{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,6]],"date-time":"2026-03-06T13:16:28Z","timestamp":1772802988084,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":50,"publisher":"Emerald","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2009,6,5]],"date-time":"2009-06-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1244160000000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/site-policies"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2009,6,5]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Purpose<\/jats:title><jats:p>The purpose of this paper is to report findings from an interpretive case study on user participation in the open source software (OSS) development context.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Design\/methodology\/approach<\/jats:title><jats:p>Through an empirical, interpretive case study and a literature review utilising the metaphor of text in the analysis, this paper provides a refined conceptualisation of user participation in OSS development.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Findings<\/jats:title><jats:p>The paper reveals that different kinds of meanings have been attached to users and to their participation. User participation is both direct and indirect in the OSS development context. Some user groups actively take part in OSS development, while others are merely represented in it. Different kinds of intermediaries \u201crepresenting the users\u201d are identified.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Research limitations\/implications<\/jats:title><jats:p>The research is based on one case study on a small but active OSS project with an interest in users. Other kinds of OSS projects should be analysed. The analysis was focused on a discussion forum, but users can take part in OSS development by other means as well. Paths for future work should include the gathering of more varied empirical data.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Practical implications<\/jats:title><jats:p>The findings indicate that users can provide feedback to the development through discussion forums in the distributed environment, but there is a need to support the users in doing so and the developers in analysing the data. The importance of different kinds of intermediaries \u201crepresenting the users\u201d is highlighted.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Originality\/value<\/jats:title><jats:p>The paper provides thorough empirical insights and a refined conceptualisation of user participation addressing the currently weakly empirically explored OSS development context.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1108\/09593840910962203","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2009,5,23]],"date-time":"2009-05-23T07:13:59Z","timestamp":1243062839000},"page":"132-156","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":30,"title":["\u201cConstructing the users\u201d in open source software development"],"prefix":"10.1108","volume":"22","author":[{"given":"Netta","family":"Iivari","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"140","reference":[{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b1","unstructured":"Akrich, M. (1992), \u201cThe de\u2010scription of technical objects\u201d, in Bijker, W.E. and Law, J. (Eds), Shaping Technology\/Building Society, Studies in Sociotechnical Change, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, pp. 205\u201024."},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Andreasen, M., Nielsen, H., Schr\u00f8der, S. and Stage, J. (2006), \u201cUsability in open source software development: opinions and practice\u201d, Information Technology and Control, Vol. 25 No. 3A, pp. 303\u201012.","DOI":"10.5755\/j01.itc.35.3.11776"},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Asaro, P. (2000), \u201cTransforming society by transforming technology: the science and politics of participatory design\u201d, Accounting, Management and Information Technologies, Vol. 10, pp. 257\u201090.","DOI":"10.1016\/S0959-8022(00)00004-7"},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Benson, C., M\u00fcller\u2010Prove, M. and Mzourek, J. (2004), \u201cProfessional usability in open source projects: GNOME, OpenOffice.org, NetBeans\u201d, Extended Abstracts of CHI 2004, ACM, New York, NY, pp. 1083\u20104.","DOI":"10.1145\/985921.985991"},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b5","unstructured":"Bjerknes, G. and Bratteteig, T. (1995), \u201cUser participation and democracy. A discussion of Scandinavian research on system development\u201d, Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems, Vol. 7 No. 1, pp. 73\u201098."