Mail2Tag, case study of design using multiple aspects of appropriation

We illustrate the role of appropriation in the design of a recently deployed system for organizational information sharing. The Mail2Tag system leverages existing practices around enterprise email to move relevant information out from individual inboxes. With Mail2Tag users share information by emailing content to a special email address, such as CC to tag@share.X.com, where tag can be any keyword and X is the company domain name. The system then adaptively redistributes the information based on profiles inferred from prior user activity in the system. We study the Mail2Tag system design in regards to appropriation of practices, interface, and infrastructure. We consider its 20-month deployment in an organization as a lens to understand the relationships between appropriation, adoption, and success in the design process.

Citation

Nelson, L.; Convertino, G. Mail2Tag, case study of Design Using Multiple Aspects of Appropriation. CHI 2011 Workshop - Appropriation and Creative Use: Linking User Studies and Design; 2011 May 8; Vancouver, BC, Canada.