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Participatory Design — Scandinavian tradition

Tone Bratteteig, February 5. 2003

readings: • Ehn• Bansler• Lyytinen & Iivari

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User participation in systems sevelopment

”The Scandinavian approach”: users participate in many phases of the systems development, as co-designers

Reasons for user participation:1) to improve the knowledge upon which systems are built,2) to enable people to develop realistic expectations, and

reduce resistance to change, and3) to increase workplace democracy by giving the

members of an organization the right to participate in decisions that are likely to affect their work.

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Florence(1983-1987)

• based on nursing as a profession and as work• SYDPOL (SYstem Development environment and Profession

Oriented Languages)

• aimed to build an information system• with nurses

• as co-designers and decision makers• mutual learning• techniques for user participation in design

• for nurses, based on their professional knowledge• focus: profession, work place & organization

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The Work Sheet System(the Florence pilot system)

501-2

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Mutual learning: Nurses don't do what they say that they do

• Observations vs. interviews• Work practice is personal and situated.

Is practice more “correct” than standard routines?

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Mutual learning: Our nurses refused our prototype

• Learning by experiencing mistakes (trial & error)• Mutual learning is based on a willingness to listen• but the ability to listen is in turn based on knowledge.

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Mutual learning: Our nurses designed the pilot system

• After “mutual learning” the nurses worked out a list of suggestions for computer system support in their work

• We all agreed on their #1, then they made a design sketch

• The learning provided them with technological fantasy • The design sketch was very well suited for

communicating about the system and its functionality

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Mutual learning: Our nurses were responsible for the training

• Sharing of rights and duties in the project• The nurses responsible for introducing the pilot

system• including training their colleagues in using the system• The introduction was smooth and utilized

characteristics of the work organization that we did not think of.

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Mutual learning – mutual respect: Nurses'

acknowledgement of informaticians • Mutual respect goes both ways, the balance is difficult• The mutuality can be difficult to communicate if the

differences between traditions and cultures are large

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Participatory design: Who are the designers?

• Our nurses decided on the design• because we, the researchers in the project, gave them the

power to do so• Giving away power to decide on the design was

difficult for us as researchers and informaticians

• Evaluation of computer systems: • simple and well-functioning systems that everybody

can learnvs• technical brilliance or utilization of the latest

technologies

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Some Scandinavian research projectsin the Participatory Design ”school”

• NJMF (1971-1973): Norsk Jern- og MetallarbeiderForbund

• with Norwegian Computing Centre (Nygaard, Bergo)• results: data agreements (Viking Askim 1973), text books, vocational

training ++ → Handel & Kontor, Kjemisk ...

• DEMOS (1975-1979): DEMOkratiske Styringssystemer

• Ehn & Sandberg, negotiations (”Företagsstyrning och löntagermakt”)• DUE (1977-1980): Demokrati, Udvikling og Edb

• Kyng, Mathiassen: trade unions, education (DUE kursus)

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Some Scandinavian research projects II

• UTOPIA (1981-1984): Utbildildning, Teknik, och Produkt I Arbetskvalitetsperspektiv

• Ehn, Kyng, Sundblad, Bødker: trade unions (graphical workers), ”Grafitti”

• the tool pespective• Florence (1983-1987):

<nursing profession: Florence Nightingale>• Nygaard, Bjerknes, Bratteteig, Kaasbøll, Sannes, Sinding-

Larsen: profession, work place (organization), use context • case for the SYDPOL programme (SYstem Development

environment and Profession Oriented Languages: 1982-1988)• the application pespective

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Some more research projects

• MARS (1984-1987): Metodiske Arbejdsformer i Systemudvikling

• Andersen, Kensing, Lassen, Lundin, Mathiassen, Munk-Madsen, Sørgaard: systems development practice & systems development work, professionalization of systems development: theory (independent of methodology)

• FIRE (1992-1994): Functional Integration through REdesign

• Bjerknes, Bratteteig, Braa, Kaasbøll, Smørdal, Øgrim: integration and continuous redesign, use & development contexts & organizations

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Mapping the Scandinavian approach

institution situation

organization as a whole

special interest groups

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the LO/NAF Cooperation projects

Integration and redesign (FIRE)

florence

Cooperative

designUTOPIA

NJMF

DUE

DEMOS

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Strategies for user participation

levels of action:1) work situation

• NJMF, DUE, DEMOS, Florence, Cooperative design

2) work place• SocioTechnique, FIRE

3) inter-organizational relations• between org.: ex. EDI, user interest groups• between interest groups: ex. UTOPIA; Florence

4) work life• legislation; NJMF, DUE, DEMOS

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Readings:Ehn [1993]: design for democracy at work

DEMOS (1975-79): DEMOkratiske Styringssystemer• interdisciplinary team, 4 enterprisesUTOPIA (1981-84): Utbildn., Teknik, och Produkt I Arbetskval.perspektiv• graphical workers’ trade unions in Scandinavia• the tool perspective

Philosophical foundation for skill-based participatory design • Dreyfus; Winograd & Flores (Heidegger and Gadamer)

• language as action• Wittgenstein

• language games• Polanyi

• tacit knowledge

Ehn

1989

design as a learning process design as creation of

language-games system descript. for discussion design-by-doing

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Readings:Bansler on SD research traditions:

