This paper argues that the design of remote help-giving systems should be grounded in
articulation work and the methodical ways in which help-givers and help-seekers coordinate
their problem solving activities. We provide examples from ethnographic studies of both
immediate and remote help-giving to explicate what we mean by articulation work and to
tease out common and characteristic methods involved in help-seeking and the giving of
expert advice. We then outline how emerging technologies might best be used to support …

This paper argues that the design of remote help-giving systems should be grounded in the
methods (articulation work) through which help-givers and help-seekers coordinate their
problem solving activities through social interaction and cooperative work. Using examples
from ethnographic studies of both immediate and remote help-giving, the paper explicates
the common characteristic methods involved in seeking, producing and engaging with
expert advice and then outlines how emerging technologies might best be used to support …