Sensemaking: Bringing theories and tools together

Abstract

This work is an attempt to reconcile three separate but influential threads in study of sensemaking. The first two of these are theories from different domains, human computer interaction (HCI) and social/organizational psychology. The last thread is that of design, of sensemaking support tools. Integrated, these three threads form a strong foundation for researchers, tool-designers and ultimately sensemakers themselves. Understanding and supporting the special role of people-people interaction can help us tie these separate threads together. This synthesis also suggests further research that can expand our understanding of sensemaking.