BIM mediation and users’ behavior

Abstract

Purpose With building information modeling’s increasing influence, it becomes important to analyze building information model (BIM)’s impact on users’ behavior. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to explore BIM’s influence on users’ behavior, using the innovative philosophy of technical mediation. This philosophy implies that perceptions and actions are always, to some degree, constituted and transformed by technologies. The question in this study is how the perceptions and actions of users are mediated by BIM. Design/methodology/approach A framework developed by Dorrestijn to assess the impacts of technology is used to explore the different types of impact that BIM has on the perceptions and actions of its users. Through a literature review, this framework is used to categorize the mediating effects of BIM. Following this, expert interviews, a workshop and user interviews explore these effects in practice. Findings Based on Dorrestijn’s framework, it is concluded that guidance and persuasion are important mediating effects of BIM. BIM also impacts the human decision-process through coercive pressures to implement BIM and to embody BIM through acquiring skills. Originality/value With the increasing influence of BIM, analyzing its impact on users’ behavior becomes increasingly relevant. This is the first study to use the technical mediation approach to analyze this impact. In this approach, humans and technologies are seen as interacting with and co-shaping each other.