Partial Success and Partial Failure in a Commercial Development Project

Abstract

This paper reports on partial success and partial failure in introducing participatory design principles and practices into a commercial development context. The dimensions of participatory design proposed by Clement and Van den Besselaar (1993) are first used to provide a framework for discussing the notion of success. A case study is then presented which details the design activities undertaken in a small commercial development project, and the way in which the process and outcomes of the project can be considered as both partial success and partial failure. Three possible explanations for the negative outcomes are suggested. The interpretive analysis of the outcomes has implications in terms of the management and conduct of participatory design projects in a commercial context, and suggests additional directions for analysis of why participatory design projects may be more or less successful.