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Reviewer: Mona Singh

Activity theory (AT) is founded on a theory of psychology that originated in the 1920s and 1930s in Russia, mainly through the efforts of the psychologist Lev Vygotsky. AT proper was first formulated by Vygotsky’s disciple, Aleksey Leontiev. AT’s value in understanding human interactions with and through information technology (IT) was recognized a few decades ago, and it has been gaining international importance in informatics and computer science ever since. This book provides an introduction to AT from the perspective of interaction design. The main thesis of AT is that human thinking is best understood through action, where action is formulated in the broadest sense. When humans, as subjects, interact with artifacts, as objects, the dynamic relationship between the subject and object is given primacy. Understanding user tasks as a basis for designing usable systems is old hat to those proficient in user-centered design. AT can be thought of as taking the same basic philosophy to a deeper level, where the activities are considered all encompassing. Kaptelinin and Nardi provide a thorough introduction to AT, placing it in the intellectual context of other theories of interaction. This includes a contrast with the dominant cognitivist and some postcognitivist models of users. Part 1 includes an extensive tutorial on AT, AT’s relationship with interaction design, and an example of a system—UMEA—with a design informed by AT. Part 2 considers more advanced topics, such as objects, motives, and desires, and how they are treated by different approaches to AT. Part 3 includes an extensive survey of postcognitivist theories of interaction; notions of artifacts and agency, such as when can artificial entities be treated as agents; and a survey of directions. Reading the book as a usability practitioner, I found Part 1 the most valuable. I can see AT influencing my thinking and work. However, as it stands today, AT is not quite actionable as an engineering methodology. I do not find the UMEA system a very convincing example of the power of the theory. Another engineering challenge is that most of us would not be designing entire user interactions, but, increasingly, Web-based applications that take a narrow slice of a user’s interaction. Until someone figures out how to apply AT piecemeal, it will primarily be a theory to inform our designs in a largely hands-off manner. In summary, AT is clearly something that anyone serious about usability should give credence to. For this reason, Part 1 alone is worth the price of the book, and I recommend it highly. Online Computing Reviews Service