How Users Matter

Author: Nelly Oudshoorn
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262651092
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 353

Book Description
Users have become an integral part of technology studies. The essays in this volume look at the creative capacity of users to shape technology in all phases, from design to implementation. Using a variety of theoretical approaches, including a feminist focus on users and use (in place of the traditional emphasis on men and machines), concepts from semiotics, and the cultural studies view of consumption as a cultural activity, these essays examine what users do with technology and, in turn, what technology does to users. The contributors consider how users consume, modify, domesticate, design, reconfigure, and resist technological development—and how users are defined and transformed by technology. The essays in part I show that resistance to and non-use of a technology can be a crucial factor in the eventual modification and improvement of that technology; examples considered include the introduction of the telephone into rural America and the influence of non-users of the Internet. The essays in part II look at advocacy groups and the many kinds of users they represent, particularly in the context of health care and clinical testing. The essays in part III examine the role of users in different phases of the design, testing, and selling of technology. Included here is an enlightening account of one company's design process for men's and women's shavers, which resulted in a "Ladyshave" for users assumed to be technophobes. Taken together, the essays in How Users Matter show that any understanding of users must take into consideration the multiplicity of roles they play—and that the conventional distinction between users and producers is largely artificial.

A Small Matter of Programming

Author: Bonnie A. Nardi
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 9780262140539
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 196

Book Description
Analyzes cognitive, social and technical issues of end user programming. Drawing on empirical research on existing end user systems, this text examines the importance of task-specific programming languages, visual application frameworks and collaborative work practices for end user computing.

Do You Matter?

Author: Robert J. Brunner
Publisher: FT Press
ISBN: 0132703750
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 255

Book Description
“Definitely, a game changer! Design experience is the power shift to our era what mass marketing was to the last century.” John Sculley former CEO, Pepsi and Apple “Great design is about creating a deep relationship with your customers. If you don’t, you’re roadkill. This book shows you how and much, much more. Be prepared to have your mind blown.” Bill Burnett Executive Director, Design Program, Stanford University “Design is the last great differentiator, and yet so few really understand it. Do You Matter? offers a marvelous series of direct, in-your-face observations and drives home the means to an absolutely integrated design strategy.” Ray Riley Design GM, Entertainment and Devices, Microsoft “This book will challenge you to ask and answer what arguably are the most important questions an executive can ponder today. So open up.” Noah Kerner CEO, Noise and coauthor, Chasing Cool More and more companies are coming to understand the competitive advantage offered by outstanding design. With this, you can create products, services, and experiences that truly matter to your customers' lives and thereby drive powerful, sustainable improvements in business performance. But delivering great designs is not easy. Many companies accomplish it once, or twice; few do it consistently. The secret: building a truly design-driven business, in which design is central to everything you do. Do You Matter? shows how to do precisely that. Legendary industrial designer Robert Brunner (who laid the groundwork for Apple's brilliant design language) and Stewart Emery (Success Built to Last) begin by making an incontrovertible case for the power of design in making emotional connections, deepening relationships, and strengthening brands. You'll learn what it really means to be "design-driven" and how that translates into action at Nike, Apple, BMW and IKEA. You'll learn design-driven techniques for managing your entire experience chain; define effective design strategies and languages; and learn how to manage design from the top, encouraging "risky" design innovations that lead to entirely new markets. The authors show how (and how not) to use research; how to extend design values into marketing, manufacturing, and beyond; and how to keep building on your progress, truly "baking" design into all your processes and culture.

How People Matter

Author: Isaac Prilleltensky
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108839010
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 351

Book Description
Mattering is about feeling valued and adding value. These components are essential for health, happiness, love, work, and social justice.

The Social Construction of Technological Systems

Author: Wiebe E. Bijker
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 9780262521376
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 428

Book Description
"The impact of technology on society is clear and unmistakeable. The influence of society on technology is more subtle. The 13 essays in this book have been written by a diverse group of scholars united by a common interest in creating a new field - the sociology of technology. They draw on a wide array of case studies - from cooking stoves to missile systems, from 15th-century Portugal to today's Al labs - to outline an original research program based on a synthesis of ideas from the social studies of science and the history of technology. Together they affirm the need for a study of technology that gives equal weight to technical, social, economic, and political questions"--Back cover.

