The Case for Engagement - Informing Digital Futures: Strategies for Citizen Engagement - page 39

As Eisma et al. note, this insight challenges preconceptions about the
kind of mobile phone which would be most appropriate for an older user
with disabilities. The generic assumption that older people prefer larger
control devices, like many other assumptions made about the design re-
quirements of older people, requires validation with the users themselves.
3.2.2 Learning, Knowledge Sharing and Innovation
A well-documented and detailed account of how effective communities of
practice evolved in Xerox from informal storytelling among technical staff
provides rich evidence of the value of engagement (Seely Brown and
Duguid 2000). The report details the history from the 1980s when techni-
cians from Xerox responsible for the repair of photocopiers and printers
were trained using traditional 'chalk and talk' methods. Many of the re-
pairers preferred their own ways of learning including the use of 'storytel-
ling' among their peers, i.e. informal verbal exchanges based on real life
experiences with different machines at different customer sites, to share
their knowledge of rectifying different faults arising with the copiers and
printers.
Although initially seen as time-wasting and potentially damaging by
some in the management echelons of the company, the process of storytel-
ling was eventually recognised to be an excellent method of promoting
learning, knowledge sharing and knowledge capture. The challenge for the
company was therefore to find a way to capture these stories, verify their
validity, record them and then make the resultant learning and training ma-
terial accessible to new employees. This was achieved by the active in-
volvement of technical staff in developing a system to capture their ideas
and experiences by using two-way radios. This enabled all technicians to
'listen in' and help any colleague who was struggling with a particular
problem. A newer technician could listen to these conversations and pick
up tips and techniques that enabled them to become better repairers. The
system was such a success that the stories were used to develop new train-
ing material for other technicians.
The technicians and employers improved the system by co-designing
and developing “ Eureka ”, a web-based system that enabled their ideas and
stories to be validated and recorded in a way that would be readily under-
stood by most of the target group. This was achieved by vetting ideas and
stories through a peer review process using the (Eureka) web-based system
to create and store examples of good practice in copier and printer repair.
Widespread use and enthusiasm for the system has brought substantial
financial benefits for the company. The system is reported to have saved