Designer-User Interaction as the Core of the Design & IT Innovation Process: A Socio-Cultural Perspective

In this paper, a model of designer-user interaction as a socio-cultural phenomenon is proposed with the following question: how do the changes in the designer's perspective on the user's physical and social experiences lead to design refinement or design innovation sequences? Adopting Bourdieu's theory of practice as a macro view, we interpret field as rules of action, habitus as modes of action, and practice as situated actions in the design process. Particularly, this research argues that the changes in the designer's habitus, as a result of newly acquired knowledge from user research, entail innovation of practice and expansion of field. In addition, the concept of boundary object is considered how the designer's research activities assist them in acquiring knowledge from various sources, and to translate / transform it across domain boundaries during the process. Four case studies are presented as empirical evidence.