Hannakaisa Isomäki

The user – the great unknown of systems development: reasons, forms, challenges, experiences and intellectual contributions of user involvement

We are witnessing an interesting era in the history of computing and information technology (IT). Computing, telephone and television on the one hand and data, voice and video on the other hand are converging. Internet, the World Wide Web and mobile computing have made IT truly global. IT has become pervasive – it is increasingly difficult for human beings to live their lives without encountering IT. The applications of IT have expanded from traditional automating (e.g. process control and embedded applications), augmenting (e.g. word processing), informating (information systems proper) and communicating (e.g. email) applications to various accompanying (e.g. computer pets), entertaining (e.g. computer games) and fantasizing applications (e.g. virtual world applications such as Second Life) (Iivari, 2007). Modern IT has enabled us to organize our society, business, and lives in new ways. Both in the private and public sector, services or ‘meta-services’, i.e. services required for or supporting the acquisition of the primary service, are increasingly transferred to the internet, and people are being coerced more or less gently into using these electronic services (e.g. Internet banking). These electronic services frequently change the division of labour between people, e.g. between the customers and employees of the service providers. For instance, in internet banking, customers perform many operations previously performed by the bank clerks. Customers have become users of banking applications. IT has enabled organizations and individuals to become globally networked, as evidenced by network organizations and virtual communities. The IT field has not only been the supplier of the technology, but has also been profoundly influenced by these new ways of organizing. The digital nature of software has made it a natural application area for global e-commerce, outsourcing, offshoring, geographically distributed development and also virtual communitybased open-source development. The world of digital convergence and the new IT applications challenge many traditional boundaries. The border between IT and non-IT has become blurred, and as a consequence IT use may be implicit in the sense that people may not necessarily perceive themselves as IT users. For example, are people watching TV and interacting with the program using short doi:10.1111/j.1365-2575.2009.00336.x

Entrepreneurship and small businesses in Russia: a review of empirical research

Purpose – Entrepreneurship and small businesses in Russia have been of academic interest for over 15 years. This paper seeks to bring together current knowledge concerning the phenomenon, and to suggest further directions for research.Design/methodology/approach – The study consists of a systematic review of 48 refereed empirical articles on entrepreneurship and small businesses in Russia.Findings – From the articles reviewed it appears that entrepreneurs in Russia use non‐material resources to overcome the financial and institutional obstacles, which still seem to afflict the market. However, theoretical and methodological issues are, in many cases, poorly reported and this undermines the scientific rigour of the studies they report.Research limitations/implications – Because of the wide scope of the studies reviewed the results included here provide somewhat broad‐brush descriptions of the phenomenon. However, it is believed that the findings are valuable for an understanding of the current situation fo...

Different Levels of Information Systems Designers' Forms of Thought and Potential for Human-Centered Design

This article describes a study clarifying information systems (IS) designers’ conceptions of human users of IS by drawing on in-depth interviews with 20 designers. The designers’ lived experiences in their work build up a continuum of levels of thought from more limited conceptions to more comprehensive ones reflecting variations of the designers’ situated knowledge related to human-centred design. The resulting forms of thought indicate three different but associated levels in conceptualising users. The separatist form of thought provides designers predominantly with technical perspectives and a capability for objectifying things. The functional form of thought focuses on external task information and task productivity, nevertheless, with the help of positive emotions. The holistic form of thought provides designers with competence of human-centred information systems development (ISD). Furthermore, the author hopes that understanding the IS designers’ tendencies to conceptualise human users facilitates the mutual communication between users and designers.

Incorporating self into web information system design

Identity construction in computer-mediated environments as in “real life” environments, is influenced by existent social processes. In these virtual environments the computer screen mediates specific experiences of localised physicality; however these computer mediated experiences do not alter the overall sense of being for the individual. To interact with the Web Information System in virtual space the individuals do not leave the essence of themselves on one side of the screen to acquire a new layer of meanings and self-ascription within the virtual space. Identity construction is similarly a complex process in cyberspace as it is in real life. In this chapter we will present a post-structural discussion arguing that electronic identity enables a deconstruction of the mind/body dichotomy. We argue that when individuals interact with a Web information system, in virtual space, they do not leave the essence of themselves on one side of the screen to acquire a new layer of meaning and self-ascription within the virtual space that the system occupies. Further, issues of design are considered in regard to systems development that aim at supporting computer-mediated identity construction.

