Ethnomethodology as an Influence on Community-Centred Design

Social norms are integral to the success of online communities. This success is predicated on social norms reinforcing accepted community behaviour, marshalling effective communication and, from a semiotic perspective, providing a foundation for the interpretation of signs. Accepting Stamper’s ontological position, we propose ethnomethodology as a theoretical basis for community-centred design. Ethnomethodology is the study of social order and has over the last decade gained much currency as a precursor to technology innovation. The only assumption underlying ethnomethodology is that social order is concrete and observable. Thus, social visualisations, that draw inspiration from ethnomethodology, are proposed as means to render social order accountable. Through reflection, the community is enabled to observe ongoing social processes and activate policy decisions accordingly. This socio-technical framework conceives of the community and supporting infrastructure as a complete information system. Finally, we present the Community Management Framework (CMF), a system, which encourages self-management through ongoing reflection and community-based policy management (CBPM).