Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

From human-centred to human-context centred approach: looking back over ‘the hills’, what has been gained and lost?

  • Original paper
  • Published:
AI & SOCIETY Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The cornerstone of the human-centred tradition lies in two notions: socially useful production and human machine symbiosis. However, only the latter became in focus in the successive user-centred design approaches. The paper makes a critical ‘flash-back’ to various human centred design approaches since the 1970s. In addition, it explores the sustainability challenges facing the current situation and suggests that ‘human-centredness’ should be extended to ‘human-context centred’ approach in order to recognize the challenges of the sustainability. Finally, the paper discuss the possibilities to develop and use narrative and modelling simulation methods including both qualitative and quantitative tools in a combined approach to meet the challenges of sustainable development within such a human-context centred approach.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alexander IF, Maiden N ( 2004) Scenarios, stories, use cases–through the systems development life-cycle. John Wiley & Sons, UK

  • Ballon P, Arbanowski S (2005) Business models in the future wireless world. In: Tafazoli R (ed) Technologies for the wireless future: the wireless world research forum book of visions, 2005. Wiley, UK, pp 90–112

    Google Scholar 

  • Bannon LJ (2000) Situating workplace studies within the human-computer interaction field. In: Uff P, Hindmarsh J, Heart C (eds) Workplace studies—recovering work practice and informing system design. Cambridge University press, UK, pp 230–241

    Google Scholar 

  • Beyer H, Holtzblatt K (1998) Contextual design—defining customer-centered systems. Academic, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Boehm B (1988) The spiral model of software development and enhancement. IEEE Comput 21(5):61–72

    Google Scholar 

  • Bourdieu P (1998) Practical reason—on the theory of action. Polity press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Castells M (1996/2000) The information age: economy, society and culture, vol I. The rise of the network society, 2nd edn. Blackwell, Oxford

  • Charter M, Tischner U (eds) (2001) Sustainable solutions—developing products and services for the future. Greenleaf Publishing, UK

  • Cooke P, Morgan K (1993) The network paradigm: new departures in corporate and regional development. In: Environment and planning D: society and space, vol 11, pp 543–564

  • Cooley M (1980/1987) Architect or bee? The human price of technology. Hogarth press, UK

  • Cooper A (1999) The inmates are running the asylum: why high-tech products drive us crazy and how to restore the sanity. SAMS, Indianapolis

  • Corbett JM, Rasmussen LB, Rauner F (1991) Crossing the border. Springer, UK

  • Crespi F (1987) Social action and the ambivalence of communication: a critique of Habermas’ theory. Eur J Commun 2(4):415–425

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ehn P (1988) Work oriented sedign of computer artifacts. Arbetslivscentrum, Sweden

  • Erman K (2006) Reconciling communicative action with recognition: thickening the ‘inter’ of intersubjectivity. Philos Soc Criticism 32:377–400

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feenberg A (1996) Marcuse or habermas: two critiques of technology. Inquiry 39:45–70

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gasson S (2003) Human-centered vs. user-centered approaches to information system design. J Inf Technol Theory Appl 5(2):29–41

    Google Scholar 

  • Garibaldo F (2003) Clustering and networking in Italy: a critical reflection on Emilia-Romagno and Bologna. In: Brandt D (ed) Navigating innovations—Indo-European cross-cultural experiences, vol I. India Research Press, New Delhi

  • Garrison DR, Anderson T (2003) E-learning in the 21th Century. Routledge Flamer, US

    Google Scholar 

  • Gelb MJ (1998) How to think like Leonardo da Vinci. HarperCollins, New York

  • Gill KS (1996) The human-centred movement. The British context. In: AI & Society, vol 10(2), pp 109–117

  • Granovetter M (1992) Problems of explanation in economic sociology. In: Nohria N, Eccles RG (eds) Networks and organizations: structure, form and action. Harvard Business School Press, Boston

    Google Scholar 

  • Habermas J, Lenhardt C, Nicholsen S (1990) Moral consciousness and communicatative action. MIT Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • van der Heijden K (2004) Scenarios—the art of strategic conversation. Wiley, UK

    Google Scholar 

  • van der Heijden K, Bradfield R, Burt G, Cains G, Wright G (2002) The sixth sense. accelerating organizational learning with scenarios. Wiley, Chichester

    Google Scholar 

  • Heron J, Reason P (2001) The practice of co-operative inquiry: research ‘with’ rather than ‘on’ people. In: Reason P, Bradbury H (eds) Handbook of action research. Sage Publications, UK

    Google Scholar 

  • Holtzblatt K, Wendell JB, Wood S (2005) Rapid contextual design—a how-to guide to key techniques for user-centered design. Elsevier, US

    Google Scholar 

  • Jacobsen P (2004) Production of modularised product systems. In: IFAC-MIM conference on manufacturing, modelling, management and control, Athens

