scholarly journals User Involvement: Effective Performance in Sustainable Social Housing

2022 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 60
Author(s):  
Jan Johansson
Keyword(s):  
Social Housing ◽  
User Involvement ◽  
Social Sustainability ◽  
Qualitative Evaluation ◽  
Administrative Staff ◽  
User Experiences ◽  
Effective Performance

In the development of sustainable social housing, the residents, operating staff, and administrative staff - as users - face challenges in relation to a lack of involvement. The aim of this research is to contribute with results regarding these challenges. These contributions to the discussion are based on the results of a qualitative evaluation of sustainable social housing. The results suggest that it can be an advantage to utilise user experiences in the development of future sustainable social housing with a view to strengthening the user involvement process. The argument is that a greater degree of user involvement respects people’s experiences as being a contribution to the development of new projects. In addition, the research suggests that the early involvement of residents, operating staff, and administrative staff can strengthen the sense of project ownership and community, as well as the project’s social sustainability. It is claimed that user involvement can promote social sustainability, which is a significant factor, since the intention behind a project’s sustainability is that the residents will later have ownership and an interest in ensuring that it works in accordance with its intentions.

The quality of user experiences for mobile recommendation systems: an end-user perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Woon Kian Chong ◽  
Zhuang Ma
Keyword(s):  
Social Norms ◽  
User Experience ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Recommendation Systems ◽  
User Involvement ◽  
Sample Population ◽  
User Experiences ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Involvement Theory

PurposeThis paper attempts to identify key factors (i.e., personalization, privacy awareness and social norms) that affect user experiences (UXs) of mobile recommendation systems according to the user involvement theory (push-based and pull-based) and their relationships.Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on an online survey with students from an international business school located in southwestern China. The sample population for the study included randomly selected 600 university students who are active mobile phone users. A total of 470 questionnaires were returned; 456 were valid (14 were invalid due to the incompleteness of their responses), providing a response rate of 65%.FindingsSocial norms have the largest impact on user experience quality, followed by personalization and privacy awareness. User involvement in mobile recommendation systems has mediating effects on the above relationships, with larger effects on pull-based systems than on push-based systems.Originality/valueThis study provides an integrated framework for researchers to measure the effects of social, personal and risk factors on the quality of user experience. The results enrich the literature on user involvement, mobile recommendation systems and UX. The findings provide significant implications for both retailers and developers of mobile recommendation systems.

scholarly journals A qualitative evaluation of the value of an online peer support community for people with depression: Depression Connect (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorien Smit ◽  
Janna Vrijsen ◽  
Bart Groeneweg ◽  
Amber Dings ◽  
Janneke Peelen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Peer Support ◽  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
Qualitative Evaluation ◽  
Negative Aspect ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
User Experiences ◽  
User Perspective ◽  
Theoretical Sampling ◽  
Consumer Perspective ◽  
Relevant Outcome

BACKGROUND Despite their popularity, the efficacy of online peer support communities for individuals with depression remains unclear. Little is known about the working mechanisms of online communities in general and for depression specifically. The evidence for the efficacy of online peer support for depression is confounded by methodological issues and ambiguity of relevant outcome measures. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of an online peer support community for depression from a user perspective. By employing qualitative modes of inquiry, the aim was to generate hypotheses on the mechanisms of change and outcomes of online peer support usage in depression. METHODS Fifteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with users of the online peer support community Depression Connect [DC], in which experiences and outcomes of forum use in coping with depression were examined. To explore diverse perspectives of community usage, theoretical sampling was performed, and negative cases were included. RESULTS A complex set of factors seemed to influence the subjective usefulness of the online peer support community DC from a consumer perspective. The data revealed 4 distinctive user experiences: A sense of belonging, emotional growth, self-efficacy, and empowerment. Furthermore, losing oneself was the central negative aspect of forum use. The deployment and development of 3 differentiated user roles (e.g., reading, posting, responding) seemed to individually and interactively affect user experiences. Finally, the online peer support community seemed to serve as a digital realm to practice and reflect on coping with depression and was mainly used as a supplement to offline support for depression. CONCLUSIONS The DC online peer support community allowed individuals familiar with depression to learn how to cope (better) with depression and practice these newly gained insights/skills. It may serve as a supplement to formal care for depression.

