Problems integrating user participation into software development

This paper is concerned with various problems that can impede the implementation and practice of user participation in the software development process. We describe a case study of a user centred design method in an in-house project. Taking a work organization perspective, we highlight several problem areas, relating to human and organizational issues. These arise from the internal processes of the method, the method's relationship with other procedures and the organizational context. We discuss the impacts of these problems and the interconnections between them. The key underlying issues identified are a lack of integrated effort and the failure to include the full range of necessary knowledge. Theoretical implications for knowledge work and the concept of user participation are discussed and practical recommendations given.

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