Epistemic actions

There are two kinds of interactions:

• pragmatic: acting toward a desired goal)
• epistemic: acting toward understanding).

Epistemic actions are actions that help us think or create understanding. We can divide epistemic actions into four general themes:

1. Foraging
2. Tuning
3. Externalising
4. Constructing

Foraging

Looking for resources that will lead to understanding. Includes searching, probing, animating and collecting

Tuning

Adjusting resources to align with desired understanding. Includes cloning, filtering, re-arranging or cutting.

Externalising

Moving resources from our heads into the world. Includes annotating, linking or generating.

Constructing

Creating new knowledge structures in the world. Includes composing, re-arranging or repicturing.

Note that specific actions can be part of different themes based on context: e.g. re-arranging for tuning vs. constructing.

Tags: understanding interaction design

ID: 2021-0329-0656

References:

• Anderson, Fast – Figure It Out, ch. 11, p. 260