SCOPE FOR USABILITY TESTS IN IS DEVELOPMENT

2019 | European Conference On Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Tarkkanen, Kimmo; Harkke, Ville

Abstract: Despite being a common, established concept in wide usage, usability tests can v ... Expand

Abstract: Despite being a common, established concept in wide usage, usability tests can vary greatly in goals, techniques and results. A usability test purchased and performed for a specific software product, may result in either minor user interface improvements or radical U-turns in the development. Such variation has been discussed as a problem of the scientific reliability and validity of the testing method. In practice it is more important what ‘kind of data’ one can expect of the selected method than whether it is reliably always the same data. This expectation of information content or ‘scope’ is of importance for evaluators, who select and conduct usability tests for a specific purpose. However, the scope is not explicitly stated or even discussed: Too often the premise is that, because a usability test involves users, it brings the (necessary) user-centeredness to the design i.e. takes socio-technical fundamentals as inherently given. Through a literature review of testing practices and analytical considerations, we search for the scope of a usability test, which could deliberately approach the socio-technical tradition and equally develop both the system and the user organization. A case example represents a possible realization of the extended scope of usability test. Collapse

Topics: systems development usability systems implementation collaborative work IS evaluation

Methods: usability testing design science case study literature study design artifact

Service encounter thinklets: how to empower service agents to put value co-creation into practice

2017 | Information Systems Journal | Citations: 0

Authors: Giesbrecht, Tobias; Schwabe, Gerhard; Schenk, Birgit

Abstract: The concept of value co-creation and the service encounter as locus of this valu ... Expand

Abstract: The concept of value co-creation and the service encounter as locus of this value co-creation gained much academic interest, notably in marketing research and service sciences. While the current research discourse mainly follows conceptual perspectives, there has been little research on the practical implications on service agents' enabling co-creation of value in the information technology (IT)-supported service encounters with clients. In this paper, we seek to bridge this gap and first use the example of IT-supported citizen advisory services to show the fundamental deficiencies in current service agents regarding the implementation of value co-creation work practices. We introduce the concept of service encounter thinklets, adapted from collaboration engineering, to overcome these deficiencies and to empower service agents to put value co-creation into practice. We show how service encounter thinklets can complement existing advisory support measures to enable service agents to transform the IT-supported customer service encounter into a collaborative work environment, bringing together themselves, customers and supporting information systems to co-create the advisory's value. A test with employees in a public administration's front office has provided first evidence that service encounter thinklets can effectively empower service agents on the job to adapt their work practices and to bring value co-creation into practice. Collapse

Topics: participatory design affordance customer service organizational context value creation

Methods: design methodology design artifact qualitative interview usability testing survey

Theories: theory of affordance lemon market theory

Creating a family of collaborative applications for emergency management in the firefighting sub-domain

2016 | Information Systems Frontiers | Citations: 0

Authors: Rossel, Pedro O.; Herskovic, Valeria; Ormeño, Erika

Abstract: Software Product Lines allow creating a set of applications that share a set of ... Expand

Abstract: Software Product Lines allow creating a set of applications that share a set of common features. This makes software product lines appropriate for implementing a family of software products when each stakeholder has different needs and requirements evolve constantly. In the case of emergency management, firefighters have begun using their own smartphones to collaborate and access information during emergencies. However, each firefighter role requires different information and the firefighters’ requirements are constantly evolving. We propose a well-defined process to help stakeholders in this domain specify the products they require, showing that it is possible to apply this software engineering process to extract collaborative requirements common to a set of applications. To confirm whether it was useful for real software implementation, we defined and implemented two applications for this domain. This paper presents the process used to systematically define the domain model and determine the domain scope, which may be used for other domains. We found the process to be appropriate for identifying features related to the domain and its collaborative aspects. The results are promising; the process allowed us to create two working applications which were positively received by two types of stakeholders. Collapse

Topics: emergency management Android mobile system systems development operating system

Methods: qualitative interview design artifact group interview literature study activity diagram

What literature review is not: diversity, boundaries and recommendations

2014 | European Journal of Information Systems | Citations: 316

Authors: Rowe, Frantz

Abstract: ... Expand

Abstract: Collapse

Topics: sensemaking business process management organizational productivity cloud computing information technology capability

Methods: literature study theory development theoretical contribution survey case study

Theories: information systems theory

Habitus, Resistance, and Change: Some Thoughts on Technology Implementation Practice

2013 | International Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Awazu, Yukika; Newell, Sue

Abstract: Drawing on Bourdieu’s (1977) theory of practice and Pickering’s (1995) mangle of ... Expand

Abstract: Drawing on Bourdieu’s (1977) theory of practice and Pickering’s (1995) mangle of practice, we investigate how an implementation of an enterprise-wide technology was being practiced. Based on an ethnographic examination in a software manufacturing organization, we present four episodes of practice that are related to two primary challenges: the lack of skilled staff and the lack of a shared image of the to-be developed system. The episodes are analyzed and discussed through a practice-lens but in doing this we focus on two somewhat distinctive practice views: one view which considers habitual practice that lead to reproducing and the other which considers how practice involves accommodations in response to resistance. Combining these two views, our interest is to understand how and when practices reinforce or change routines in technology implementation. The findings indicate the complex relationships among reproducing and accommodation practices in relation to objects, occupational status, and goal ambiguity. Collapse

Topics: systems implementation enterprise information system problem solving collaborative work

Methods: qualitative interview case study initial data analysis triangulation archival research

Theories: social practice theory theory of practice actor network theory institutional theory

Analyzing ICT adoption and use effects on knowledge creation: An empirical investigation in SMEs

