Deconstructing Silos

IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 2004

It has been suggested that user-centered design approaches may be the key to matching the development of organizational information systems to a firm's business and work requirements. The information systems literature on this topic centers upon methods to support user-centered system development: such approaches assume that the participation of relevant stakeholders will ensure an appropriate design outcome. The reality of this assumption is examined through an interpretive case study. The project team and system development approach were structured around the use of user-centered design methods, yet the initiative failed because of the poor integration of users' interests. It is concluded that the failure mechanisms observed may be general to most information systems projects: issues more fundamental than the employment of a particular methodology need to be addressed, to achieve user-centered organizational information systems.

Human Computer Interaction Interact 01, 2001

Human-centred design has recently received growing awareness within several organisations. However, the successful deployment of a human-centred design approach is very complicated. It requires a shift of focus in the entire development process, by all participants in the process, away from a general focus on technology to a focus on usability. A very important tool for communicating the shift of general attitudes in a developing organisation is the system development model. This paper describes a general modelling approach especially useful for organisations to analyse their current development process and converting to a user-centred process. The procedures for reengineering system development work is particularly useful as it helps organisation to specify their user-centred design model at the same time as it teaches their developers user-centred design. This approach has been successfully applied at the Swedish National Tax Board, and the result of this case is described herein.

2002

Human-centred design has recently received growing awareness within several organisations. However, the successful deployment of a human-centred design approach is very complicated. It requires a shift of focus in the entire development process, by all participants in the process, away from a general focus on technology to a focus on usability. A very important tool for communicating the shift of general attitudes in a developing organisation is the system development model. This paper describes a general modelling approach especially useful for organisations to analyse their current development process and converting to a user-centred process. The procedures for reengineering system development work is particularly useful as it helps organisation to specify their user-centred design model at the same time as it teaches their developers user-centred design. This approach has been successfully applied at the Swedish National Tax Board, and the result of this case is described herein.

Despite continuing debates about the "user" emphasis in HCI, new design approaches, such as interaction design, continue to focus on humans as technology users, constraining the human-centeredness of design outcomes. This paper argues that the difference between "user" focus and a human-centered focus lies in the way in which technology is designed. The emphasis on problem closure that is embedded in current approaches to designing information systems (IS) precludes an examination of those issues central to human-centered design. The paper reviews recent approaches to user-centered IS design and concludes that these methods are targeted at the closure of technology-centered problems, rather than the investigation of suitable changes to a system of human activity supported by technology. A dual-cycle model of human-centered design is presented, that balances systemic inquiry methods with human-centered implementation methods. The paper concludes with a suggestion that IS design should be viewed as a dialectic between organizational problem inquiry and the implementation of business process change and technical solutions.

Proceedings of the 38th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences

Numerous methods, methodologies, approaches, techniques and tools have been developed over the years to ensure successful accomplishment of information system development (ISD) projects in terms of user satisfaction. However, different methodologies and approaches perceive the user differently; sometimes the user is seen as an anonymous 'object' that is going to use the system, or as an evaluator confirming the correctness of the design, or even as a critical contributor along the way to user-friendly information system. Each of these approaches has their own benefits from the ISD point of view but they lack a holistic view of the user. In this paper, we will review the trajectories of ISD approaches and elucidate the nuances of human-centredness in ISD. We aim at offering a holistic picture that illustrates an overview of different understandings of the user in ISD, so that, first, the systems designers' awareness about the user in general is increased, and second, future research directions are portrayed to the researchers.

Procedia Manufacturing, 2015

This paper discusses the User-Centred Design approach. It presents UCD assumptions and concepts, the benefits for users of the products developed under it, and the complications that this practice can bring, since implies in constant iterations and user omnipresence. As a result, we discuss a possible increment of time and budget as well as reviews on this approach front to the market urgency of technology and innovation. It can be seen that although each situation deserves appropriate adjustments for the profile, the best design is still the user-centred. Examples of this approach application with children enhance the discussion over its flexibility and the gains of design projects oriented by user needs and desires.

At Philips Electronics N.V. a programme known as Humanware Process Improvement (HPI) has been set up to bring about a stronger user focus in product creation processes around the company. An HPI model of an "ideal" User Centred Design process has been developed and assessments are being carried out in development centres around the world. The purpose of this paper is to outline the HPI programme, to introduce the model and to report some of the lessons from the implementation of the assessment programme.

2001

Human-centred design has recently received growing awareness within several organisations. However, the successful deployment of a human-centred design approach is very complicated. It requires a shift of focus in the entire development process, by all participants in the process, away from a general focus on technology to a focus on usability. A very important tool for communicating the shift of general attitudes in a developing organisation is the system development model. This paper describes a general modelling approach especially useful for organisations to analyse their current development process and converting to a user-centred process. The procedures for reengineering system development work is particularly useful as it helps organisation to specify their user-centred design model at the same time as it teaches their developers user-centred design. This approach has been successfully applied at the Swedish National Tax Board, and the result of this case is described herein.

Proceedings of the Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, 2006

This paper critically examines user-centeredness as a multidimensional concept along four aspects: as user focus; as work-centeredness; as user participation; and as system personalization. Each aspect loads user-centeredness with different meanings. It is discussed whether user centered design can be considered an information systems development approach on its own. In its current form, we do not see it as a separate approach, because it is neither horizontally nor vertically complete, and because of the overall confusion regarding its goals, principles and practices. The four dimensions identified can be used for evaluating information systems development methods and approaches to what extent they adhere to the ideals of user-centeredness.