Characteristics of technological outcomes
Technological outcomes are products and systems developed by means of technological practice for a specific purpose.
A technological outcome:
- is evaluated in terms of its fitness for purpose
- can be described in terms of its physical and functional natures
- must be interpreted in relation to the social and historical context in which it was developed and used
An outcome’s proper function is its intended and/or socially accepted purpose. Alternative functions are successful functions that have been discovered or developed by users. Outcomes that do not successfully fulfil their intended functions are malfunctions.
Characteristics of technological outcomes: Key ideas (Word 2007, 31 KB)
Acknowledgment: This paper is derived from an earlier version by Dr Vicki Compton and Cliff Harwood.