Lucy Suchman’s work fundamentally shifted how we think about technology and human interaction. Before her research, many believed that well-designed systems could anticipate user needs and structure interactions accordingly. However, Suchman challenged this assumption in her book Plans and Situated Actions, where she argued that human actions are not just guided by pre-made plans but are shaped dynamically by the situation in which they occur.
One of her key contributions was showing that people do not interact with machines in a purely rational, step-by-step way. From my perspective, this was a huge turning point in HCI because it emphasized that technology needs to be adaptable and responsive to real-world human behaviors rather than forcing users to conform to rigid workflows.
Suchman’s research had a direct impact on interface design and user experience. Before, designers focused on structured usability testing and predefined user flows. But after her work, there was a stronger emphasis on observing how users actually behave in real scenarios. I think this shift is why modern UX research includes field studies, ethnographic research, and participatory design—methods that acknowledge the unpredictable ways people engage with technology.
Her influence is still visible today. From AI-driven chatbots that adapt based on conversation flow to voice assistants that improve through user feedback, the idea that human-computer interaction should be flexible and responsive traces back to Suchman’s insights. I feel like her work made it clear that technology isn’t just about efficiency—it’s about understanding the complexity of human behavior and designing for it.