  • Johannisson B (2000) Networking and entrepreneurial growth. In: Sexton DL, Landström H (eds) The blackwell handbook of entrepreneurship. Blackwell, UK, pp 368–386

    Google Scholar 

  • Loucopoulos P (2004) Evaluating scenarios by simulation. In: Alexander IF, Maiden N (eds) Scenarios, stories, use cases: through the system development life-cycle. Wiley, UK

    Google Scholar 

  • Medis D (1999) A contribution to the critique of Jürgen Habermas. WSWS: readers’ forum: the balkan war. http://www.wsws.org/articles/1999/jul1999/hab-j27.shtml

  • Midgley G (2000) Systemic intervention: philosophy, methodology and practice. Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York

  • Miles G, Heppard KA, Miles RE, Snew G (2000) Entrepreneurial strategies – the critical role of top management. In: Meyer GD, Heppard KA (eds) Entrepreneurship as strategy—competing on the entrepreneurial edge. Sage Publications, London, pp 101–114

    Google Scholar 

  • Merchant C (1983) The death of nature—women, ecology and the scientific revolution. Harper and Roe Publishers, US

  • Mintzberg H (1994) The Rise and Fall of Strategic Planning. Prentice Hall, UK

    Google Scholar 

  • Moldaschl M (2000) Reflexivität, Zur Bestimmung und Anwendung der Kategorie in Forschung, Beratung and Gestaltung. Working papers no. 3 Dep. of Sociology, TU, Munich

  • Mumford E (1983) Designing human systems. Manchester Business School, Manchester

  • Nonaka I, Toyama R (2002) A firm as a dialectical being: towards a dynamic theory of a firm. Ind Corp Change 11:995–1009

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Netterstroem S, Rasmussen LB (2003) Development of small enterprises through networking: a case study from the Danish dairy sector. In: Brandt D (ed) Navigating innovations—Indo-European cross-cultural experiences. India Research Press, New Delhi, pp 133–148

    Google Scholar 

  • Noble D (1977) America by design—science, technology and the rise on corporate capitalism. Alfred A. Knofpf, US

    Google Scholar 

  • Noble D (1984) Forces of production—a social history of industrial automation. Alfred A. Knofpf, US

    Google Scholar 

  • Nussbaum MC (2000) Women and human development—the capabilities approach. Cambridge University Press, US

    Google Scholar 

  • OECD (2001) The DAC Guidelines—strategies for sustainable development. OECD Publication Service, France

    Google Scholar 

  • Oostindie H (2002) The integration of care activities on farms. In: van der Ploeg JD, Long A, Banks J (eds) Living countrysides: rural development processes in Europe: the state of the art. Koopmans, NL

    Google Scholar 

  • Ottesen B (2003) Centre for coast culture. Unpublished paper, Baaring, Funen, DK

  • Pajnik M (2006) Feminist reflections on Habermas’s communicative action. Eur J Soc Theory 9(3):385–404

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ploeg JD van der, Long A, Banks J (2002) Living countrysides: rural development processes in europe: the state of the art. Koopmans, NL

    Google Scholar 

  • Polanyi M (1962) Personal knowledge: towards a post-critical philosophy. University of Chicago Press, US

    Google Scholar 

  • Raskin P, Swart RJ, Robinson J (2002) In: Proceedings of the 2002 Berlin conference on the human dimensions of global environmental change. Global Governance project, Amsterdam, Berlin, Potsdam and Oldenburg, 2004, pp 53–66

  • Rasmussen LB (2003) Action research toolkit II: the scenario workshop. In: Brandt D (ed) Navigating innovations—indo-european cross-cultural experiences. India Research Press, New Delhi, pp 241–258

  • Rasmussen LB (2004) Sustainable entrepreneurship and quality of work. In: Francesco G, Volker T (eds) Globalisation, company strategies and quality of working life in Europe. Peter Lang, Germany

  • Rasmussen LB (2005) The narrative aspect of scenario building—how story telling may give people a memory of the future. AI & Society 19:229–249

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenbrock HH (1979) The redirection of technology. In: De Giorgio A, Roveda C (eds) Criteria for selecting appropriate technologies under different cultural, technical and social conditions. Pergamon press, New York, pp 7–13

  • Rauner F, Rasmussen LB, Corbett JM (1988) The social shaping of technology and work: human centred computer integrated manufacturing systems. AI & Society, vol 2(2), pp 47–61

  • Tukker A, Tischner U (eds) (2006) New business for old Europe. Greenleaf Publishing, UK

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lauge Baungaard Rasmussen.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Rasmussen, L.B. From human-centred to human-context centred approach: looking back over ‘the hills’, what has been gained and lost?. AI & Soc 21, 471–495 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-007-0088-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-007-0088-3

Keywords

Navigation