Scenario-Based Design: Envisioning Work and Technology in System Development [Book Review]

(one notable exception is the Matalene essay), and many claims and arguments seem outmoded and uninformed by recent research and theory, for instance, the authors’ statement that nothing has been written about audiences for written communications in government. However, of greater concern is that with just some exceptions (Matalene, Magnotto), the authors tend to present their material as original discoveries even though the same points have been discussed in other publications, for example, the authors’ advice to consider the context of communication and the audience. In general, the points and arguments presented in this collection would have been much more rich, mature, and complex if they had been situated in the context of ongoing discussions and debates in the field. At the very least, more citations are needed throughout the collection. The collection also suffers from a lack of focus and emphasis on key points made in the chapters. There is no attempt to pull together common patterns and themes across the five chapters, for example, in a final summary discussion. The burden is on the reader to synthesize points from the collection. Readers will also discover that the level of sophistication of ideas and discussion is uneven. Although some essays (Reynolds, Samson, Sadler) seem directed at novices in the field, others (Matalene, Magnotto) seem much more advanced and appropriate for veterans. For example, I could envision Reynolds’ chapter as part of an undergraduate introductory course in professional writing, but Matalene’s chapter as part of a graduate course. Matalene’s chapter is a gem, and deserves close attention. She goes beyond providing interesting descriptions of communication processes in state government. She also provides nuggets of wisdom, including a credible critique of recent theories of audience, which she argues are “optimistic, other-worldly, literary” and “ludicrously ethereal and amorphous self-projections” (p. 56). Her concern is that these theories of audience simply do not relate to the reality of the workplace where audiences can often be hostile. Her description of a governor as a “different audience for each of his staffers,” who “has as many response modes as the political contexts in which he appears” (p. 63) is mature and complex. Matalene is also eloquent in discussing ways in which academics can receive lessons in reality (by working or researching off campus and sponsoring student internships). She writes, “If rhetoric teaches us anything, it is surely the overriding importance of local conditions. Learning about and engaging with our own local conditions can improve our citizenship and correct our theories” (p. 56). To her credit, she focuses just as much on ways in which workplace professionals can benefit from exposure to academic perspectives. In addition to taking the time to learn from the originality and insightfulness of Matalene’s piece, I would recommend that both scholars and newcomers to professional communication at least skim through all five “stories” to develop an overall flavor of the realities of workplace communication. Doing so will provide a valuable reality check for scholars, and a useful overview for newcomers. Scenario-Based Design: Envisioning Work and Technology in System Development-John M. Carroll, Ed. (New York: Wiley, 1995, 408 pp., including index and glossary.) Reviewed by Thomas M. D U B , Dick Osgood, Doug Holyoak, and David Monson