},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"B\u00f8dker, M., Nielsen, L. and Orngreen, R. (2007), \u201cEnabling user\u2010centered design processes in open source communities\u201d, in Aykin, N. (Ed.), Proceedings of Human Computer Interaction International, Part I: Usability and Internationalization, Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Vol. 4559, Springer, Berlin, pp. 10\u201018.","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-540-73287-7_2"},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Carmel, E., Whitaker, R.D. and George, J.F. (1993), \u201cPD and joint application design: a transatlantic comparison\u201d, Communications of the ACM, Vol. 36 No. 4, pp. 40\u20108.","DOI":"10.1145\/153571.163265"},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Cavaye, A. (1995), \u201cUser participation in system development revisited\u201d, Information & Management, Vol. 28, pp. 311\u201023.","DOI":"10.1016\/0378-7206(94)00053-L"},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Cetin, G., Verzulli, D. and Frings, S. (2007), \u201cAn analysis of involvement of HCI experts in distributed software development: practical issues\u201d, in Schuler, D. (Ed.), Proceedings of Human Computer Interaction International: Online Communities and Social Computing, Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Vol. 4564, Springer, Berlin, pp. 32\u201040.","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-540-73257-0_4"},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Clement, A. (1994), \u201cComputing at work: empowering action by \u2018low\u2010level users\u2019\u201d, Communications of the ACM, Vol. 37 No. 1, pp. 52\u201063.","DOI":"10.1145\/175222.175226"},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b11","unstructured":"Clifford, J. and Marcus, G. (Eds) (1986), Writing Culture: The Poetics and Politics of Ethnography, University of California Press, Berkeley, CA."},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b100","unstructured":"Cooper, C. and Bowers, J. (1995), \u201cRepresenting the users: notes on the disciplinary rhetoric of human\u2010computer interaction\u201d, in Thomas, P.J. (Ed.), The Social and Interactional Dimension of Human\u2010Computer Interfaces, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 48\u201066."},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Damodaran, L. (1996), \u201cUser involvement in the systems design process \u2013 a practical guide for users\u201d, Behaviour & Information Technology, Vol. 15 No. 16, pp. 363\u201077.","DOI":"10.1080\/014492996120049"},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b13","unstructured":"Denzin, N. and Lincoln, Y. (2000), \u201cIntroduction: the discipline and practice of qualitative research\u201d, in Denzin, N. and Lincoln, Y. (Eds), Handbook of Qualitative Research, 2nd ed., Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA, pp. 1\u201029."},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b14","unstructured":"Feller, J. and Fitzgerald, B. (2000), \u201cA framework analysis of the open source development paradigm\u201d, Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Information Systems, Brisbane, 10\u201013 December, pp. 58\u201069."},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Fitzgerald, B. (2006), \u201cThe transformation of open source software\u201d, MIS Quarterly, Vol. 30 No. 3, pp. 587\u201098.","DOI":"10.2307\/25148740"},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Franke, N. and von Hippel, E. (2003), \u201cSatisfying heterogeneous user needs via innovation toolkits: the case of Apache security software\u201d, Research Policy, Vol. 32, pp. 1199\u2010215.","DOI":"10.1016\/S0048-7333(03)00049-0"},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Frishberg, N., Dirks, A.M., Benson, C., Nickel, S. and Smith, S. (2002), \u201cGetting to know you: open source development meets usability\u201d, Extended Abstracts of CHI 2002, ACM, New York, NY, pp. 932\u20103.","DOI":"10.1145\/506443.506666"},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b18","unstructured":"Ge, X., Dong, Y. and Huang, K. (2006), \u201cShared knowledge construction in an open\u2010source software development community: an investigation of the Gallery community\u201d, Proceedings of the International Conference on Learning Sciences, Bloomington, IN, 27 June\u20101 July, pp. 189\u201095."},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b19","unstructured":"Greenbaum, J. and Kyng, M. (Eds) (1991), Design at Work: Cooperative Design of Computer Systems, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, NJ."},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b20","unstructured":"Grint, K. and Woolgar, S. (1997), The Machine at Work: Technology, Work and Organization, Polity Press, Cambridge."