Democratising the IT system design process has long been a focal point in the field of participatory design. Malin Wik recently defended her thesis in Information Systems at Karlstad Business School. The thesis is titled “Prototyping with purpose: Increasing participatory design with malleable interactive prototypes” and explores user participation in system design.
Malin Wik, please explain what it means to democratise IT systems design processes
- In the 1970s, people democratised the design processes of IT systems in organisations where they didn’t have any IT before. Management clearly had a certain objective with the introduction of IT, but the staff didn't necessarily agree that it was the best thing for them. That has to do with viewing work not solely as a source of income – it’s about more than simply showing up and doing your job. It can be a source of meaning and professional pride that you want to safeguard. So, it was important to maintain that sense of meaning, even with IT in the organisation. Democratising the IT systems was about giving staff the opportunity to voice their opinions and influence how IT was introduced.
What have you studied in your thesis?
- My perspective was how citizens can participate in IT design or gain awareness that participating in IT system design is possible, Malin Wik explains. These systems affect all of us, for instance how we communicate with each other or with authorities, or when it’s time to renew a prescription, or the ability to track your child’s path through school on a platform.
How did you conduct your study?
- There were two main parts, says Malin Wik. One was that I along with some citizens co-created a prototype for a system where users could navigate the hospital’s premises in Karlstad, and the other was a project at an upper secondary school where the pupils took on the role of designers and co-designers. In both cases, they were able to physically use and create prototypes as well as talk to the designer while the prototype was in use. Then we could immediately make any adjustments that the participants felt would improve the prototype.
There is value in teaching young people that IT systems do not just appear, they are created by someone. Knowing how it works and that you can get involved and influence the process is vital, since a lot of the IT education in schools deals with the technical side.
- Problems arise in the interaction between technology and humans, so you need to include both sides to make it a fruitful and beneficial interaction that gives us more than the bare necessities, says Malin Wik.
What have you learned?
- Since I am addressing the field of participatory design, it’s an argument in favour of this kind of prototyping. You can better understand what you are speaking about if you use prototypes, and it also means you can be involved in the practical development of an IT system. I am also addressing schools and saying that these malleable and interactive prototypes help clarify future IT usage for the pupils, and the roles of the user and the IT system in an interaction. It also allows pupils to experience democratic IT systems design processes.
How can your research be used?
- All pupils should be taught programming skills, for instance, and that is indeed important. But it’s not like most upper secondary graduates are going to work in programming, says Malin Wik. Those are not the only skills they need. My conclusions form a strong argument for school policy writers to apply a wider perspective to digital skills in the curricula as well as for teachers and school leaders to consider new ways to plan teaching.
