Designing Digital Futures - Informing Digital Futures: Strategies for Citizen Engagement - page 24

Besselaar (1993) note, “ while modern methods for information systems de-
velopment generally accept that users should be involved in some way, the
form of the involvement differs considerably. Mostly, users are viewed as
relatively passive sources of information, and the involvement is regarded
as “functional”, in the sense that it should yield better system require-
ments and increased acceptance by users .”
Designing technologies for use by a wide variety of citizens is currently
one of the biggest challenges facing those involved in the design, devel-
opment and delivery of ICT based products and systems (e.g. Shneiderman
2000). In addition to the well established procedures for human-centred
design there is now a bewildering array of information, guidance, tools and
techniques available to designers for inclusive design (known in the US
and Japan as 'universal design' or by the goal of 'universal usability';
sometimes referred to as 'Design for All'). These provide, for example, in-
formation to designers about the physical parameters of specific groups
within the population such as older people and disabled people - 'extra-
ordinary users' (Newell and Gregor 2000) - who may have special needs
compared to the 'ordinary' population.
Despite the growing recognition of the need for the involvement and
engagement of users in the ICT design process, however, surveys of design
practice suggest that in many situations designers still do not seek informa-
tion directly from the end users they are designing for. Rather they rely on
personal experience and imagination to define their needs and characteris-
tics (e.g. Hasdogan 1996).

A GREAT
IDEA

Impossible

Ludicrous

Ridiculous

You are
here

Same old
stuff

Doable Practical Possible

Fig. 2.3. Different approaches to design (Cooper 1999).