},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Grudin, J. (1991), \u201cInteractive systems: bridging the gaps between developers and users\u201d, IEEE Computer, Vol. 24 No. 4, pp. 59\u201069.","DOI":"10.1109\/2.76263"},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Hirschheim, R. and Newman, M. (1991), \u201cSymbolism and information systems development: myth metaphor and magic\u201d, Information Systems Research, Vol. 2 No. 1, pp. 29\u201062.","DOI":"10.1287\/isre.2.1.29"},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Howcroft, D. and Wilson, M. (2003), \u201cParadoxes of participatory practices: the Janus role of the systems developer\u201d, Information and Organization, Vol. 13, pp. 1\u201024.","DOI":"10.1016\/S1471-7727(02)00023-4"},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Iivari, N. (2006), \u201cUnderstanding the work of an HCI practitioner\u201d, in Morch, A., Morgan, K., Bratteig, T., Ghosh, G. and Svanaes, D. (Eds), Proceedings of the 4th Nordic Conference on Human Computer Interaction, Oslo, 14\u201018 October, pp. 185\u201094.","DOI":"10.1145\/1182475.1182495"},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Iivari, N. (2009), \u201cEmpowering the users? A critical textual analysis of the role of users in open source software development\u201d, AI & Society, Vol. 23 No. 4, pp. 511\u201028.","DOI":"10.1007\/s00146-008-0182-1"},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Iivari, J. and Iivari, N. (2006), \u201cVarieties of user\u2010centeredness\u201d, Proceedings of the 39th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, IEEE Computer Society Press, Piscataway, NJ.","DOI":"10.1109\/HICSS.2006.530"},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Iivari, N., Hedberg, H. and Kirves, T. (2008), \u201cUsability in company open source software context. Initial findings from an empirical case study\u201d, Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Open Source Systems (co\u2010located with the World Computer Congress), Milan, 7\u201010 September.","DOI":"10.1007\/978-0-387-09684-1_33"},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Klein, H. and Myers, M. (1999), \u201cA set of principles for conducting and evaluating interpretive field studies in information systems\u201d, MIS Quarterly, Vol. 23 No. 1, pp. 67\u201094.","DOI":"10.2307\/249410"},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Kujala, S. (2003), \u201cUser involvement: a review of the benefits and challenges\u201d, Behaviour & Information Technology, Vol. 22 No. 1, pp. 1\u201016.","DOI":"10.1080\/01449290301782"},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Lakhani, K. and von Hippel, E. (2003), \u201cHow open source software works: \u2018free\u2019 user\u2010to\u2010user assistance\u201d, Research Policy, Vol. 32, pp. 923\u201043.","DOI":"10.1016\/S0048-7333(02)00095-1"},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Lievrouw, L. (2006), \u201cOppositional and activist new media: remediation, reconfiguration, participation\u201d, Proceedings iof the Participatory Design Conference, CPSR, Palo Alto, CA, pp. 115\u201024.","DOI":"10.1145\/1147261.1147279"},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Luke, R., Clement, A., Terada, R., Bortolussi, D., Booth, C., Brooks, D. and Christ, D. (2004), \u201cThe promise and perils of a participatory approach to developing an open source community learning network\u201d, Proceedings of the Participatory Design Conference, CPSR, Palo Alto, CA, pp. 11\u201019.","DOI":"10.1145\/1011870.1011873"},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Markus, M. and Mao, Y. (2004), \u201cUser participation in development and implementation: updating an old tired concept for today's IS contexts\u201d, Journal of the Association for Information Systems, Vol. 5 Nos 11\/12, pp. 514\u201044.","DOI":"10.17705\/1jais.00057"},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b34","unstructured":"Mumford, E. (1983), Designing Human Systems for New Technology. The ETHICS Method, Manchester Business School, Manchester."},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b35","unstructured":"Nandhakumar, J. and Jones, M. (1997), \u201cDesigning in the dark: the changing user\u2010developer relationship in information systems development\u201d, Proceedings of the International Conference in Information Systems (ICIS 1997), Atlanta, GA, 15\u201017 December, pp. 75\u201086."},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b36","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Nichols, D., Thomson, K. and Yeates, S. (2001), \u201cUsability and open source software development\u201d, Proceedings of the Symposium on Computer Human Interaction, Palmerston North, pp. 49\u201054.","DOI":"10.1145\/2331812.2331822"},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b37","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Nichols, D. and Twidale, M. (2006), \u201cUsability processes in open source projects\u201d, Software Process Improvement and Practice, Vol. 11, pp. 149\u201062.","DOI":"10.1002\/spip.256"},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b38","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Niederman, F., Davis, A., Greiner, M., Wynn, D. and York, P. (2006), \u201cA research agenda for