Living Labs
In six living labs, researchers and practitioners from companies analyzed and researched gender and IT topics in a real-world setting. The living labs ensured a continuous exchange between research and practice and promoted intensive professional cooperation. This participatory and application-oriented approach opened up a dialogue on gender issues in which companies had a chance to get familiar with findings from gender research. At the same time, the researchers were challenged to look for viable solution in a corporate setting. The findings from the Living Labs were presented, discussed and further developed in an iterative process at the Symposia and the international conference.
About the model project living labs
A vivid and open corporate culture offers many incentives for young professionals to engage in companies. In collaboration with six companes we tried to expedite the networking between gender researchers and IT companies. On the one hand gender studies and technology as well as feminist human computer interaction research already offers excellent expertise considering Gender & IT topics. On the other hand practitioners in IT wonder about the requirements to design software equitable in the light of gender topics, to establish a feminine friendly IT culture and to be attractive for female young professionals.
The project „GEWINN“ built bridges and enabled knowledge exchange between practice and research in six living labs. Companies and researchers collaborated in a real life setting to find answer to actual questions. The living lab approach includes practitioners and users in situ during creative and development processes. Showings were continuously tested in self-referential circles. Possible topics are for example:
- Development of models for organizational IT processes
- Diversity sensitive product development
- Gender and IT workshops
- Role models in scrum meetings
- Gender specific aspects of IT usage
- Gender sensitive IT design
- Development of models for the creation of participative processes
- Gender as a factor for work and career choices
- Individual possibilities of handling gender injustice in IT
Through this collaborative practice approach the companies developed, supported by researchers of the University of Siegen, a research question. This provided the basis for the following interventions by the gender researchers. The implementation and qualitative evaluation was a long-term process which is conducted by the researchers. The achieved findings were edited and published as best practice examples.
Selection of the six participating companies as well as matching with relevant researchers was be the task of the steering board, composed of international prestigious members of science and companies.
Your answers considering the living labs will be answered by Michael Ahmadi: michael.ahmadi@uni-siegen.de
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