Describing team work with activity theory.

The proposal that activity theory might serve as a model or theory for computer-supported cooperative working remains an open question. Here we demonstrate the usefulness of activity theory in elucidating a series of small group software design meetings. The structure and dynamics of the meetings are presented, as are the work processes of transformation and mediation. Finally, we show how a contradictions analysis can support the derivation of requirements on a system to support the design meetings