4 research outputs found
Proxy Design: A Method for Involving Proxy Users to Speak on Behalf of Vulnerable or Unreachable Users in Co-Design
Designing digital artifacts is not a linear, straightforward process. This is
particularly true when applying a user-centered design approach, or co-design,
with users who are unable to participate in the design process. Although the
reduced participation of a particular user group may harm the end result, the
literature on solving this issue is sparse. In this article, proxy design is
outlined as a method for involving a user group as proxy users to speak on
behalf of a group that is difficult to reach. We present a design ethnography
spanning three years at a cancer rehabilitation clinic, where digital artifacts
were designed to be used collaboratively by nurses and patients. The empirical
data were analyzed using content analysis and consisted of 20 observation days
at the clinic, six proxy design workshops, 21 telephone consultations between
patients and nurses, and log data from the digital artifact. We show that
simulated consultations, with nurses roleplaying as proxies for patients
ignited and initiated the design process and enabled an efficient in-depth
understanding of patients. Moreover, we reveal how proxy design as a method
further expanded the design. We illustrate: (1) proxy design as a method for
initiating design, (2) proxy design as an embedded element in co-design and (3)
six design guidelines that should be considered when engaging in proxy design.
The main contribution is the conceptualization of proxy design as a method that
can ignite and initiate the co-design process when important users are
unreachable, vulnerable or unable to represent themselves in the co-design
process. Based on the empirical findings from a design ethnography that
involved nurses as proxy users speaking on behalf of patients, the article
shows that roleplaying in proxy design is a fitting way of initiating the
design process, outlining proxy design as an embedded element of co-design
Exploring design trade-offs for achieving social inclusion in multi-tiered design problems
The digital age of the future is 'not out there to be discovered', but it needs to be ?designed?. The design challenge has to address questions about how we want to live, work, and learn (as individuals and as communities) and what we value and appreciate, e.g.: reflecting on quality of life and creating inclusive societies. An overriding design trade-off for the digital age is whether new developments will increase the digital divide or will create more inclusive societies. Sustaining inclusive societies means allowing people of all ages and all abilities to exploit information technologies for personally meaningful activities. Meta-design fosters the design of socio-technical environments that end-user developers can modify and evolve at use time to improve their quality of life and favour their inclusion in the society. This paper describes three case studies in the domain of assistive technologies in which end users themselves cannot act as end-user developers, but someone else (e.g.: a caregiver or a clinician) must accept this role requiring multi-tiered architectures. The design trade-offs and requirements for meta-design identified in the context of the case studies and other researchers? projects are described to inform the development of future socio-technical environments focused on social inclusion
Exploring design trade-offs for achieving social inclusion in multi-tiered design problems
The digital age of the future is ‘not out there to be discovered’, but it needs to be ‘designed’. The design challenge has to address questions about how we want to live, work, and learn (as individuals and as communities) and what we value and appreciate, e.g.: reflecting on quality of life and creating inclusive societies. An overriding design trade-off for the digital age is whether new developments will increase the digital divide or will create more inclusive societies. Sustaining inclusive societies means allowing people of all ages and all abilities to exploit information technologies for personally meaningful activities. Meta-design fosters the design of socio-technical environments that end-user developers can modify and evolve at use time to improve their quality of life and favour their inclusion in the society. This paper describes three case studies in the domain of assistive technologies in which end users themselves cannot act as end-user developers, but someone else (e.g.: a caregiver or a clinician) must accept this role requiring multi-tiered architectures. The design trade-offs and requirements for meta-design identified in the context of the case studies and other researchers’ projects are described to inform the development of future socio-technical environments focused on social inclusion