Participatory Design: Structure in the Toolbox

Abstract

In system development users and developers need to understand several domains: users' present work, technological options and the system being developed. These domains must be understood both at a concrete level and at an abstract, structured level. No single method achieves this. Therefore we must use various methods. This paper explains why a specific method may work in some situations and not in others. The paper concludes by classifying a number of well-known methods according to their applicability.