Usable Irrigation Data for Himalayan Farmers: Defining Actionable Information

An increasing amount of data meant to support decision making is becoming available in vital areas of life. However, HCI has relatively few ways to address the usability of this data and its representations. While it is understood that data needs to be turned into information to be meaningful for its users, the characteristics of information that allows its receivers to take informed actions are not fully known. This article closes that gap by offering a systematically developed definition for actionable information. The definition is based on the existing literature, distributed cognition, and a participatory design intervention with farmers of Himachal Pradesh, India. The new definition of actionable information provides a frame through which to understand the interaction between data and its receiver, and simultaneously accounts for the ecology of relevant socio-technical relations. It can also inform design processes and guide assessments of data representations.