When the chips are down: Social and technical aspects of computer failure and repair

This paper explores computer failure as a social event by examining recorded interactions between computer users and help-desk consultants (technicians). It was found, first, that the nature of a failure was negotiated between participants rather than being simply technically evident. Failure was defined from users' perspectives, in relation to what they were trying to achieve, rather than according to technical parameters. Secondly, negotiations of failure had social consequences for both users and help-desk consultants. Both avoided being seen as incompetent and actively defended their social standing. Thirdly, such social issues sometimes took precedence over technical and practical ones. The implications for HCI theorists and practitioners are twofold: firstly, failure should be accepted as a regular part of computer use in which human-computer interaction continues even though the interface may be non-functional. Secondly, the management of failure could be better addressed if technicians were trained in social as well as technical intervention skills.