Innovation
In order to construct tools that will be adopted by end-users and thus become real "instruments", the enhancement of domain experts' know-how is of primary importance. In our sign management process, specialists who wish to collaborate in transmitting their knowledge are called "content producers". We need their active participation in the project if we want to build a product-service that is really used by people. The quality of produced sign bases in end-users' hands depends on the trust in their skills for acquisition of data, on the truth in their hypotheses issued from reasoning with them, and on the design of shared information.
The primary prerequisite for building a product-service is to find renown experts in the domain, but it is not the only one.
The shaping of information, data and knowledge by professional editors (knowledge engineers, developers, designers, computer graphists, pedagogues, ergonomists) and its diffusion on ultra high-speed networks by Internet operators is also a requirement of modern consumers. Professionalism in and of all aspects of production, edition and distribution is thus, an additional prerequisite for encouraging end-users to adopt products and e-services.
In order to anticipate rapid modifications in use throughout a modern digital world that features numerous frequently explored alternatives , it is essential to involve producers and end-users in the process of definition and design of e-services. Nowadays, people want to participate in and co-create their services.
Our aim is to build a community of practice of researchers, entrepreneurs and end-users that shares a common vision and identity, and take pleasure to meet themselves for this common initiative of defining usages that count.
For this last task (but not the least, the most important in fact), sociologists, psychologists, jurists and economists are welcome in the team.
This creative method has been experienced on a Co-Design Platform for the IKBS project, the ETIC program, the E-guitare and E-campus projects, by applying the concepts of activity theory and the practice of agile development in a constructivist manner (idea, mock-up, prototype, product-service).
A Co-Design Platform is a physical (and virtual) meeting place of communication of projects between researchers, developers, businesses and consumers, for a common definition of the characteristics of e-services which correspond as closely as possible to consumers' expectations.
This technological and social network strategy forms the business/usage approach of Knowledge Management.
On the business objects part of KM, i.e. the design approach, the convergence of technologies such as Web Services, Semantic Web and Immersive Web is the next challenge that our team wish to apply in a Virtual Reunion Island for accessing information through open 3D e-services.
On the use objects part of KM, i.e. the usage approach, the learning of how to use the tools is of great importance for them to become instruments, i.e. e-services that are really used.
At each step of the building process, we make focus groups to determine the weaknesses of mock-ups and prototypes at ergonomical, psychological, social, economical, juridical and technical levels.
Our innovation in research is that we consider the user-centered approach as being the most important task for getting useful products-services. This method is iterative between designers and users who want to share a common identity, and be involved in activities that make sense for mastering the instruments.
Innovation is a meaningful concept if ICT researchers are able to interlace enhancement and research in practice. Indeed, they must take into account the usage process of making e-services if they want end-users to trust the usefulness of their research.
