User involvement: A review of the benefits and challenges
TL;DR: This study clarifies the nature of user involvement and its expected benefits, and reviews three streams of research, to evaluate the benefits and problems of varied user involvement approaches in practice.
Abstract: User involvement is a widely accepted principle in development of usable systems. However, it is a vague concept covering many approaches. This study first clarifies the nature of user involvement and its expected benefits, and secondly reviews three streams of research, to evaluate the benefits and problems of varied user involvement approaches in practice. The particular focus of this study is on the early activities in the development process. An analysis of the literature suggests that user involvement has generally positive effects, especially on user satisfaction, and some evidence exists to suggest that taking users as a primary information source is an effective means of requirements capture. However, the role of users must be carefully considered and more cost-efficient practices are needed for gathering users' implicit needs and requirements in real product development contexts.
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IBM1
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors propose to add users and stir participants in participatory design, which is based on the idea of Just Add Users and Stir (Just-Add-Users and Stir).
Abstract: Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .166Just Add Users and Stir? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .166Major Bibliographic Sources for Participatory Design . . .167
918 citations
Journal Article•
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present an overview of benefits of co-design in service design projects, in order to help the people involved to articulate more precisely and realistically which benefits to aim for.
Abstract: In many service design projects, co-design is seen as critical to success and a range of benefits are attributed to co-design. In this paper, we present an overview of benefits of co-design in service design projects, in order to help the people involved to articulate more precisely and realistically which benefits to aim for. Based on a literature review and a discussion of three service design projects, we identified three types of benefits: for the service design project; for the service’s customers or users; and for the organization(s) involved. These benefits are related to improving the creative process, the service, project management, or longer-term effects. We propose that the people involved in co-design first identify the goals of the service design project and then align their co-design activities, and the associated benefits, to these goals. The paper closes with a brief discussion on the need for developing ways to monitor and evaluate whether the intended benefits are indeed realized, and the need to assess and take into account the costs and risks of co-design.
474 citations
Cites background from "User involvement: A review of the b..."
...We will pay special attention to involving users and customers in the design process and putting their experiences central (Alam, 2002; Edvardsson, Gustafsson, Kristensson, Magnusson, & Matthing, 2006; Kujala, 2003; Muller, 2002; Sanders, 2000)....
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...Kujala (2003) identified the following benefits of user involvement (based on cases of ICT systems design): higher quality of system requirements, higher system quality, a better fit between the system and users’ needs, and improved satisfaction of users or customers....
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TL;DR: The rhetorical-promotional dimension of the BIM implementation sometimes characterized as a "BIM utopia" is analyzed and an activity-theoretical and evolutionary view by drawing conceptual tools from science and technology studies and other relevant social scientific literature is outlined.
403 citations
Cites background from "User involvement: A review of the b..."
...In a review article on empirical studies on user involvement in the development of IT systems Kujala ([75], p....
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...In a review article on empirical studies on user involvement in the development of IT systems Kujala ([75], p. 11) found among others the following benefits of the involvement: more accurate user requirements, avoiding costly system features that that the user did not want or cannot use, improved levels of the acceptance of the systems and greater understanding of the system by users....
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TL;DR: An overview of user-centered design is provided and the development of Pocket Personal Assistant for Tracking Health (Pocket PATH) is used to illustrate how these principles and techniques were applied to involve patients in theDevelopment of this interactive health technology.
Abstract: Despite recommendations that patients be involved in the design and testing of health technologies, few reports describe how to involve patients in systematic and meaningful ways to ensure that applications are customized to meet their needs. User-centered design is an approach that involves end users throughout the development process so that technologies support tasks, are easy to operate, and are of value to users. In this article, we provide an overview of user-centered design and use the development of Pocket Personal Assistant for Tracking Health (Pocket PATH) to illustrate how these principles and techniques were applied to involve patients in the development of this interactive health technology. Involving patient-users in the design and testing ensured functionality and usability, therefore increasing the likelihood of promoting the intended health outcomes.
375 citations
TL;DR: The results have revealed that UI does contribute positively to system success, but it is a double edged sword and if not managed carefully it may cause more problems than benefits.
Abstract: Context For more than four decades it has been intuitively accepted that user involvement (UI) during system development lifecycle leads to system success. However when the researchers have evaluated the user involvement and system success (UI-SS) relationship empirically, the results were not always positive. Objective Our objective was to explore the UI-SS relationship by synthesizing the results of all the studies that have empirically investigated this complex phenomenon. Method We performed a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) following the steps provided in the guidelines of Evidence Based Software Engineering. From the resulting studies we extracted data to answer our 9 research questions related to the UI-SS relationship, identification of users, perspectives of UI, benefits, problems and challenges of UI, degree and level of UI, relevance of stages of software development lifecycle (SDLC) and the research method employed on the UI-SS relationship. Results Our systematic review resulted in selecting 87 empirical studies published during the period 1980–2012. Among 87 studies reviewed, 52 reported that UI positively contributes to system success, 12 suggested a negative contribution and 23 were uncertain. The UI-SS relationship is neither direct nor binary, and there are various confounding factors that play their role. The identification of users, their degree/level of involvement, stage of SDLC for UI, and choice of research method have been claimed to have impact on the UI-SS relationship. However, there is not sufficient empirical evidence available to support these claims. Conclusion Our results have revealed that UI does contribute positively to system success. But it is a double edged sword and if not managed carefully it may cause more problems than benefits. Based on the analysis of 87 studies, we were able to identify factors for effective management of UI alluding to the causes for inconsistency in the results of published literature.
230 citations
Cites background or methods from "User involvement: A review of the b..."
