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Re/constructing computing experiences from “punch girls” to “computer boys” traces the life cycle of five computing devices between the 1940s and the 1980s, each representing a key development in the history of computing. The experimental media archaeology framework of Nutzerperspektiven critically evaluates the type of user sources re/construct. The object’s life cycle traces phases of design, production, sale, installation, application and use, and decommission or re-use. The lens of intersectionality with a focus on gender facilitates (visual) discourse analysis of advertisements to expose stereotypes. User experiences differ because inequalities in computing have at times resulted in occupational segregation, and working conditions varied across case studies. Computing experiences encompass the object, the environment, and application, and a user, serving as a structure for the case studies. The first case study discusses the accounting departments of Helena Rubinstein which used Remington Rand, and later Powers-Samas, punch card machinery since 1940. Miss Summerell led the Powers room in the London branch from 1955 onward. The second case study centers around a workflow Dr. E. Blatt created for the International Business Machines (IBM) System/360 announced in 1964 used in German clinical chemistry laboratories since 1969. The Digital Equipment Company’s client applications slides form the basis of the next case study and showed several uses of the Programmable Data Processor or PDP-11 in aerospace and commercial aircraft between 1970 and 1980. The final chapter compares two educational initiatives from the 1980s. By 1981 the BBC Microcomputer kickstarted the Computer Literacy project in the United Kingdom, first targeting adults but soon entering primary and secondary schools. Apple’s Kids Can’t Wait initiative in the United States equally introduced many children to computing. Methods from user experience (UX) design and experimental media archaeology supporte

Placing the design and use of computing devices into a broader context, I focus on the societal, business, and labour developments at the basis of new computer models. One of five carefully selected case studies considers the use of Powers-Samas and later I.C.T. punched card equipment in accounting at the Helena Rubinstein make-up concern in London during the 1950s. For each case my research looks into changes in occupations after the introduction of new computer models, as well as its influence on the work space and workflow of employees. Finally, I study gender stereotypes in advertisements of the computers, and in this case of the punched card equipment. During the Work in Progress session I will briefly introduce my overall research approach and demonstrate which sources are available, and what is still missing for the punched card equipment case study.

Data visualization is a powerful tool for digital scholarship yet not without its pitfalls. Based on the dissertation “Visualizing Gender Balance” comparing ten computer science conferences, several visualization techniques and tools undergo a critical review. The dataset underlying the visualizations contains data researchers encounter daily: bibliographic information. Analyzing larger sets of authors writing and publishing for conferences in computer science changes our perception of the gender (im)balance in this academic research area. But only a careful curation and visualization can truly reveal what goes on behind the scenes. Still the more complicated, detailed and nuanced the visualization, the harder it becomes for an untrained eye to interpret the patterns.

The Oxford English Dictionary states that originally, a mainframe only defined the central processing unit and primary memory of a computer, whereas now a mainframe describes any large or general-purpose computer, specifically supporting numerous peripherals or subordinate computers. The IBM System/360, announced in 1964 and first installed at around 1967, consists of a collection of peripherals that can be connected to any central processing unit in the system family. Due to the size of both the individual components and the entire system, the design and layout of the office often needed to accommodate for the machine. Furthermore, “the experiences of weight, surface texture, sound and smell are part of the physicality of object” (Dannehl 2013, 130) so in order to experience the environment of a designated computer room, several museums have reconstructed at least some of the structure of a computer room. At the Living Computers Museum+Labs in Seattle the entrance to the separately airconditioned room is up a ramp, because of the raised floor that supports the weight of the computer and hides the very thick cables. Purchasing and installing an IBM System/360 required careful planning in terms of physical requirements and site selection, taking into account environmental, electrical, and signal factors. Besides the system and associated personnel, other furniture including storage cabinets, work tables, chairs, and desks also influenced planning. Furthermore, the length of the cables connecting the machines limited the distance between the system components. The schedule proposed by IBM encouraged customers to order six months before delivery and finalizing the layout two months later to allow for building alterations and time to process the cable order (IBM, 1975). Once the machine was installed, the dimensions and layout continuously influenced the workflow and working conditions of the users. Dannehl, Karin. 2013. “Object biographies. From production to consumpti

Computer science research areas are often arbitrarily defined by researchers themselves based on their own opinions or on conference rankings. First, we aim to classify conferences in computer science in an automated and objective way based on topic modelling. We then study the topic relatedness of research areas to identify isolated disciplinary silos and clusters that display more interdisciplinarity and collaboration. Furthermore, we compare career length, publication growth rate and collaboration patterns for men and women in these research areas.