Human-information interaction in epistemic activities

We use, work, and think with information to be able to make decisions, solve problems, plan, analyze, forecast, and learn. These information-based activities can be classified as epistemic activities (EAs), as they all involve or are related to knowing. Often, we use computational tools in the form of Visual Cognitive Tools (VCTs) to help us carry out these EAs. VCTs maintain and display information in a digital, visual form to mediate our EAs. They sit at the interface between the mind and an information space and participate in the 'interplay' between the two. This paper presents a framework for a systematic exploration of the anatomical structure of the space between the mind and a given information space---that is, the space in which the interplay between the mind and information takes place. The motivation behind the creation of this framework is to facilitate the analysis and design of VCTs that can effectively support our EAs.