Realising the Potential of Co-production: Negotiating Improvements in Public Services

2008 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Needham
Keyword(s):  
Social Housing ◽  
Service Provision ◽  
Public Services ◽  
User Involvement ◽  
The Uk

The concept of co-production – also called co-creation – is gaining widespread attention as a way to increase user involvement in service provision in the UK. It is usually taken as self-evident that more co-production will improve services. However, it is necessary to be clear about how far and in what ways co-production can improve public services. This article looks at the purported advantages of co-production, and considers how these can best be accessed. A case study workshop involving social housing users and providers, conducted as part of the National Consumer Council-Unison Shared Solutions project, is used to illustrate the need for collective dialogue and deliberation between co-producers rather than purely transactional forms of co-production.

scholarly journals Technology, Users, and Sustainable Social Housing

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 30-40
Author(s):  
Jan Johansson
Keyword(s):  
Social Housing ◽  
Social Sustainability ◽  
Living Conditions ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Indoor Climate ◽  
Architectural Practice ◽  
Technology Users

Abstract This paper aims to contribute with results in relation to the challenges that users encounter with regard to technologies in sustainable social housing. The results are significant and show that in modern Danish sustainable social housing consideration is not taken for the users in relation to the technologies implemented in the buildings. The consequences are that the intentions of the technologies supporting economic, environmental, and social sustainability do not work for the users when the buildings are taken into use. The paper argues that developers and architectural practice should in future use simpler technologies that give residents the opportunity to individually regulate their homes’ indoor climate. At the same time, architecture and technology should reflect the consideration towards the climate in the local context and the users’ funda-mental living conditions. The paper argues for the development of a more user-oriented architecture, where the interaction between architecture and technology can work for the users and to a greater extent support the intentions with regard to sustainability.

scholarly journals Problems associated with the management of performance appraisals in universities: The case of Ghanaian Public Sector Universities

2008 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 134-152
Author(s):  
E. O. Agyenim-Boateng
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Performance Appraisal ◽  
Employee Performance ◽  
Performance Appraisals ◽  
Administrative Staff ◽  
Appraisal System ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Effective Performance ◽  
Appraisal Systems

The use of performance appraisal, a presence of the private sector organisations, has now become wide spread and has grown to include previously untouched organisations and occupational hierarchies such as secretarial and administrative staff in both the public and private sectors. However, verv little has been reported in the literature concerning the perceptions and experiences of the universities in developing countries relating to performance appraisals. This study therefore sought to explore performance appraisal systems in the Ghanaian public sector universities to consider the perceptions and experiences of the administrative staff about the problems associated with the performance appraisal systems of the universities. The study adopted an exploratory, descriptive and evaluative triangulation case study approach and generated data through semistructured interviews and self-completing questionnaires from 401 university employees in Ghana from four of the six public sector universities. Both quantitative and qualitative methods of analysis in the form of frequencies, percentages, means, graphs and content analysis were used to analyse the data. The results indicate that generally the perceptions of the administrative staff conceming the effectiveness of the present performance appraisal systems of the universities were skewed towards dissatisfaction because they lacked essential characteristics of an effective performance appraisal system. These include lack of c1early formulated and defined policies and objectives, performance measures, effective staff participation and training and development that could make them effective. The study concludes that there is a need for the universities to recognise their employees as valued resources and treat them as a source of competitive advantage which have to be strategically managed to achieve improved employee performance and development as well as the effectiveness of the universities.

scholarly journals The Impact of Contemporary Housing Functions on Its Social Sustainability

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Koch
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Social Housing ◽  
Capital Accumulation ◽  
Social Sustainability ◽  
Sustainable Housing ◽  
Relational Justice ◽  
Productive Labor ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
The Impact

Social housing functions are interrelated in manifold ways, expressing different needs and preferences of heterogeneous and socially unequal modern societies. The home as a place of individual shelter and privacy and as a node of interaction in social networks interferes with activities that had been spatially outsourced in the past and reintegrated again in recent times, such as productive labor, care or supply. In addition, social housing functions compete with economic functions of capital accumulation and profitmaking, transforming the dwelling into a tradeable commodity. Likewise, ecological functions of saving land and resources and reducing greenhouse gas emissions have to be satisfied. These interdependencies challenge sustainable housing politics, most prominently signified in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals 1, 10, and 11. The contribution captures this network of housing functions by advocating to strengthen social housing functions against economic functions. Political and philosophical justification of this position refers to theories of social capital and relational justice. Political measures feasible of being applied within the neoliberal system will be delineated, aiming to sustain social housing functions.

