The Role of Learning-by-Using in the Design of Health Care Technologies: A Case Study

New technologies typically go through significant improvements during their early diffusion. Literature suggests that these modifications follow from learning-by-using. However, the micro-level processes by which learning-by-using is actually achieved remain understudied. This article examines these processes through an in-depth case study of the design and use of a new health-care device. It identifies several learning processes and preconditions for learning that constituted learning-by-using. The results question the dominant image of learning-by-using as a harmonious flow of user feedback.

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