Cyber-infrastructure systems are integrated large-scale IT systems designed with the goal of transforming scientific practice by enabling multi-disciplinary, cross-institutional collaboration. Their large scale and socio-technical complexity make design decisions for their underlying architecture practically irreversible. Drawing on three alternative theories of IT adoption (path dependence, project management, technology framing) and on a qualitative study of archival and interview data I examine how design and development influence the adoption trajectory of four competing cyber-infrastructure systems comprising the Global Environment for Network Innovations (www.geni.net) over a period of ten years (2001-2011). udFindings indicate that a) early design decisions, particularly those related to similar pre-existing systems set a path of adoption in motion leading to the early dominance of one system, b) coordination of milestones led to increased adoption for the high-performing teams, and c) the framing of technology presentations and demos as a social influence strategy was less effective in “breaking” the dominant system’s adoption path in the long term but enabled most of the development teams to challenge that dominance and increase the adoption of their systems in the short term. While studies in path dependence and dominant design assume that adoption and dominance occurs through users’ actions after development is completed, this study’s findings show that developers and managers of competing systems can also influence adoption and even “break” the dominant system’s adoption path while it’s still under development. Understanding how cyber-infrastructure systems are developed is key to promoting their adoption and use. This research has import for understanding the ramifications of early-stage design decisions, as well as the impact of project coordination and technology presentation strategies such as framing for the adoption of such systems.ud
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机译：网络基础设施系统是集成的大规模IT系统，旨在通过实现跨学科，跨机构的协作来转变科学实践。它们的规模和社会技术复杂性使得其基础架构的设计决策实际上是不可逆的。利用IT采纳的三种替代理论（路径依赖，项目管理，技术框架），以及对档案和访谈数据的定性研究，我研究了设计和开发如何影响包括全球环境在内的四个竞争性网络基础设施系统的采用轨迹。十年（2001-2011年）的网络创新（www.geni.net）。 ud调查结果表明，a）早期的设计决策，特别是那些与类似的现有系统相关的决策，决定了采用的运动路径，导致一个系统在早期占主导地位； b）里程碑的协调导致了高性能团队的采用率提高c）将技术演示文稿和演示文稿作为一种社会影响力战略，从长远来看“打破”主导系统的采用路径不太有效，但使大多数开发团队能够挑战这一主导地位并提高其系统的采用率在短期内。尽管路径依赖和主导设计的研究假设采用和控制权是在开发完成后通过用户的行为发生的，但这项研究的结果表明，竞争系统的开发人员和管理者也可以影响采用，甚至在主导系统采用时“打破”主导系统的采用路径。仍在开发中。了解如何开发网络基础设施系统是促进其采用和使用的关键。这项研究对于理解早期设计决策的后果以及项目协调和技术展示策略（例如采用这种系统的框架）的影响具有重要意义。 ud
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