2010 | International Journal of Information Management | Citations: 0

Authors: Lopez-Nicolas, Carolina; Soto-Acosta, Pedro

Abstract: This paper investigates the influence of the adoption and use of information and ... Expand

Abstract: This paper investigates the influence of the adoption and use of information and communication technology (ICT) on organizational learning (OL). The focus is on knowledge, creation, as an articulated construct for the OL concept, and the SECI (Socialization, Externalization, Combination and Internalization) model is used as a reference for knowledge, creation. ICT use is seen here as consisting of three different orientations: informative, communicative and workflow. The results, based on a sample of around 300 Spanish small- and, medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), indicate that ICT has a significant positive influence on the, four processes for creating knowledge. ICT oriented to communication and workflow is found, to produce a significant positive impact on knowledge creation processes, except for, socialization process, while ICT use for information does not influence any of the processes for, creating knowledge and OL. Collapse

Topics: knowledge creation technology adoption information system use system support intranet

Methods: survey field study regression analysis method simulation experiment

Theories: SECI model of knowledge dimensions

Collaborative technologies in knowledge telework: an exploratory study

2008 | Information Systems Journal | Citations: 13

Authors: Bélanger, France; Allport, Christopher D.

Abstract: Abstract.  Knowledge workers in distributed work environments require substantia ... Expand

Abstract: Abstract.  Knowledge workers in distributed work environments require substantial communication with colleagues and supervisors to perform their work activities, and collaborative technologies, like groupware, continue to improve the potential for such communication. This study investigates how an improvement in collaborative technology among a group of knowledge teleworkers impacts their communication patterns. The study focuses on one communication-based work process: knowledge sharing. The research involves a 6-month exploratory longitudinal case study of a group of teleworkers where a new groupware technology was implemented. The results indicate that while there are fewer instances of communication among group members after the technology is implemented, communication becomes more centralized around the district manager. These results suggest that increased collaborative technologies result in an adjustment between explicit and tacit knowledge sharing, as the availability of a centralized and updateable database reduces workgroup communications. However, consistent with structuration theory, telework group members do use communication technologies to address their most apparent needs and concerns. Other potential explanations and implications of these findings are discussed. Collapse

Topics: remote work computer supported cooperative work knowledge sharing IT supported collaboration productivity

Methods: survey case study qualitative interview network analysis survey design

Theories: structuration theory

Integrated collaboration across distributed sites: the perils of process and the promise of practice

2008 | Journal of Information Technology | Citations: 11

Authors: David, Gary C.; Chand, Donald; Newell, Sue; Resende-Santos, João

Abstract: In an era where a strategic command of global resources is becoming a requisite ... Expand

Abstract: In an era where a strategic command of global resources is becoming a requisite for success, firms are struggling to successfully unify their onshore and offshore sites. The literature on global virtual teams generally frames the impediments to coordination and collaboration based on divergent nationally based cultural attributes, language barriers, and the limitations of information and communication technologies. Drawing on world-systems theory, this paper argues for a decrease in the importance afforded to national boundaries and individual sites, and a re-orientation to the social dynamics across sites regardless of nationality. By changing the unit of analysis to the organization as a world system and focusing on emergent practices, this paper provides new insights regarding globally distributed collaborative work and identifies how to manage global relations to overcome structural impediments, to develop positive social relations, and achieve collaboration. Collapse

Topics: collaborative work video conference IT project organization structure information system use

Methods: case study qualitative interview theory development ethnography

Theories: world-systems theory

Effectiveness of Collaborative Tool Usage for Virtual Team Activities

2005 | Americas Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Becker, Jack D; Cline, Melinda

Abstract: This research explores the use of collaborative tools and their relationship wit ... Expand

Abstract: This research explores the use of collaborative tools and their relationship with team tasks to develop a better understanding of computer support of virtual teaming from the theoretical perspective of Adaptive Structuration Theory (AST). High-level IT executives from 53 large organizations surveyed were asked to identify: 1) which collaborative tools are used within their organizations; 2) their frequency of use; 3) how they are used; and 4) how successful the tools are. AST, which has previously been applied to studies of technologies supporting group work (Poole and DeSanctis, 1990) conceives of technology use as a social practice that emerges over time. Successful use of a technology is dependent upon the effectiveness with which groups appropriate and modify the technology to meet their needs. The research discusses the differences in how collaborative tools are used between high- and low-performing virtual teaming groups, as well as how different organization structures appear at different stages of virtual team development. Collapse

Topics: virtual teamwork computer supported cooperative work collaborative work information system use video conference

Methods: survey personal interview survey design

Theories: adaptive structuration theory structuration theory

Best Practices for Managing Collaborative Technology Tools and Virtual Teams

2001 | Americas Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 1

Authors: Becke, Jack; Ballentine, Rodger; Tedford, Karon; Lee, Angelique

Abstract: From 1998 to 2000 the University of North Texas’ Center for the Study of Work Te ... Expand

Abstract: From 1998 to 2000 the University of North Texas’ Center for the Study of Work Teams (CSWT) and Information Systems Research Center (ISRC) conducted a cross-disciplinary benchmarking study of collaborative technologies used for virtual teaming. Approx-imately 140 surveys were mailed to over fifty companies; 46 usable replies from 41 companies were used in this study. While the sample was primarily a convenience sample from firms that were closely affiliated with one or both of the research centers, many of these firms were Fortune 500 companies. Organizations were classified in a Virtual Teaming Matrix according to both their stage of collaborative technology development and their teaming maturity. Finally, the management practices for both the highest and lowest performing virtual teaming organizations were compared. A number of “best practices” for high performing virtual teams have started to emerge. Due to sample size limitations this research is considered still exploratory in nature. Collapse

Topics: computer supported cooperative work virtual teamwork collaborative work information system use systems implementation

Methods: survey personal interview