I think that if we examine the reasons why a particular action, such as texting during a one-to-one conversation, is considered poor etiquette, we actually arrive at a really interesting problem framing to explore.
If during a casual conversation with a friend or colleague a friend were to walk by looking to join the conversation or simply ask a quick question to me, it would be rude to continue with my original conversation ceaselessly, and not acknowledge him or her in anyway. This could roughly be considered an equivalent scenario as receiving an SMS or call during that original conversation from my vantage point at least. But, of course, the differences between the two scenarios after that initial point of interuption are where we can find the areas worth exploring from a design perspective of how that SMS or mobile phone or other more virtual interaction is delivered. As it is now, all the onus is on myself to negotiate the social ramifications of answering an SMS while in conversation. In the "real world" people understand the context I'm in to a degree - e.g., somebody at work can see if I'm in a discussion with a client, and whether that is a good time to ask me something. Jaiku is a good example of sharing that cognitive load of handling status with your contacts in a proactive way. That onus is clearly just one example of a difference between the "real" and "virtual" handling of etiquette. I think that in the end, anytime somebody says that someone's behaviour is incorrect, there's an opportunity for a better design. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=27238 ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
