The following are three alternatives with some (only some) features:
- Participatory Design. Rapid prototyping, consultation with users
- Soft Systems Methodology. Build a model of the human activity of the training system; validate it with the mnemonic CATWOE
- Ethnography. Observe people when they plan a new training event. Take notes.
Company U (the buyer/indian company) is going to organise a training event for members of both companies. The objective of the combined event is to understand the needs of both companies, and provide a solution or model that is suitable to both. The event is going to be developed by a trainer in the company U, making use of Participatory design, to ensure the users/participants in the event are involved from the design stage itself, and that the event caters to everyone's requirements.
The participatory design will involve consultation with the users, and rapid prototyping.
- The trainer creates a plan for the training event, including what all areas he's planning to cover, and in how much details he intends to cover each portion.
- He then sends his prototype (plan for the training event) and explanations to employees of both companies, and their trainers, so that he can receive their feedback.
- The employees and trainers of both companies, respond by adding their suggestions to the prototype, and also listing further areas that needs to be focussed upon.
- The trainer uses the feedback provided by the employees and trainers, to create another prototype, that includes their requests. He then sends this prototype again to all the employees and trainers involved in the event.
- If there are further suggestions, or changes needed to be made, the users inform the trainer about them.
- After reviewing the suggestions, the trainer changes the design to include the suggestions. He sends the modified prototype to the employees.
- This procedure continues, until a satisfactory agreement can be reached among all the users.
- Once the users have agreed upon a prototype, the trainer can go ahead and design the training event, which will be catering to all the users needs, as they were involved in the design phase also.
2 comments:
It is clear and well structured design..
I can see and understand the participatory design by crossing the feedback between trainer and employees from both companies.
One thing that be my consideration: after the trainer had a topic for training events, the communication between employee from both companies and trainer might be necessary before making a prototype of training event. So the employees are getting more involved because they could take parts from very beginning of the process. Also,revision changes of the prototype could be less which can be more efficient in time, instead of changing prototype over and over again..
cheers
In this recursive process of rapid prototyping and revising the user’s feedback you need to take into account that the designers (or in this case the trainers) will need to prioritise what is important. In other words, they will not simply incorporate all the suggestions from the users. They can involve the users even in this stage by asking them what it is more important to them.
Good to see that you identified the benefits of Participatory Design. Have you identified any difficulties with this approach?
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