studying open source I: a multilevel framework\u201d, Communication of the Association for Information Systems, Vol. 18, pp. 19\u2010149.","DOI":"10.17705\/1CAIS.01807"},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b39","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Nielsen, J. (1993), Usability Engineering, Academic Press, Boston, MA.","DOI":"10.1016\/B978-0-08-052029-2.50007-3"},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b40","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Scacchi, W. (2002), \u201cUnderstanding the requirements for developing open source software systems\u201d, IEE Proceedings \u2013 Software, Vol. 149 No. 1, pp. 24\u201039.","DOI":"10.1049\/ip-sen:20020202"},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b101","unstructured":"Schuler, D. and Namioka, A. (Eds) (1993), Participatory Design: Principles and Practices, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, NJ."},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b41","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Symon, G. (1998), \u201cThe work of IT system developers in context: an organizational case study\u201d, Human\u2010Computer Interaction, Vol. 13 No. 1, pp. 37\u201071.","DOI":"10.1207\/s15327051hci1301_2"},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b42","unstructured":"Tuovila, S. and Iivari, N. (2007), \u201cBridge builders in IT artifact development\u201d, in \u00d6sterle, H., Schelp, J. and Winter, R. (Eds), Proceedings of ECIS 2007, 15th European Conference on Information Systems, St Gallen, 7\u20109 June, pp. 819\u201030."},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b43","unstructured":"Twidale, M. and Nichols, D. (2005), \u201cExploring usability discussions in open source development\u201d, Proceedings of the 38th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS), IEEE Press, Piscataway, NJ."},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b44","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Walsham, G. (1995), \u201cInterpretive case studies in IS research: nature and method\u201d, European Journal of Information Systems, Vol. 4, pp. 74\u201081.","DOI":"10.1057\/ejis.1995.9"},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b45","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Viorres, N., Xenofon, P., Stavrakis, M., Vlanhogiannis, E., Koutsabasis, P. and Darzentas, J. (2007), \u201cMajor HCI challenges for open source software adoption and development\u201d, in Schuler, D. (Ed.), Proceedings of Human Computer Interaction International: Online Communities and Social Computing, Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Vol. 4564, Springer, Berlin, pp. 455\u201064.","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-540-73257-0_50"},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b46","unstructured":"Ye, Y. and Kishida, K. (2003), \u201cToward an understanding of the motivation of open source software developers\u201d, Proceedings of the 25th International Conference on Software Engineering (ICSE), IEEE Press, Piscataway, NJ, pp. 419\u201029."},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b47","unstructured":"Zhao, L. and Deek, F. (2005), \u201cImproving open source software usability\u201d, Proceedings of the 11th Americas Conference on Information Systems, Omaha, NE, 11\u201014 August, pp. 923\u20108."},{"key":"key2022013020383650700_b48","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Zhao, L. and Deek, F. (2006), \u201cExploratory inspection: a learning model for improving open source software usability\u201d, Extended Abstracts of CHI 2006, ACM, New York, NY, pp. 1589\u201094.","DOI":"10.1145\/1125451.1125741"}],"container-title":["Information Technology &amp; People"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"http:\/\/www.emeraldinsight.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1108\/09593840910962203","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/content\/doi\/10.1108\/09593840910962203\/full\/xml","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/content\/doi\/10.1108\/09593840910962203\/full\/html","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,25]],"date-time":"2025-07-25T00:36:59Z","timestamp":1753403819000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"http:\/\/www.emerald.com\/itp\/article\/22\/2\/132-156\/186387"}},"subtitle":["An interpretive case study of user participation"],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2009,6,5]]},"references-count":50,"journal-issue":{"issue":"2","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2009,6,5]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1108\/09593840910962203"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1108\/09593840910962203","relation":{},"ISSN":["0959-3845"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0959-3845","type":"print"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2009,6,5]]}}}