Cooperative design: techniques and experiences from the Scandinavian scene

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the concept of cooperative design. It what discusses system development should achieve and how it should take place. Computer applications that are created for the workplace need to be designed with full participation from the users—both from a democratic point of view and to insure that competencies central to the design are represented in the design group. Full participation requires training and active cooperation, not just token representation in meetings or on committees. The term cooperative design is used to designate such cooperation between users and designers. However, to users, designing a new computer application is a secondary activity whereas for designers it is their primary work. This means that the designers should know how to set up the process and need to make sure that everyone gets something out of the interaction. The cooperative design approach begins by creating an environment in which users and designers can actively consider the future use situation. It is a process where users and designers do not have to wait until the final act to know if the application will fit the practice of the users.