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What is activity theory, and how will it benefit studies of human-computer interaction? This book addresses these questions. Many HG! researchers are eager to move beyond the confines of traditional cognitive science, but it is not clear exactly which direction to move in. This book explores one alternative for HG! research: activity theory, a research framework and set of perspectives originating in Soviet psychology in the 1920s. Just as HG! research is concerned with practical problems of design and evaluation, activity theorists from the outset have addressed practical needs, applying their research efforts to the problems of mentally and physically handicapped children, educational testing, ergonomics, and other areas. Following the lead of dialectical materialism, activity theory focuses on practice, which obviates the need to distinguish" applied" from" pure" scienceunderstanding everyday practice in the real …