CLASSIFICATION OF USERS IN THE CONTEXT OF KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER IN PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

In this paper an approach for user classification in the context of an integrated learning, teaching and application system in product development is introduced. An appropriate classification is essential to meet the user’s individual needs. The approach is based on a general scale of expertise, which reflects the development from a nocive to an expert. As the system is mainly made to support knowledge transfer in the regarded domain, the scale of expertise reflects the amount of domain-specific knowledge. In addition, different user environments are integrated. As a result a user is classified by both his level of expertise and the user context, which reflects his function in the process of knowledge transfer.