Enhancing Support for Knowledge Works: A relatively unexplored vista of computing research

TL;DR

This paper introduces the concept of Support Systems for Knowledge Works (SSKW), emphasizing their potential to enhance complex professional activities like medical diagnosis by providing comprehensive support tailored to specific domains.

Contribution

It defines the SSKW concept, explores its potential applications, and illustrates its use through a hypothetical scenario in healthcare to highlight its significance and future research directions.

Findings

Conceptual framework for SSKW introduced

Illustrative healthcare scenario demonstrates potential benefits

Highlights unexplored research opportunities in support systems

Abstract

Let us envision a new class of IT systems, the "Support Systems for Knowledge Works" or SSKW. An SSKW can be defined as a system built for providing comprehensive support to human knowledge-workers while performing instances of complex knowledge-works of a particular type within a particular domain of professional activities To get an idea what an SSKW-enabled work environment can be like, let us look into a hypothetical scenario that depicts the interaction between a physician and a patient-care SSKW during the activity of diagnosing a patient.