Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
F.
Creating an artifact
. I clean up the spreadsheet, do a little formatting,
and print the whole thing out to show my husband so that he, too,
will be convinced.
G.
Finishing up
. I save the document and exit the application.
The spreadsheet illustrates how the conception of the application and
its functionality shape the action by providing elements of form. It also
shows the way in which the application and the person collaborate to cre-
ate a whole action with an interesting shape. It illustrates the fact that an
application, in both its conception and its execution, defi nes the magnitude
and texture of the whole action. Spreadsheets such as Excel are successful
largely because they do an extremely good job of supporting whole actions
with a satisfying degree of complexity, magnitude, and completeness. One
could perform the same whole action as that in the previous example with
a calculator, an abacus, or even a pencil and paper, but its magnitude (in
the sense of duration) would be excruciatingly excessive. The action would
lack organic wholeness; rather than the elegant Freytag-like curve, the ac-
tion would more likely consist of long, fl at-line segments of calculation
punctuated by periods of analysis and planning with a completely different
representational context and “feel.” In contrast, word processors, especially
those that admit only text manipulations, do a comparatively poorer job of
supporting actions with interesting shapes in that they focus on only part
of a larger task. Programs designed to support document creation fare bet-
ter in terms of dramatic shape because one is more likely to be able to do
what one visualizes.
The previous section illustrates how information is a key component of
dramatic structure. The impact that new information has on people is
determined, not only by the information itself, but also by how it is re-
vealed and how it interacts with existing knowledge and expectations.
Plays are full of discoveries of different types. The expository action at
the beginning of a play provides the greatest number of discoveries for
the audience, but the climax probably provides discoveries of the greatest
signifi cance. When one has no particular expectations, discovering new
information is a simple and relatively unremarkable experience (oh, I see,
the door is over there; this character is a doctor; the husband and wife are
having trouble getting along).
