Remote concept design from an activity theory perspective

This paper presents product concept design situations that occurred in computer aided concept design workshops. These situations were analysed using the concepts of activity theory to show how designers convey their understanding across distance. From this analysis, hypothetical user activity can be identified as an instrument of collaborative construction during design action. It is a common design object and mediates between the designers along with the future artifact. In order to support designers, future computer systems should therefore bridge the gap between physical and virtual design spaces. The concept of hypothetical user activity can be a means to organize such a system