CSCW and Enterprise 2.0 - Towards an Integrated Perspective

In CSCW we are researching support for collaboration in work groups for several decades now. Web 2.0 and Social Software entered this field from another starting point recently, and quickly expanding towards support for collaboration in enterprises (Enterprise 2.0). However, the interaction between both fields is minimal. In this paper I am trying to contribute to bridging the gap by identifying the core contributions of the two fields, and how they can be integrated or used to the benefit of both fields

Participatory design as an approach for work-integrated learning of digital competences: putting theory into practice

Technology is radically changing the healthcare sector. Introduction of technology demands new ways of providing healthcare services and the professionals will need new knowledge and competence to be able to do their job and to contribute to the continuous development of the sector. There is limited focus on digital competence and change-processes in the educations related to healthcare as well as in the workplaces. Applying work-integrated learning makes it possible for healthcare professionals to learn and develop their competence through practical work with examples from their own workplaces and empower them to maneuver the digitalization of the workplaces. Similar participatory design started as a movement to empower industrial workers to have a stronger voice during the introduction of new technologies at their workplace. As such participatory design is a design approach which promotes involvement of all stakeholders in the design of technologies that affects them. It provides a set of tools and techniques to enable active involvement in the design process. We use these tools and techniques to teach healthcare professionals digital competences needed in their workplaces, and we discuss opportunities of participatory design for work-integrated learning. Based on a set of three participatory design workshops, we present an approach that can empower healthcare professionals to maneuver the digital change at their workplace. We recommend continued investment in the development of work-integrated learning practices with a participatory mindset.publishedVersio

SCOPE FOR USABILITY TESTS IN IS DEVELOPMENT

Despite being a common, established concept in wide usage, usability tests can vary greatly in goals, techniques and results. A usability test purchased and performed for a specific software product, may result in either minor user interface improvements or radical U-turns in the development. Such variation has been discussed as a problem of the scientific reliability and validity of the testing method. In practice it is more important what ‘kind of data’ one can expect of the selected method than whether it is reliably always the same data. This expectation of information content or ‘scope’ is of importance for evaluators, who select and conduct usability tests for a specific purpose. However, the scope is not explicitly stated or even discussed: Too often the premise is that, because a usability test involves users, it brings the (necessary) user-centeredness to the design i.e. takes socio-technical fundamentals as inherently given. Through a literature review of testing practices and analytical considerations, we search for the scope of a usability test, which could deliberately approach the socio-technical tradition and equally develop both the system and the user organization. A case example represents a possible realization of the extended scope of usability test

The role of user requirements research in medical device development

Aims and Objectives: This research aims to suggest a concise framework to help in the better conceptualisation and integration of users in the medical device development (MDD) process. The current economic, political and social climate concerning the matter of healthcare delivery has resulted in the emergence of numerous users and user groups for whom the healthcare system has not previously catered for. These users have created ambiguity for the designers and manufacturers of medical devices as the boundaries between their needs and requirements have blurred, outdating current methods of MDD to meet consumer needs. Research Design and Methodology: The research methodology begins primarily with conducting a literature search on the theories relating to user requirements and medical device development. The paper outlines these findings through initially describing users and user involvement and relating them to medical devices. The cross-disciplinary nature of healthcare influenced the investigation into multiple disciplines including; IT, Ergonomics – particularly participatory research, Psychology and Design. These disciplines expose various methods and processes, which are useful to user requirements research. These methods were analysed for their compatibility, and then used to construct a conceptual framework for user involvement in MDD. Results: The research insinuates the true significance of user involvement and hence resulted in the formation of a conceptual framework to aid user involvement in the MDD process. The framework is produced by the amalgamation of relevant methods examined across the disciplines, in a complimentary fashion. Conclusion: The originality of this research lies in its use of a multidisciplinary approach. Previous research claiming multi-methods has dealt with combining two disciplines or methods at a time i.e. Computer supported cooperative work (CSCW) with participatory research (Scandurra et al, 2008) for the needs analysis of healthcare professionals only. Collaboration across disciplines has also been investigated (Johnson et al, 2005), but this was for the purpose of redesign rather than initial designs. This framework can help medical device designers to fully access all user requirements through more extensive collaboration right at the start. It reduces the risk of high costs involved in device rejection, usually associated with belated recognition of user needs in the design cycle

S+S. Spatial Design + Service Design.

The book explores the implications for the design discipline, particularly in participatory design research and practices, in identifying dialogues on the relationship between Spatial Design and Service Design through a theoretical analysis of specific areas of the design research. This is the first step towards an approach defined as S+S - Service Design + Spatial Design: the book is a foundational act in this direction. The topic has been studied from a design research perspective to expand and contribute to a new gateway into Service Design, that of Spatial Design. Beyond its political and social dimension, how does design act in its phenomenological dimension through tangible and intangible artefacts capable of intercepting, orienting, modifying, and determining the behaviour and relationships of individuals and communities? How does design – that (co)designs artefacts and visions that operate as services influencing these behaviours – interact with spaces? This research explores the relationship between spaces and services in their action in the social and political dimensions

Collective awareness platforms and digital social innovation mediating consensus seeking in problem situations

In this paper we show the results of our studies carried out in the framework of the European Project SciCafe2.0 in the area of Participatory Engagement models. We present a methodological approach built on participative engagements models and holistic framework for problem situation clarification and solution impacts assessment. Several online platforms for social engagement have been analysed to extract the main patterns of participative engagement. We present our own experiments through the SciCafe2.0 Platform and our insights from requirements elicitation

Playing YouTube: How the Nancy YouTuber doll and app position children as aspiring YouTube influencers.

This article analyzes Nancy YouTuber, a popular doll and companion app that is part of a growing trend of children's toys modeled on YouTube influencers. Nancy YouTuber's app is one of the first to provide a fictitious YouTube channel, introducing children to YouTube's affordances. We investigate how the doll and app socialize YouTuber practices, and to what extent the combination of both deepens the commodification of childhood. We use the walkthrough method to analyze the app, and a semiotic approach to study the doll, its accessories and surrounding materials to map the manufacturer's intended use through these discourses. Our research uncovers how children are encouraged to recreate product reviews and internalize commercial digital identity performances. We use Spain, where the doll originates, to contextualize these findings. The article considers how influencer-aspirant toys position children as promotional intermediaries and normalize children's YouTuber aspirations