1) system theoretical engineering, cybernetics, technology optimism: systems thinking Langefors (60’s): infology ISAC

2) sosio-technical human factors, psycho-social work environment, balance technical—social system: systems thinking, analysis of variances Thorsrud (LO/NAF; 60/70’s), UK: ETHICS, SSM

3) critical politically based critique, alternative solutions, trade unions, technology as tool (autonomy & control): critical & political philosophy, studies of use (and development) Nygaard (70’s): social science methods / theories, techniques for SD as a social work process

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Readings: Iivari & Lyytinen [1998]

1. infological approach2. formal approaches3. socio-technical approach4. trade unionist approach5. socio-cybernetic approach6. language action approach7. professional work practice approach8. object-oriented approaches9. activity theory approach10. structuration theory approach Iiv

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Regrouping Iivari & Lyytinen

Systems thinking Critical theory (dialectics)

1. infology

3. socio-technics 4. trade union-based

5. socio-cybernetics

7. professional work practice

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Regrouping cont.theories

Systems thinking Critical theory (dialectics)1. infology

3. socio-technics 4. trade union-based

5. socio-cybernetics6. language-action

7. professional work practice

9. activity theory 10. structuration theory

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Regrouping cont.computing views

Systems thinking Critical theory (dialectics)1. infology2. formal methods3. socio-technics

4. trade union-based5. socio-cybernetics6. language-action

7. professional work practice 8. object-orientation 9. activity theory

10. structuration theory

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User participation and Participatory design

Scandinavian approach to user participation in systems development

• co-designers• SD as organizational, technical, human change process

is different from • participatory design USA based

• in software production• HCI (Human Computer Interaction)

• participative design / development UK/ Australia• development of local communities

(not technical)

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Scandinavian culture• rich social democracies, relatively small• use technology to a large extent, very fast diffusion• small and medium sized organizations• equity and equal rights very important• democratic work life (employees repr. in boards etc.)• high percentage of trade union membership (increasing)• protestant ethics

Boland [1998]:• nature• equality• irony

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Participatory Design as a Scandinavian tradition

equality:• respect for the user as an expert (on equal terms)• physical and social-psycological work environment

important for health (well-being) and productivity• autonomy & co-determinationnature:• control of the product vs. continuous change and learning• situated knowledge, local actionirony:• question the taken-for-granted• conflict – harmony & politics – ethics

+ worries about• the quality of the system (the toolness)• uncertainties connected to use and implementation (introduction)

”happy pigs taste better”

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and some differences within the Scandinavian approaches

• conflict – harmony as strategy for development

• politics – ethics how do we regulate quality process and product

• control of the product – continuous change and learning perspective on systems development implemented in methods and methodologies

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What is Participatory Design?

• aims to make the users have control of their tools• and of the way they change (as the work change) autonomy and responsibility in the work situation

• at the work situation (and work place) level, systems development can contribute by emphasizing

functionality as result (use situation & use context) designers’ responsibility for use (accountability)

• at the organization and social level individual, local action link to

collective, global concerns through strategy, action, debate?

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Does it make a difference?

at the work situation (and work place) level (Florence): Functionality as result rather than starting point

• the use situation & context as basis for design of the system• based on skilled performance of action (like work, balancing

standardization/flexibility)• based on professional knowledge (durability, control)

Responsibility for the use situation (accountability)• designing a part of a use situation—not just a gadget, a thing• open up for challenges of design ideas• open up for accountability (not distant, general, abstract ...)

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User participation in systems development

• is established as valuable (techniques/practices & politics)• theory differs from practice • degree of involvement varies

Scandinavian characteristics: • democratic work life • respect for users’ expertice

vary with respect to politics and interdisciplinarity

users participate in many phases of systems development, as co-designers

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Challengesto the Scandinavian tradition of PD

• globalised work life• globalised work market• inter-organizational systems• global technology – local use• continuous change of IS• integration of generations ICT• intra / extra / internet• changing view on time & space• changing view on work (play, learn)• cultural changes (ex. individual vs collective) • etc. ...

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some referencesFlorence:• Bjerknes m.fl. (1985): Gjensidig læring, Florence report no 1,IFI/UIO• Bjerknes & Bratteteig (1987): Å implementere en ide, Florence report

no 3, IFI/UIO• Bjerknes & Bratteteig (1987): Florence in Wonderland. System

Development with Nurses, in Bjerknes et al. (eds): Computers and Democracy. A Scandinavian Challenge, Avebury, Aldershot

• Bjerknes & Bratteteig (1987): Perspectives on description tools and techniques in system development, in Docherty et al (eds): System Design for Human Development and Productivity: Participation and Beyond, North-Holland, Amsterdam

• Bjerknes & Bratteteig (1988): Memoirs of two survivors, in Proceedings of CSCW, ACM

• Bratteteig (1997): Mutual Learning. Enabling cooperation in systems design in Braa & Monteiro (eds): Proceedings of IRIS'20

Skandinavian tradition:• Bjerknes & Bratteteig (1995): User Participation and Democracy.

A Discussion of Scandinavian Research on System Development, Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems, vol 7 no 1, April 1995