Configuring the User as Everybody: Gender and Design Cultures in Information and Communication Technologies

Citation: Nelly Oodshoorn, Els Rommes, Marcelle Stienstra (2004) Configuring the User as Everybody: Gender and Design Cultures in Information and Communication Technologies. Science, Technology, & Human Values (RSS)
Internet Archive Scholar (search for fulltext): Configuring the User as Everybody: Gender and Design Cultures in Information and Communication Technologies
Tagged: Sociology (RSS) HCI (RSS), feminist HCI (RSS), design (RSS), Information Systems (RSS), communication (RSS), ICT (RSS)

Summary

This paper uses two case studies of the design practices for early online platforms. Both of the cases involve early 1990s platforms which adopted a virtual city metaphor and tried to encourage online interaction. Despite many contrasts in their history, objectives, and constraints, and despite the fact that both platforms purportedly wanted to appeal to "everyone", ultimately both platforms suffered from a lack of engagement outside a young male demographic. Oodshoorn et al describe a series of male-oriented design practices as well as contextual features of Dutch society which led to this gap between original intention and ultimate result.

The first case describes the history of DDS, which offered a menu-driven portal to networked services offered to home computers through modem dial-up. The project received civic funding, was largely designed and run by volunteers who were mostly male computer enthusiasts, and explicitly aimed to increase political participation. However, the project did not conduct formal testing and over time the design became dominated by a desire to appear innovative. Subsequent versions of the project required more expensive computer technology and projects to make the service available to the poor were abandoned given the difficulty and expense involved.

The second case describes New Topia, which used a television controlled through a wired phone line. The project was sponsored by a corporate manufacturer of these technologies and was, like DDS, primarily designed by men and only tested in a limited fashion before the product launched. New Topia sought to be a platform for entertainment and socialization. In addition to appealing to "everyone", the product sought to engage corporate partners in providing services through this online environment. After the launch, more extensive public testing revealed that young single men without computers were the primary population of New Topia. Other groups which they sought to recruit into the platform were discouraged by the use of the television and phone line combination and did not find the services compelling.

Theoretical and Practical Relevance

Throughout both cases, Oudshoorn et al demonstrate how an intention to design for everybody resulted in a design that primarily reflected the cognitive styles and interests of the designers. These cases suggest paying explicit attention to the specific needs of people other than the designers, and conducting more extensive and diverse user testing. In both cases, neither economic nor civic-minded or democratic forces were sufficient to overcome design bias. These cases also serve as counter examples to a strong constructivist viewpoint, since in both cases users found the technology too frustrating or uninteresting to use. Instead of redefining or subverting the affordances of the platform to meet their own needs, most demographics simply opted out.