Издательство Springer, 2006, -231 pp.
Several decades of involvement in a myriad of projects, programmes and initiatives conceed with designing for people, have revealed to us and to many others a patte in which successive waves of new technologies each raise hopes and expectations. Too often we are then disappointed with their shortfall in delivery. Of course many of the systems, products and services many of us take for granted in our lives have brought innumerable benefits, and we sometimes pause to wonder how we ever managed without the capability to use, for example, email, inteet banking or mobile phones. But such capabilities are not yet enjoyed universally, and often come with unanticipated, sometimes negative, consequences. The benefits have by-passed many people in our society and are out of reach of many others on economic, physical, educational, social and other grounds. Our explorations of cases where the use of technology to enhance human capabilities and quality of life has succeeded have convinced us that it is only with ‘people-power’ that the awesome capabilities of information and communications technologies (ICTs) can be shaped to meet the needs and aspirations of citizens.
The design of complex, multifunctional, ICT-enabled environments, products and services typically involves many role holders with responsibility for different aspects of design and decision-making. We hope the contents of the book will be of interest to all those stakeholders in the Information Society who are involved in the many roles associated with planning, design, implementation, delivery and support of digital technologies for use by citizens. This growing cohort of people, in many different roles and with a variety of objectives, is working to achieve the participation and active engagement of members of the public in matters relating to technologies – especially the digital technologies – which permeate the Information Society. The intended audience for this text is commensurately diverse. It includes the research community attempting to understand the engagement process and to develop theoretical models of engagement; practitioners in domains such as local govement, healthcare, community housing and education who face the challenge of engaging apparently uninterested, even apathetic, citizens in local matters of consequence for the community; and policy makers and strategists in central govement and inteational agencies.
In particular we hope that those of you who have not sought to involve citizens in designing technologies will see what you have been missing and be inspired to make up for lost time. For those who have attempted to engage citizens in design efforts of one form or another but have been disappointed with the result, we offer a framework and strategic approach. We also describe tools and techniques to facilitate the process of engaging with citizens and gaining the rewards that have perhaps eluded you before.
One aspiration for this book is that it will enable people working in this diversity of contexts to share perspectives, experiences and emerging best practice of citizen engagement processes. Practitioners have perhaps the hardest task in setting up processes for engaging citizens in shaping technological futures in which they will be stakeholders. It is for them that this book includes material on the available ‘know-how’ for achieving effective engagement of citizens. To ground the substance of the book, examples of good practice in citizen participation and engagement are drawn from projects and programmes around the world. A wide range of the processes, mechanisms and media used, as well as a considerable array of tools and techniques, are identified and discussed.
Introduction
Designing Digital Futures
The Case for Engagement
Citizen Engagement in Practice
Giving a Voice to the ‘Hard to Hear’
Modelling Citizen Engagement
Citizen Engagement in ICT Design: The Challenge
Strategies for Citizen Engagement: (i) Shifting the Focus of ICT Design Practice
Strategies for Citizen Engagement (ii) – Tools and Techniques
Achieving a Culture of Participation and Engagement
Several decades of involvement in a myriad of projects, programmes and initiatives conceed with designing for people, have revealed to us and to many others a patte in which successive waves of new technologies each raise hopes and expectations. Too often we are then disappointed with their shortfall in delivery. Of course many of the systems, products and services many of us take for granted in our lives have brought innumerable benefits, and we sometimes pause to wonder how we ever managed without the capability to use, for example, email, inteet banking or mobile phones. But such capabilities are not yet enjoyed universally, and often come with unanticipated, sometimes negative, consequences. The benefits have by-passed many people in our society and are out of reach of many others on economic, physical, educational, social and other grounds. Our explorations of cases where the use of technology to enhance human capabilities and quality of life has succeeded have convinced us that it is only with ‘people-power’ that the awesome capabilities of information and communications technologies (ICTs) can be shaped to meet the needs and aspirations of citizens.
The design of complex, multifunctional, ICT-enabled environments, products and services typically involves many role holders with responsibility for different aspects of design and decision-making. We hope the contents of the book will be of interest to all those stakeholders in the Information Society who are involved in the many roles associated with planning, design, implementation, delivery and support of digital technologies for use by citizens. This growing cohort of people, in many different roles and with a variety of objectives, is working to achieve the participation and active engagement of members of the public in matters relating to technologies – especially the digital technologies – which permeate the Information Society. The intended audience for this text is commensurately diverse. It includes the research community attempting to understand the engagement process and to develop theoretical models of engagement; practitioners in domains such as local govement, healthcare, community housing and education who face the challenge of engaging apparently uninterested, even apathetic, citizens in local matters of consequence for the community; and policy makers and strategists in central govement and inteational agencies.
In particular we hope that those of you who have not sought to involve citizens in designing technologies will see what you have been missing and be inspired to make up for lost time. For those who have attempted to engage citizens in design efforts of one form or another but have been disappointed with the result, we offer a framework and strategic approach. We also describe tools and techniques to facilitate the process of engaging with citizens and gaining the rewards that have perhaps eluded you before.
One aspiration for this book is that it will enable people working in this diversity of contexts to share perspectives, experiences and emerging best practice of citizen engagement processes. Practitioners have perhaps the hardest task in setting up processes for engaging citizens in shaping technological futures in which they will be stakeholders. It is for them that this book includes material on the available ‘know-how’ for achieving effective engagement of citizens. To ground the substance of the book, examples of good practice in citizen participation and engagement are drawn from projects and programmes around the world. A wide range of the processes, mechanisms and media used, as well as a considerable array of tools and techniques, are identified and discussed.
Introduction
Designing Digital Futures
The Case for Engagement
Citizen Engagement in Practice
Giving a Voice to the ‘Hard to Hear’
Modelling Citizen Engagement
Citizen Engagement in ICT Design: The Challenge
Strategies for Citizen Engagement: (i) Shifting the Focus of ICT Design Practice
Strategies for Citizen Engagement (ii) – Tools and Techniques
Achieving a Culture of Participation and Engagement