Search

We report on participatory design activities within the PoliTeam project, a large project which introduces groupware into the German government. Working with a representative small group of users in different worksites, an existing system was adapted to user and organizational needs, with the plan to improve and expand the system to a large scale. We integrated new approaches of user advocacy and osmosis with an evolutionary cycling process. User advocates and osmosis were techniques used to explore the users‘ needs during actual system use. These techniques were incorporated into the system development. In this paper, we present experiences with this approach and reflect on its impact on the design process from the designers‘ point of view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Population aging presents huge challenges for most countries around the world. In this context, long-term care systems appear as a feasible solution to the multidimensional issues arising from demographic change. However, designing a long-term care system is complex. This article presents a structure to analyze long-term care systems based on four components: beneficiaries, benefits, providers, and financing. It uses the experience of three countries to illustrate the many choices available when designing the system, emphasizing the need to understand each component and their interactions. The analysis highlights the existence of several alternatives when designing and implementing long-term care systems.