scholarly journals Technology, Users, and Sustainable Social Housing

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 31
Author(s):  
Jan Johansson
Keyword(s):  
Social Housing ◽  
Social Sustainability ◽  
Living Conditions ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Indoor Climate ◽  
Architectural Practice ◽  
Technology Users

This paper aims to contribute with results in relation to the challenges that users encounter with regard to technologies in sustainable social housing. The results are significant and show that in modern Danish sustainable social housing consideration is not taken for the users in relation to the technologies implemented in the buildings. The consequences are that the intentions of the technologies supporting economic, environmental, and social sustainability do not work for the users when the buildings are taken into use. The paper argues that developers and architectural practice should in future use simpler technologies that give residents the opportunity to individually regulate their homes’ indoor climate. At the same time, architecture and technology should reflect the consideration towards the climate in the local context and the users’ funda-mental living conditions. The paper argues for the development of a more user-oriented architecture, where the interaction between architecture and technology can work for the users and to a greater extent support the intentions with regard to sustainability.

Family members’ experiences

2018 ◽  
pp. 81-98
Author(s):  
Deanna Edwards
Keyword(s):  
Service User ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Family Members ◽  
User Involvement ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Service User Involvement ◽  
User Experiences ◽  
Scarce Resources ◽  
Welfare Family ◽  
Pipe Dream

This chapter looks at the views of family members who have been involved in child welfare family group conferences (FGCs). FGCs originate in New Zealand from roots that are firmly embedded within service-user rights and empowerment. Therefore, it is not surprising that FGC projects have developed strategies for involving families in developing services. At present, there are pockets of good practice in terms of service-user involvement. However, it must be acknowledged that service-user involvement in all areas of social care remains a pipe dream for many reasons, which include scarce resources in terms of staff and financial commitments. Nevertheless, it is recommended for new and established projects to continue to evaluate service-user experiences of FGCs and to use these evaluations to enhance provision, and to give FGC service users the opportunity to contribute to FGC training.

scholarly journals Missing Hero: Co‐Producing Change in Social Housing Programmes

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 234-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcus Knutagård ◽  
Cecilia Heule ◽  
Arne Kristiansen
Keyword(s):  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Social Housing ◽  
Service User ◽  
User Involvement ◽  
Housing First ◽  
Service User Involvement ◽  
The Social ◽  
Housing Options ◽  
Housing Programme

The aim of this article is to develop theory and generate knowledge about the challenges and possibilities of co‐producing change in a social housing programme. The purpose of the project was to implement the Housing First philosophy in the social housing programme in the city of Helsingborg, Sweden. The aim was also to create opportunities for service user involvement. Several innovative measures were implemented in order for these changes to occur from autumn 2016 to summer 2017. The social services commissioned a university course on which social workers and their clients studied together on equal terms to create project plans for the further development of their own workplace. A “Future” workshop was held by the researchers with representatives from all the different housing options (the shelter, transitional housing, category housing, Housing First apartments), both clients and social workers. Repeated dialogue meetings were conducted at the different housing options to discuss how service user involvement could be developed and to discover new ways of participation. This article is based on a strengths‐based perspective using the theoretical discussions on social traps, as well as the concepts of enabling and entrapping niches. We show the importance of social workers identifying and supporting missing heroes—service users who want to participate and be involved in co‐producing change. We also show that if an organisation is not prepared for the initiated changes, there is a risk of disappointment due to awakened expectations that are not fulfilled. Building trust is also an important component to emerge from the material, but we also found that change processes can be initiated that continue and have impact beyond the initial project’s goals.

Review of Qualitative Evaluation and Research Methods (2nd ed.).

1991 ◽  
Vol 36 (12) ◽  
pp. 1113-1113
Author(s):  
No authorship indicated
Keyword(s):  
Research Methods ◽  
Qualitative Evaluation
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