| Abstrakt: |
This paper presents the findings of a user study conducted at a company, a global leader in its industry, in order to engage experts by experience in the research and development of the company's future products. People who have lifechanging experiences such as being ill or having a disability, and who are trained to consider their environment in terms of those experiences, can be called experts by experience. They can be inventive in creating solutions to the challenges of an inaccessible environment. Currently, their expertise is primarily used by the public sector, mainly in welfare and health-related initiatives. The corporate sector seems to have not yet actively engaged them. This study adopted a design research approach and applied a case study method to a research and development project conducted at a company. The user study comprised experts by experience testing a physical prototype that had digital content, by thinking aloud, interacting and participating in a design game. The aim was to understand the strengths, opportunities and development needs of the prototype, as well as to gain the experts' insights into future requirements and how to meet them with similar products. The study resulted in usability-, appearance- and feel-related product qualities, as well as ideas regarding the product's potential applications and digital content. The findings suggest that trained experts by experience can provide a company with information that could act as design drivers that benefit strategic development. Due to the inclusion and empowerment of users, as well as fostering their equality, engaging experts by experience in research and development could also be considered to be an example of corporate social sustainability and responsibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