Why Engagement Matters

Author: Heather O'Brien
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319274465
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 244

Book Description
User Engagement (UE) is a complex concept to investigate. The purpose of this book is not to constrain UE to one perspective, but to offer a well-rounded appreciation for UE across various domains and disciplines. The text begins with two foundational chapters that describe theoretical and methodological approaches to user engagement; the remaining contributions examine UE from different disciplinary perspectives and across a range of computer-mediated environments, including social and communications media, online search, eLearning, games, and eHealth. The book concludes by bringing together the cross-disciplinary perspectives presented in each chapter and proposing an agenda for future research in this area. The book will appeal to established and emerging academic and industry researchers looking to pursue research and its challenges. This includes scholars at all levels with an interest in user engagement with digital media, from students to experienced researchers, and professionals in the fields of computer science, web technology, information science, museum studies, learning and health sciences, human-computer interaction, information architecture and design, and creative arts.

100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People

Author: Susan Weinschenk
Publisher: Pearson Education
ISBN: 0132658607
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 438

Book Description
We design to elicit responses from people. We want them to buy something, read more, or take action of some kind. Designing without understanding what makes people act the way they do is like exploring a new city without a map: results will be haphazard, confusing, and inefficient. This book combines real science and research with practical examples to deliver a guide every designer needs. With it you’ll be able to design more intuitive and engaging work for print, websites, applications, and products that matches the way people think, work, and play. Learn to increase the effectiveness, conversion rates, and usability of your own design projects by finding the answers to questions such as: What grabs and holds attention on a page or screen? What makes memories stick? What is more important, peripheral or central vision? How can you predict the types of errors that people will make? What is the limit to someone’s social circle? How do you motivate people to continue on to (the next step? What line length for text is best? Are some fonts better than others? These are just a few of the questions that the book answers in its deep-dive exploration of what makes people tick.

Theorizing Surveillance

Author: David Lyon
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134023596
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 367

Book Description
First published in 2006. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Evolutionary Concepts in End User Productivity and Performance: Applications for Organizational Progress

Author: Clarke, Steve
Publisher: IGI Global
ISBN: 1605661376
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 386

Book Description
"This book aims to represent some of the most current investigations into a wide range of end-user computing issues, enhancing understanding of recent developments"--Provided by publisher.

Materialities of Age and Ageing: Concepts of a Material Gerontology

Author: Grit Höppner
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
ISBN: 2889458636
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 79

Book Description
In gerontological research the understanding of age and ageing changed in the last decade. Biologic determined explanations no longer prevail in this research field. Instead, ideas of social constructivism are frequently used. These ideas define the state of age and the process of ageing as social constructions, steeping ageing in social and cultural assumptions, ascriptions, and expectations. From a social constructivist perspective, age and ageing are not (just) identified as dependency, deficit, and need for care – as it was foremost accelerated from a biological perspective – but with the life course and thus with individual lifestyles, experiences, attitudes and practices, as well as institutional and economic structures. A prominent social constructivist concept is “doing age.” Similar to “doing gender” the concept of “doing age” assumes age as taking place in the form of a social praxis within everyday life interactions between people and thus in performances, embedded in discourses, through which social hierarchies and ideals proceed. Despite the paradigm shift that social constructivist concepts enable in gerontological thinking, they reveal their blind spot when it comes to the materiality of ageing and thus to fleshy-sensual experiences, human and non-human ontologies and agencies. Addressing these materialities of ageing brings up its own critique on definitions of ageing bodies and material environments. This framing does not presume that age and ageing are solely products of human-to-human interactions or those of formative environments or of discourses. Rather humans, non-humans, and discourses become essential parts of ageing processes. Such a material framing enables us new insights into forms of age and ageing and thus offers an opportunity for scholars to engage critically with materialities of age and ageing. This eBook explores theoretical, methodological, and empirical concepts of such a 'Material Gerontology'.