Author manuscript, published in "Proceedings IFIP ePart 2011 Conference, Delft : Netherlands (2011)"
Design Thinking and Participation: Lessons Learned from Three Case
Studies
Olivier Glassey1, Jean-Henry Morin2, Patrick Genoud3, Giorgio Pauletto3,
1 Swiss Graduate School of Public Management (IDHEAP),
Quartier Mouline UNIL, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
2 University of Geneva, Battelle bâtiment A,
Route de Drize 7, 1227 Carouge, Switzerland
3 Observatoire technologique et systèmes d'informations CTI,
Rue du Grand-Pré 64-66, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
[email protected], [email protected],
{Patrick.Genoud, Giorgio.Pauletto}@etat.ge.ch
hal-00616740, version 1 - 24 Aug 2011
Abstract. This paper examines how design thinking and serious games approaches can be used to support
participation through the analysis of three case studies. Indeed we will analyze these approaches in three
different contexts: (i) a state-owned multi-utilities company; (ii) a political party; (iii) an information system
strategic committee. Our analysis framework relies on the concepts of "perceived usefulness" and "perceived
ease of use" and we will use it to discuss the lessons learned. Our main finding is that these approaches really
contributing in making complex and abstract matters more “tangible” and thus understandable.
Keywords: participation; design thinking; serious games; case study; perceived usefulness.
1 Introduction
In this paper we will examine how design thinking and serious games approaches can be used
to support participation through the analysis of three case studies. Section 1.1 addresses the
issues of wicked problems, with which most public policies deal, and how innovative
techniques can help solving them. Section 1.2 then presents the Think Services approach, a
combination of design thinking and serious games. In section 2 we will briefly present the
contexts of our three cases studies: (i) a state-owned multi-utilities company; (ii) a political
party; (iii) an information system strategic committee. In order to analyze these cases we will
use a framework defined in section 3 and we will discuss the lessons learned in section 4.
1.1 Tackling Wicked Problems
According to [1] governments seek to encourage participation in order to improve the
efficiency, acceptance, and legitimacy of political processes. They identify the main
stakeholders of participation as citizens, non-governmental organizations, lobbyists and
pressure groups, who want to influence the political system, as well as the opinion forming
processes. Many political processes are concerned with solving wicked problems, defined by
[2] as “those that defy conventional approaches to understanding, planning, design,
implementation and execution because: □(i) The stakeholder interests are so diverse and
divisive; (ii) Interdependencies are so complex and so little understood; (iii) Behaviors are so
dynamic and chaotic (unpredictable)”. One approach to address wicked problem is proposed
by [2]: hybrid thinking is centered amongst others on design thinking and co-creation.
Similarly the VoiceS research project [3] uses serious games to support eParticipation and
make “complex EU co-decision procedure accessible to a large audience (especially among
younger citizens), thus providing necessary understanding and enabling them to contribute
actively to the platform”. A game is defined by [3] “as a structured or semi-structured
activity, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes also used as an educational tool.