A novel information trail model for information transformation in cognitive work systems

This paper presents a new model and methodology, called information trail model for documenting and understanding cognitive and sociotechnical elements when humans in a work system use artifacts and transform information to achieve their goals. In a complex system, humans create and manage complexity by self-organizing and engaging in action-stimulating behavior (stigmergy). In the model, humans create artifacts and work practices, and transform information to organize themselves purposefully. The transformation and stringing together of traces of information creates information trails for work goals, resulting in the information trail model. Different individuals create and represent the trails of information in a multitude of artifacts. Information trails capture latent work practices and information transformed by humans. Hence, the trails embed the emergent strategies that humans may use. Design implications of the information trail model are discussed.