ISD Lecture 6 (Collaborating with Users) Flashcards
User involvement
User involvement might have different purposes
• from improving requirements and the design to making implementation easier.
• It can
o take place in different stages,
o be achieved using many different methods (e.g. interviews, prototyping),
o and cover anything from symbolic involvement to involvement by strong control.
User involvement does contribute positively to system success.
User involvement in the field of information system development is usually considered as vital mechanism to enhance system quality and ensure successful system implementation.
Technological frames:
a frame is a buildup repertoire of tacit knowledge that is used to impose structure upon, and impart meaning to, otherwise ambiguous social and situational information to facilitate understanding.
Subset of members’ organizational frames that concern the assumptions, expectations, and knowledge they use to understand technology in organizations.
This includes not only the nature and role of the technology itself, but the specific conditions, applications, and con-sequences of that technology in particular contexts of use.
Technological frames, a framework that can be used to:
Examining the underlying assumptions, expectations, and knowledge that people have about technology.
The way we think about and understand technology matters for the way we act: Our understanding critically influence the way we act around technology.
They are critical for both development and implementation of IT systems, and for collaboration with users.
A technological frame consist off:
Nature of Technology:
People’s images of the technology and their understanding of its capabilities and functionality.
Technology Strategy:
People’s views of why their organization acquired and implemented the technology. It includes their understanding of the motivation or vision behind the adoption decision, and its likely value to the organization.
Technology-in-Use:
People’s understanding of how the technology will be used on a day-to-day basis, and the likely or actual conditions and consequences associated with such use.
The role of user involvment
- Analysis: Involving users during early phases of development like requirements elicitation is necessary to capturing their needs and to make sure that systems are aligned with business processes.
- Design: It is also important to involve users in design – e.g. by having users participate in prototyping. By involving user in design the IT-systems and future work practices can be aligned. Furthermore requirements can be validated.
- Programming: E.g. answering questions and clarifying requirements.
- Testing: Verifying that the system actually comply with the requirements – and is useful.
- Implementation: Change agents.
- Senior management may be required to be involved throughout development, e.g. to make sure that projects are properly aligned with business strategies, and middle management and other employees, would be required for their contribution during analysis, design, programming and testing.
Benefits from user involvment
from a psychological perspective • More relevance • Better relations • Increased buy-in • Easier implementation • It supports what Markus labels implementable design
from managerial perspective
Again:
It supports what Markus labels implementable design
AND it might reduce costs by decreasing changes later on
from methodological perspective • More relevance • Better relations • Increased buy-in • Easier implementation It supports what Markus labels implementable design, and complete design
from cultural perspective
What Markus labels A solution where benefits are actually exploited
from political perspective
What Markus labels A solution where benefits are actually exploited
Example of benefits from a psychological perspective
User system satisfaction
Example of benefits from a managerial perspective
Better communication
Example of benefits from a methodological perspective
Better understanding of user requirements
Example of benefits from a cultural perspective
Increased system usage
Example of benefits from a political perspective
Democracy in workplace
Challenges of user involvement from a Psychological perspective
Legacy thinking -
Users may not appreciate the idea of change in their existing work enviroment
Users lack of motivation
Challenges of user involvement from a Managerial perspective
Efforts required by users -
User participation requires extra work on their part which may not be possible for them
Lack of top management
Challenges of user involvement from a Methodological perspective
Impact of change
task complexity
Challenges of user involvement from a Cultural perspective
Impact of change
Challenges of user involvement from a Political perspective
Conflicts
Degree of involvement
Top challenges of user involvement
The top challenge that hinders effective involvement of users is their lack of motivation followed by problems with their attitude and behavior.
Managing user involvement
The involvement or participation has to be effectively managed to achieve its intended objectives and the desired benefits:
• Identify the users
• Be specific about what the goal is
• Carefully consider the degree and level of user involvement
• Consider how to collaborate in different stages depending on the type of system
Identify users
Before the selection process, the users are to be identified and the concept of ‘user’ is to be clearly understood:
• Primary users are those likely to be frequent hands-on users of the system
• Secondary users are occasional users or those who use the system through an intermediary
• Tertiary users are those affected by the introduction of the system, or who will influence its purchase
- How to fund: allocation of financial resources needed
- How to get management support:
- Who will be affected?
- What do different users like and dislike about their jobs?
Be specific about what the goal is
Use the five perspectives (Psychological, Managerial, Methodological, Political and Cultural) to design the involvement
Which stages and the type of system is needed for the different perspectives
To achieve the benefits in methodological and psychological perspectives, user involvement in requirements phase seems to be the most effective.
For political and cultural benefits, users need to be involved in design and implementation phases
Different kinds of involvement model
By strong control, by doing, by weak control, by advise, symbolic, no
Sharing of Frames within a community
- Members of a particular community (e.g. IT developers) have individual interpretations but they also tend have a set of core beliefs.
- These frames are transmitted e.g. through training, socialization and community membership.
Congruence:
• A concept used to describe the nature and extent of difference among frames.
High incongruence – high risk: Might create difficulties in, and unanticipated outcomes off, technology implementation
What is the difference between the Technological frames
Nature of technology:
Technologist: Focus on technological capabilities in isolations without reference to spcific uses in particular
Users: Misunderstanding or confusion about the technology
Technology strategy:
Motivations for technology adoption envisioned in terms of major changes in the way of doing business
Technology in-use:
Installation is critical, hence it is the primary focus
users will learn to use the technology on their own
Possible outcome for different technological frames
negative impact on the implementation.
How to use
- Establish proper collaboration between users and developers
- Create shared understanding between users and developers
Designing user involvement
Project management -> Analysis -> Design -> Programming -> Test -> implementation
Reflections
- User involvement is not always good
Relation
- Fitzgerald (lecture 2) described that developers needs to understand the context to develop proper information systems. The users are a key element of the context
- Lecture 3 has different implicit and explicit perspectives of user collaboration
- Lecture 4: for technochange implementation understanding users and developers technological frames is a key issue
