On Middle-Ground Solutions for Domain-Specific Problems: The Case of a Data Transfer System for Sign Language Teachers

Abstract

Oftentimes domain-specific problems are imperceptible. The end users are so accustomed to the conditions that they do not request any other solution. In the context of a school for both hearing-impaired and hearing children, the particular way of teaching sign language led to the emergence of technology-mediated yet ill-supported work practices. This paper contributes to the CSCW community by introducing an approach for addressing domain-specific problems by applying a middle-ground yet optimal solution. As a direct outcome of this approach, we present the case of a data transfer system that supports sign language teachers’ work practices. This system, which is indefinitely deployed in the school, is a tangible representation of current infrastructural and contextual issues the teachers are facing, and serves both as a reflection on the work practices and an articulation means of the limitations that constraint them. We reflect on our approach, we discuss on the resulted case in terms of an indefinitely deployed research product, and we speculate on the system’s alternative application domains.