Walking in the jungle with a machete: ICT leaders’ perspectives on user-Centred systems design

Abstract

Previous research has established that leaders in information and communication technology (ICT) are crucial for establishing a user-centred systems design perspective in ICT for work-related tasks. This paper therefore describes the perspectives of 18 ICT leaders in three kinds of leadership roles (managers, project leaders and specialists) in order to understand their views of user-centred systems design concerning ICT. It uses the concept of technological frames of reference to analyse three domains: technology-in-use, technology strategy and nature of technology. The results show that many specialists see user involvement as a critical factor in successfully establishing new information and communication technologies, but that these systems are currently built around the needs of management rather than end users. Looking forward, all three relevant social groups are optimistic about how ICT will become more user-centred and more strategically aligned in the future. However, changes in ICT are described as extremely energy-consuming and difficultakin to 'walking in the jungle with a machete'. Finally, we discuss the relevance of technological frames and present some implications for the successful establishment of user-centred system design as a perspective in organisations.

Why Are Digital Health Care Systems Still Poorly Designed, and Why Is Health Care Practice Not Asking for More? Three Paths Toward a Sustainable Digital Work Environment

“…The problems have even been referred to as "the other health care crisis" (the first one being the COVID-19 pandemic) [38], and links to job frustration and burnout have been investigated [39]. Solutions are hence asked for, and the search for explanations is ongoing [40][41][42]. We ask ourselves why this is still so when the conditions for developing usable and efficient digital systems, based on HCI design principles and user-centered design methods, have never been better.…”

Why developers matter: The case of patient portals

“…25 Studies have frequently reported that the frame incongruence between developers and users—in terms of the nature of technology, technology strategy, and “technology-in-use”—is a common problem complicating projects. 28,33,34 For example, Orlikowski and Gash (1999) showed, in their study of the groupware application Lotus Notes, a significant clash between the technology strategy and technology-in-use frame: While designers were convinced of the “transformative revolutionary potential” of groupware as a strategy, users failed to see any particular application of Lotus Notes to the extremely competitive and individualistic context of work and instead interpreted it as merely another “kind of e-mail.” As a result, a substantial IT investment was wasted because the frames were severely misaligned, not made explicit, or reflected upon, and thus never attended to. Similar frame incongruence continues to be illustrated among stakeholders, such as managers, users, and project leaders, with associated difficulties in implementing user-centered design approaches.…”

“…Similar frame incongruence continues to be illustrated among stakeholders, such as managers, users, and project leaders, with associated difficulties in implementing user-centered design approaches. 28…”

“…One particularly rich body of research attests to the undermining of implementation due to a gross misalignment between the developers' expectations of technology and the circumstances and priorities of situated practices. [27][28][29] For example, studying the introduction of the enterprise resource planning system into the university, Wagner and Newell (2004) showed how the developers' desire to standardize the accounting processes contradicted the interests and independent reporting cultures among the faculty, resulting essentially in a project failure. 27 Finally, developers are important to consider because it is through their practices that the emerging concerns of users can either be resolved or ignored.…”

“…27 Finally, developers are important to consider because it is through their practices that the emerging concerns of users can either be resolved or ignored. Research has noted, for instance, that the situated activities of lead technology enthusiasts can account for the success or failure 28 of particularly arduous IT projects. 30,31 One example is the "My Medical Record on the Internet" project in Sweden, the success of which was partly attributed to the "entrepreneurship and persistence in seeing the project through" of the key developer, whose continuous efforts to achieve institutional change spanned 15 years.…”