Semiotics in Information Systems Engineering

Semiotics, the science of signs, has long been recognised as an important discipline for understanding information and communications. Moreover it has found wide application in other areas of computer science, as it offers an effective insight into organisations and the computer systems that support them. An organisation may be viewed as a system of information and communication in which human actors, with the assistance of information technology, are able to process, represent, store and consume information. Computer systems that fit into an organisation and that support and enhance its performance and competitiveness, can be better delivered if semiotic principles are understood and applied. In this book, first published in 2000, semiotic methods are introduced and illustrated through three major case studies, which demonstrate how information systems can be developed to meet business requirements and support business objectives. It will appeal to academics, systems developers and analysts.

Review of the hardback: '… an excellent overview of a rich and complex research program in the analysis, specification, and design of information systems … will be of interest to researchers in information systems methodologies. In educational settings, it will be useful ancillary reading in a project-oriented course on information systems design, and might be the central text, if the course in fact adapts the MEASUR methodology.' H. Van Dyke Parunak, Computing Reviews