Interaction design patterns for computers in sociable use

This paper contributes to a growing body of design patterns in interaction design for cooperative work, while also describing how to go from field studies to design patterns. It focuses on sociable face-to-face situations. The patterns are based on field studies and design work in three sociable settings, where desirable use qualities were identified and translated into forces in three design patterns for controlling information visibility. On the basis of the patterns, the design of a multiple-device multimedia platform is described. It is shown that desirable qualities of systems-in-use can be utilised as forces in patterns, which means that traditional qualitative research is highly valuable when documenting design knowledge in patterns. Three classes of interaction design patterns are identified: environments for interactions, means for interaction and interfaces for interaction. These classes describe types of patterns within a hierarchical model of interaction design.