ABSTRACT
Multiple studies have shown that practitioners adapt information technology provided for them to the immediate tasks at hand in a locally pragmatic way, usually in ways not anticipated by the designers of the information technology. In system tailoring, practitioners adapt the device and context of activity to preserve existing strategies used to carry out tasks. In task tailoring, practitioners adapt their strategies, especially cognitive and collaborative strategies, for carrying out tasks to accommodate constraints imposed by the new technology. Task tailoring types of adaptations tend to focus on how practitioners adjust their activities and strategies given constraints imposed by characteristics of the device. Studies have revealed several types of practitioner adaptation to the impact of new information technology. Clumsy new systems introduce new burdens or complexities for practitioners who adapt their tasks and strategies to cope with the difficulties while still achieving their multiple goals.
