On the Preconditions for Intervention in Systems Design

I am currently participating in a project at the University of Oslo aimed at introducing an extension of the publication registration system, which supports research ethics. The current system allows researchers to register their publications, and administrators to count them. The number of publications is the basis for a part of the funding to the University and internally in the University. A couple of scandals concerned with fake data and fake co-authorship have triggered a wish to bring the ethical awareness more to the foreground. Together with a colleague from Dept. of Sociology I have been asked to evaluate the system: he investigates the attitudes towards research ethics and how they change, I evaluate the system as a work tool. Our reports will be the basis for decisions about the system by the University management

User Participation and Democracy: A Discussion of Scandinavian Research on System Development

Scandinavian research projects in system development have traditionally put a strong emphasis on user participation as a strategy for increasing working life democracy. The article analyses a few of these projects with respect to this goal. We argue that there has been a development from politics to ethics in system development research, and that the political dimension should be reintroduced. A reorientation of system development strategies aiming at increasing working life democracy can learn from the historical success stories, in particular the combination of global strategy and local action used in the trade union projects in the 60’s. Recent development in technology and working life will, however, introduce new challenges to system development

Conditions for Autonomy in the Information Society: Disentangling as a public service

An ambition for a democratic information society is providing services that maintain and even enhance citizens’ mastery and control of their life situation. Analyzing public services from a citizen autonomy perspective can indicate where the service and its IT-systems do not support user autonomy. We analyze a public service and discuss it as a sociomaterial entanglement. Based on our data on citizens’ use of a public service we identify a need to distinguish between entanglements and imbrications and suggest the notion of disentangling in order to characterize the way in which the public service advisors help the citizens. From at a design perspective we look for openings for change and improvement. Different types of entanglements need different types of competencies to address them. We make a distinction between entanglement and imbrication to open up a space for change. Finally, we discuss how the notion of disentangling tax issues can support citizen autonomy

Designing for Prolonged Mastery. On involving old people in Participatory Design

In this paper, we report on a participatory design (PD) process with old users. We discuss how we organized and carried out the process so that our users could participate in the mutual learning and co-construction activities on their own terms. When organizing the process we had to take into account the limited capacity for design participation of our users but also build on the capacities they have. The paper describes our PD approach and what we did to facilitate participation from our old users, emphasizing recruiting, timing, continuity, representativity, and immediacy. The paper also discusses which design decisions the users participated in and how they influenced the design result. We analyse how they brought in design possibilities (choices), selected, concretized and evaluated them, and also how the final design result bears traces of their participation

EVOLUTION OF FINISHED COMPUTER SYSTEMS: The Dilemma of Enhancement

The notion of computer systems as finished products that operate in a stable environment leads to viewing system enhancement as an error correcting activity. However computer systems change due to new requirements stemming from organisational changes and the users\u27 experience with the system. Because of this, it is more fruitful to view system enhancement as an evolving activity. This is a better basis for balancing the technical and functional quality of a computer system during its working life. On this basis we suggest that system enhancement should be planned, and that techniques known from system development should be applied also during enhancement. Both development and enhancement aim at adjusting computer systems to changes in usage. By means of a case study we show how our proposals for changes in the organisation of enhancement tasks in the computer department may be realized

In Memory of Kristen Nygaard

Obituary of Kristen Nygaard. Summarizes career and achievements of Nygaard, with an emphasis on his contruibutions to the fields of information systems development, participatory design, action research and computers and democracy

EquiP: A Method to Co-Design for Cooperation

In Participatory Design (PD), the design of a cooperative digital solution should involve all stakeholders in the co-design. When one stakeholder’s position is weaker due to socio-cultural structures or differences in knowledge or abilities, PD methods should help designers balance the power in the design process at both the macro and micro levels. We present a PD method that addresses the power relations arising during the design process and draws on theories about participation and power in the design and organisation of change processes. We contribute to Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) by using the PD method to design computer support for cooperation on cognitive rehabilitation between people with Mild Acquired Brain Injuries (MACI) and their healthcare professionals, where strengthening the cooperation is considered an element of patient empowerment. This method is presented as a contribution to the intersection between PD and CSCW. The discussion of power in PD contributes to the discussion of cooperation in CSCW. We found that EquiP supported the creation of choices, and hence the ‘power to’ influence the design. This method can contribute to a power ‘equilibrium’ and a positive-sum power relation in PD sessions involving all stakeholders.publishedVersio

The Child-to-Child (C2C) Method: Participatory Design for, with and by Children in a Children's Museum

In this paper, we present the Child-to-Child method (C2C) for co-designing with children for children. The method is illustrated using a design case, where an interactive space for young children in Children’s Museum was designed. A three dimensional interactive books are envisioned and explored with children, and consequently embedded into the “Book Nook” exhibit. This interactive environment, intended for young children aged 3-5, was developed and prototyped by an intergenerational design team. The paper reflects upon challenges and opportunities provided by working with C2C method and presents results of preliminary investigation of an interactive space design that employs a novel concept of a 3D book. Further, we argue that C2C method is indeed a participatory design method for, with and by children. Reprint of a paper published in: IADIS International Journal on WWW/Internet Vol. 11, No. 2, pp. 92-113. Made available here with permission from IADIS. http://www.iadis.org

How Can I Help You? A chatbot’s answers to citizens’ information needs

AI-based chatbots are becoming an increasingly common part of the front-line of public services. Through natural language, users can write simple queries to a chatbot which answers with appropriate information. We have investigated how a public chatbot operates in actual practice and how it answers the citizens’ questions about the rules and regulations for welfare benefits. We use the concept of citizens’ information needs to determine the quality of the chatbot’s answers. Information needs are often not formulated from the start as answerable questions. We analyse logs from chat sessions between the chatbot and the citizens, and focus on problems that arise, e.g., that the chatbot gives irrelevant answers or omits important information. The paper shows how the inner workings of the chatbot shapes the answerable questions. We conclude that responsible use of AI (such as chatbots) is a matter of design of the overall service and includes acknowledging that the AI itself can never be responsible