...It is widely believed that involving users during early phases of development like requirements elicitation contributes most to accurately capturing their needs [7, 9]....
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...User involvement in Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) facilitates understanding of their work environment and can improve the quality, accuracy and completeness of their requirements [1, 7, 9]....
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...Kujala [7], has pointed out that the user involvement in requirements gathering phase has a positive effect in bringing user satisfaction which leads to system success, and has provided the review of methods and approaches in practice for user involvement in early phases of development for their benefits and challenges....
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...Surveys are used to collect data from large sample to test a hypothesis but they are not considered appropriate for exploring relationships among complex phenomenon [7]....
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...They used user involvement synonymously with ‘focus on users’, ‘consulting with end users’, ‘contacting with system users’ and ‘participation of users’ [7]....
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References
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Book•
01 Jan 1993
TL;DR: This guide to the methods of usability engineering provides cost-effective methods that will help developers improve their user interfaces immediately and shows you how to avoid the four most frequently listed reasons for delay in software projects.
Abstract: From the Publisher:
Written by the author of the best-selling HyperText & HyperMedia, this book provides an excellent guide to the methods of usability engineering. Special features: emphasizes cost-effective methods that will help developers improve their user interfaces immediately, shows you how to avoid the four most frequently listed reasons for delay in software projects, provides step-by-step information about which methods to use at various stages during the development life cycle, and offers information on the unique issues relating to informational usability. You do not need to have previous knowledge of usability to implement the methods provided, yet all of the latest research is covered.
11,929 citations
Book•
01 Jan 1990TL;DR: The Emergence of Soft Systems Thinking as discussed by the authors is a seminal work in the field of soft systems thinking, and it can be found in the Soft Systems Methodology--the Parts.
Abstract: The Emergence of Soft Systems Thinking. Soft Systems Methodology--the Whole. Soft Systems Methodology--the Parts. Soft Systems Methodology--the Whole Revisited. Soft Systems Methodology--the Context. Conclusion. Appendix. Bibliography. Indexes.
3,531 citations
Book•
01 Jul 1997
TL;DR: This book introduces a customer-centered approach to business by showing how data gathered from people while they work can drive the definition of a product or process while supporting the needs of teams and their organizations.
Abstract: This book introduces a customer-centered approach to business by showing how data gathered from people while they work can drive the definition of a product or process while supporting the needs of teams and their organizations. This is a practical, hands-on guide for anyone trying to design systems that reflect the way customers want to do their work. The authors developed Contextual Design, the method discussed here, through their work with teams struggling to design products and internal systems. In this book, you'll find the underlying principles of the method and how to apply them to different problems, constraints, and organizational situations.
Contextual Design enables you to
+ gather detailed data about how people work and use systems
+ develop a coherent picture of a whole customer population
+ generate systems designs from a knowledge of customer work
+ diagram a set of existing systems, showing their relationships, inconsistencies, redundancies, and omissions
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 Introduction
Chapter 2 Gathering Customer Data
Chapter 3 Principles of Contextual Inquiry
Chapter 4 Contextual Inquiry in Practice
Chapter 5 A Language of Work
Chapter 6 Work Models
Chapter 7 The Interpretation Session
Chapter 8 Consolidation
Chapter 9 Creating One View of the Customer
Chapter 10 Communicating to the Organization
Chapter 11 Work Redesign
Chapter 12 Using Data to Drive Design
Chapter 13 Design from Data
Chapter 14 System Design
Chapter 15 The User Environment Design
Chapter 16 Project Planning and Strategy
Chapter 17 Prototyping as a Design Tool
Chapter 18 From Structure to User Interface
Chapter 19 Iterating with a Prototype
Chapter 20 Putting It into Practice
2,945 citations
01 Jan 1993
TL;DR: In this article, the authors focus on the question of who does what to whom: whose interests are at stake, who initiates action and for what reason, who defines the problem and who decides that there is one.
Abstract: The voices in this collection are primarily those of researchers and developers concerned with bringing knowledge of technological possibilities to bear on informed and effective system design. Their efforts are distinguished from many previous writings on system development by their central and abiding reliance on direct and continuous interaction with those who are the ultimate arbiters of system adequacy; namely, those who will use the technology in their everyday lives and work. A key issue throughout is the question of who does what to whom: whose interests are at stake, who initiates action and for what reason, who defines the problem and who decides that there is one. The papers presented follow in the footsteps of a small but growing international community of scholars and practitioners of participatory systems design. Many of the original European perspectives are represented here as well as some new and distinctively American approaches. The collection is characterized by a rich and diverse set of perspectives and experiences that, despite their differences, share a distinctive spirit and direction -- a more humane, creative, and effective relationship between those involved in technology's design and use, and between technology and the human activities that motivate the technology.
2,086 citations
Book•
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03 Jun 1994
TL;DR: This chapter discusses heuristic evaluation, which Inspection of a prototype or finished system to identify all changes necessary to optimize human performance and preference.
Abstract: • Heuristic Evaluation – Nielsen & Molich (1990) CHI Proceedings – Based upon empirical article Molich & Nielsen (1990) (in readings) – Inspection of a prototype or finished system to identify all changes necessary to optimize human performance and preference – Evaluators use a set of guidelines or general principle • hence term: “heuristics” • Distinctions not always made clear in studies and criticisms of heuristic evaluation: – Use of heuristics (guidelines) or not – Experience level of reviewers • experts vs. non-experts using just heuristics) – Review by lone individual or joint review by group • Research shows it makes a difference – Use of prescribed tasks versus self-guided evaluation
1,772 citations