Taking transition into account: designing with pre-users of medical devices
Abstract
Participation in design has typically focused on involving those who use, will use, or who represent the users of the products in development. In this paper we discuss our experiences designing with 'pre-users'---people who have a relationship to the technology other than as a user or potential user of the product. We present a case study that documents how we worked with pre-users of two different types of medical technologies: hearing aids and insulin injection devices. Pre-users are people who do not currently use these products, but who are in a life situation for which these technologies may be prescribed sometime in the future, judging by their current medical condition. This paper distinguishes pre-users from other types of users commonly involved in participatory design. We exemplify how they can contribute to design activities through the case. We discuss relevant methods for their involvement and list some of their contributions to design, concluding with a discussion of how the objectives of participation might need adjustment when involving pre-users in design processes.