Introduction: Reframing Humans and Information Systems

Recent development of information and communication technologies (ICT) provides information systems (IS) designers with new potentialities to build systems for various purposes. The ongoing digital convergence refers to and discloses new views on the interactive reconfiguration of technological and social arrangements on a large scale in the contemporary society (Tilson et al. 2009). In addition to work-related activities, people use new technologies for increasingly diverse purposes, for example organizing their domestic affairs, for finding information and e-services, and for staying in touch with their friends and relatives (Lyytinen and Yoo 2002; Sorensen and Yoo 2005; Iivari et al. 2010). Different uses of IS can be classified to range from automation, support and mediation to informing, entertaining, artisticizing and accompanying (Iivari 2007). In addition to these seven “traditional” archetypes of IT applications, the emergence of ubiquitous computing and wearable computers supported by wireless technologies and distributed interfaces facilitates the design of innovative new applications for users.

The Human Modes of Being in Investigating User Experience

An important challenge for interaction designers is to understand factors that shape user experience, and novel approaches are being developed to establish user experience as a specific field of research. Previous attempts to provide a comprehensive theory of user experience have focused on analyzing sensations and emotions as well as perceptions and behaviors. A holistic view of human experience is still lacking. I argue that a holistic view of the human being is needed to provide the appropriate theoretical foundations for user experience analyses in diverse contexts. In this chapter I introduce a theoretical framework for understanding human experience, and discuss how such a holistic view can reveal how fundamental human modes of being contribute to and shape user experience while people interact with information and communication technologies. Investigating user experience with the help of this framework facilitates interaction designers’ understanding of factors that shape a holistic user experience.

University Teachers’ Conceptions of Their Role as Developers of Technology-Rich Learning Environments

This phenomenographic study examines how a diverse group of university teachers conceptualised their role as developers of technology-rich learning environments at one university in Finland. The research findings illustrate a variety of conceptions. Five qualitatively different ways of understanding teachers’ roles regarding the development of technology-rich learning environments were found: 1) innovator, 2) early adopter, 3) adaptive, 4) sceptic and 5) late adopter. In order to connect the whole set of interconnected roles to a theory of change, Everett Rogers’ innovation diffusion theory was exploited in the last phase of analysis. Finally, hierarchically structured categories were created along with five evolutionary themes of expanding intensity. These findings can be used as an assessment tool among teachers to identify their role in educational reform.

Identifying objectives for a learning space management system with value-focused thinking

A classroom with a blackboard and some rows of desks is obsolete in special education. Depending on the needs, some students may need more tactile and inspiring surroundings with various pedagogical accessories while others benefit from a simplified environment without unnecessary stimuli. This understanding is applied to a new Finnish special education school building with open and adaptable learning spaces. We have joined the initiative creation process by developing software support for these new spaces in the form of a learning space management system. Participatory design and value-focused thinking were implemented to elicit the actual values of all the stakeholders involved and transform them into software implementation objectives. This paper reports interesting insights about the elicitation process of the objectives.

Design of a Learning Space Management System for Open and Adaptable School Facilities

In this design-based research project, a learning space management system was developed for the Valteri School Onerva in Central-Finland. The school represents a modern educational environment with open and adaptable learning spaces. The goal was to develop a software to support the stakeholders in organising flexible pedagogical activities and sharing pedagogical practices. To reach this goal, we utilised value-focused thinking as a requirements elicitation method, to identify the objectives that the stakeholders associate with the new environment. In the implementation phase, we organised participatory design workshops, to involve the stakeholders in decision-making, to ensure that the prototype development was proceeding according to their needs. As a result, we elaborate how we utilised value-focused thinking, what were the objectives that were identified, and how they were transformed into system requirements. Finally, we describe the first prototype of the learning space management system, which was developed using these requirements.

Evaluating End-User Support: Validating the Use of Multiple Media in a CSCW Application

Human-centred views on information systems are gaining more and more attention in IS community. The need to evaluate information systems from such a perspective is thus evident. In this paper, we exploit our earlier developed theoretical framework for evaluating end-user support in information systems, and demonstrate its usage in validating the use of multiple communication and collaboration media in a CSCW application. The evaluation is performed in terms of user perception in ISD process, users’ role in organizational information processing, and users’ behavioural nuances. Our study shows that a context specific theoretical framework is useful in validating the empirical results of systems use and in helping one to concretise and identify different viewpoints that are relevant for human-centered information systems development.