under the form of routines and rules that allow better understanding of the actions of the individual. Its necessary to confront what the user says with his actions.Thus, relatively to this question, it became necessary to bring to the field of study on users and to the field of information technology, the methodological and theoretical instruments as it has been proposed by the ergonomies through the analysis of the activity and theautoconfrontation interview, and that they have been useful for the elucidation of knowledge in its tacit dimension. The present thesis is based on a study of case on the development and use of a softwaremodule Launching of Hours. This study had as an objective to demonstrate the inappropriateness of the methodological procedures, used by the projectors when these projectors do not take into account the participation of the users on the software conception, which will have negative implications on the working activity of these users. To demonstrate, still, the pertinence of the application of the activity analysis and of the difficulties in using the software by the users. The novel aspect of this study of case was to study a software development not for laic users, but for experts on information technology users. Thus, the study showed clearly that the sociofunctional identity among annalists/users-developers allowed us to identify the common sociocognitive representations, which send us back to everyday prejudice, to common sense as justification and rationalization of problems related to usage.