Furthering Distributed Participative Design

Participatory design (PD) and its derivative distributed participatory design (DPD) are examples of collaborative research methods that have been successfully applied to information systems problems. Yet, there are other collaborative research methods such as action research and design science that have also been used in the same context. This paper argues that this trifurcation in collaborative methods is unhelpful and that the ‘walled gardens’ in which these methods exist inhibit learning and the methods’ development. As PD moves to tackle the problems that arise in distributed projects, it becomes more necessary to look outside its own domain for solutions. This paper investigates whether collaborative research projects that are categorized under one method also match the characteristics of the other methods. It finds that research projects using different methods demonstrate remarkable similarities concerning research contributions, roots, and methodological guidelines, but use different terminologies, and also maintain method-specific publication outlets and communities. Thus, insight into some of the issues raised by participatory design in distributed contexts may arise if PD looks outside its walled garden

Wizards of Oz in the Evolving Map of Design Research – Trying to Frame GUI Interaction Interviews

We present and discuss GUI-ii, Graphical User Interface interaction interview, a method used to remotely discuss, develop and test GUI prototypes with users and stakeholders. Examples of such sessions are presented to demonstrate that the main benefits of GUI-ii are that this way of co-designing allows for interaction-informed discussions around functions and user interfaces, where re-design and hands-on experience can be integrated and efficiently carried out remotely. Using a facilitation tool to enact GUI layout and responses allows participation and evaluation to take turns in participatory design processes in a productive way. We discuss this form of Participatory Design along the dimensions found in Sanders’ Map of Design Research. The discussion concludes that GUI-ii facilitates participation by relaxing demands for physical presence and by allowing people to participate from their own work environment while still making it easy for them to directly influence contents, structure and interaction

Focussing on Humanistic Outcomes on the Sociotechnical Axis of Cohesion of the IS Discipline: User Participation in Distributed Participatory Design

Following a recent plea to recommit to the sociotechnical perspective as a foundation of the IS discipline by connecting instrumental and humanistic outcomes, we present a study of user participation in distributed participatory design, which was initiated by UNICEF and executed largely by youth to develop a digital game to raise attention about climate change. We apply an integrative framework for user participation, which consists of well-established concepts and show that it can be fruitfully used in a new context. We found genuine user participation carried out by the adolescents. The user participation had a focus on individual users and the form of direct and indirect participation, where the juvenile participants took informative and consultative roles. The project resulted both in functional and democratic empowerment, and as such represents an instance of information systems development and research, which emphasises a humanistic orientation and outcome while not neglecting any instrumental outcomes

The Contribution of Top IS Publications to Subsequent Research: A Citation Analysis

Information Systems (IS) research is undertaken to advance the body of knowledge on IS-related phenomena at the individual, group, and organizational levels of analysis. The goals of conducting IS research range from individual learning—e.g., the intellectual development of individual scholars over community learning; e.g., the enhancement of research in the broader IS academic community to the improvement of practice in organizations. Whereas IS research has been criticized for having limited practical relevance, many scholars have assumed that IS research is succeeding in having a major impact on the IS academic community itself. This article challenges the assumption. Using citations as a proxy for contributions to subsequent research—or research importance—this study presents average citation figures for 1,992 papers published in six peer-reviewed IS journals between 1996 and 2010. It finds that citation figures are strongly skewed, with a vast majority of works published in top IS outlets being cited rather rarely. The article offers a discussion of the factors that may account for this finding and closes with a brief summary and outlook

Design ethnography in information systems

Until recently, most ethnographic research in information systems has been based on the traditional anthropological model of ethnography. In this traditional model of ethnography, one of the most important data-gathering techniques is participant observation. The ethnographer observes and participates but does not actively seek to change the situation. In recent years, however, a new type of ethnographic research has emerged - one that can be called design ethnography. Design ethnography is where the researcher goes beyond observation and actively engages with people in the field. Our view is that design ethnography has much potential for research in information systems. It is a new form of engaged scholarship that bridges the gap between ethnographic research and design science research

Participatory Design for User-generated Content: Understanding the challenges and moving forward

Research on participatory design (PD) dates back to the 1970s, and has focused historically on internal organization settings. Recently, the proliferation of content-producing technologies such as social media and crowdsourcing has led to the explosion of user-generated content (UGC) that originates outside of organizations. Participative challenges in UGC differ from those in traditional organizational, as well as other distributed multi-user, settings; e.g.; open source software, multi-party systems. UGC is an interesting emerging domain and exploring PD in this context may contribute to knowledge and practices in PD itself. In this paper, we analyze the challenges and opportunities associated with PD in organization-directed UGC development, illustrate these with two UGC projects, and propose fruitful directions for future research

Participatory Design Going Digital: Challenges and Opportunities for Distributed Place-Making

COVID-19 has urged researchers to explore new options for distributed participatory design, as physical meetings and workshops became unfeasible. This situation posed new challenges but also opportunities, in particular with respect to engagement and inclusion. This paper focuses on distributed PD with Irish teenagers to support place-making during this period: to build relationships with each other and the community. In a two-week online summer school, teenagers explored a concern or highlighted a unique aspect of their local community and designed digital artworks in response. Activities and materials were designed to support reflection, empowerment, inclusiveness, emergence, and playfulness for participatory place-making. Analysis of the summer school provides insights and guidance on the design of online PD for engaging experiences, especially in the context of place-making

The Impact of User Involvement on Information System Projects

Information systems (IS) development has been studied from many perspectives. Information systems are being viewed as a service as the economy shifts from being industrial-based to service-based. This shift is motivating the business user to become more involved with the development of the system. The once clear roles of user-as-specifier and IT professional-as-developer are blurring. This research addresses three objectives. First, we survey the actual business users themselves for their perception of activities and satisfaction with the completed system. Second, we analyze the separation of business requirements into two constructs representing the functional and presentation dimensions of these requirements to advance our understanding of user involvement on information system projects. Third, we explore the combinations of user characteristics and their activities that can improve IS project performance. A new comprehensive model is proposed to represent the business user as an active participant in system development. A survey instrument is developed from a widespread literature review of IS project performance, user involvement and project management. The instrument was tested to ensure its ease of completion and its comprehensibility. The revised instrument was sent to 3,419 U.S. business users in multiple industries from which 205 valid surveys were received. Structural Equation Modeling was used to validate the measurements and analyze the hypotheses and the overall model. The results confirm some previous findings and document new discoveries regarding the users, their activities and the impact on user satisfactio

The Impact of User Involvement on Information System Projects

Information systems (IS) development has been studied from many perspectives. Information systems are being viewed as a service as the economy shifts from being industrial-based to service-based. This shift is motivating the business user to become more involved with the development of the system. The once clear roles of user-as-specifier and IT professional-as-developer are blurring. This research addresses three objectives. First, we survey the actual business users themselves for their perception of activities and satisfaction with the completed system. Second, we analyze the separation of business requirements into two constructs representing the functional and presentation dimensions of these requirements to advance our understanding of user involvement on information system projects. Third, we explore the combinations of user characteristics and their activities that can improve IS project performance. A new comprehensive model is proposed to represent the business user as an active participant in system development. A survey instrument is developed from a widespread literature review of IS project performance, user involvement and project management. The instrument was tested to ensure its ease of completion and its comprehensibility. The revised instrument was sent to 3,419 U.S. business users in multiple industries from which 205 valid surveys were received. Structural Equation Modeling was used to validate the measurements and analyze the hypotheses and the overall model. The results confirm some previous findings and document new discoveries regarding the users, their activities and the impact on user satisfactio