ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the technological barriers of mobile knowledge work, an increasingly visible yet understudied work context. Even though the proliferation of ICTs in recent decades has given rise to novel work arrangements such as remote and mobile work, existing technological infrastructures still pose important impediments. Building from an exploratory empirical study of 16 mobile knowledge workers and the conceptual language of seams, we examine technological barriers that diminish the usability of systems for mobile knowledge workers and plague communication, information management, spatial mobility, and navigation of organizational boundaries. These barriers can lead to a potential digital divide between mobile workers and those who work from traditional work settings. This study further offers an overview of adaptive strategies pursued by mobile knowledge workers in addressing these technological barriers. Findings from this work inform the design of more inclusive technological infrastructures that cater to the needs of mobile knowledge workers.
