Articulating User Needs in Collaborative Design: Towards an Activity-Theoretical Approach

dc.contributor.authorMiettinen, Reijo
dc.contributor.authorHasu, Mervi
dc.date.accessioned2020-06-06T09:06:37Z
dc.date.available2020-06-06T09:06:37Z
dc.date.issued37316
dc.description.abstractThis paper analyses the collaborative design ofa high-technology product, a neuromagnetometerused in the analysis of the activity of thehuman cortex. The producer, Neuromag Company istrying to transform the device from a basicresearch instrument into a means of clinicalpractice. This transition is analyzed as asimultaneous evolution of the product,producer-user network and user activities. Thenetwork is analyzed as a network of activitysystems. Each activity has a historicallyformed object and a motive of its own, as wellas a system of cultural means and expertise. Weuse these to explain and understand theinterests and points of view of the actors inrelation to the product and the contradictionsof the producer-user network. It is suggestedthat the emerging user needs of collectiveactors must be analyzed at three levels. At thefirst level, the use value of the product, itscapacity of solving the vital problems andchallenges of developing user activities, ischaracterized. The second-level analysisconcerns the creation and development of thenecessary complementary tools and services thatmake the implementation and use of the productpossible. This task presupposes collaborationbetween several communities of the innovationnetwork. The third level is the situatedpractical use of the product. In ourexperience, it is advantageous that researcherscontribute with their data to a dialogue inwhich the user needs are articulated.de
dc.identifier.doi10.1023/A:1015256909032
dc.identifier.pissn1573-7551
dc.identifier.urihttp://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1015256909032
dc.identifier.urihttps://dl.eusset.eu/handle/20.500.12015/3601
dc.publisherSpringer
dc.relation.ispartofComputer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW): Vol. 11
dc.relation.ispartofseriesComputer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW)
dc.subjectactivity theory
dc.subjectcollaborative design
dc.subjectinnovation network
dc.subjectuser needs
dc.titleArticulating User Needs in Collaborative Design: Towards an Activity-Theoretical Approachde
dc.typeText/Journal Article
gi.citation.endPage151
gi.citation.startPage129

Files