ABSTRACT
This chapter attempts to extend and deepen the analysis put forward in field studies through an ethnographic and video-based investigation of the design history and practical use of an expert system for diagnosing problems with document machines. It describes the work of Xerox's service technicians and the job aids that the company developed over time to help technicians in diagnosing machine failures, the culmination of which is the expert system. The chapter presents the Pride expert system and shows how technicians used it to diagnose machine problems, and in doing so identify some troubles with the designers' underlying assumptions about service technician work and information needs. The chapter reflects on the evolution of Eureka as compared to Pride and what this means for the design of effective decision support. It reviews with some reflections on 'intelligence' and expertise in the work of diagnosing and repairing machines, and the role of technology in supporting and enhancing that practice.
