The Co-Production Mindset: Transforming Software Development with Users at the Table
What stakeholders want is not always what users need. Enter coproduction: a collaborative framework for aligning goals, processes, and outcomes in software development. Explore how this approach bridges the gap between stakeholder priorities and user realities.
"What stakeholders want is not always what users need." This tension often arises in internal software product development, where stakeholders control the backlog, but users—typically internal employees—bear the burden of poorly aligned features. It’s a common challenge, and one that coproduction, a collaborative framework, can help address.
The Problem: A Disconnect Between Stakeholders and Users
Imagine this scenario: a stakeholder requests a feature requiring employees to fill out detailed reports after completing their onsite tasks. For the stakeholder, this data is crucial for tracking operations. But for employees, who must meet tight quotas while traveling to multiple locations daily, the added work feels impossible to manage.
Even when UI/UX teams gather user input, the top-down approach often fails to account for employees’ realities, leading to resistance and frustration. How do we resolve this? By shifting from designing for users to designing with users through a coproduction hierarchy.
The Coproduction Hierarchy in Software Development
This adapted hierarchy provides a structured way to engage users at different levels, depending on the problem’s complexity and impact.
1. Coproduction (Equal Collaboration)
Definition: Equal collaboration where stakeholders, users, and the product team jointly decide on goals, processes, and outcomes.
In Action:
- Host workshops with stakeholders and users to define problems, prioritize features, and co-design workflows.
- Example: Employees and stakeholders jointly decide on a mobile feature that allows incremental data input, balancing user convenience and stakeholder needs.
Key Benefits: Maximum alignment and shared ownership of the solution.
2. Participation
Definition: Users contribute to specific activities or design decisions, but the agenda is led by stakeholders or the product team.
In Action:
- Invite users to brainstorm sessions or review prototypes.
- Example: Employees suggest ways to streamline a reporting feature during a design sprint. Their input influences the design, but the team leads implementation decisions.
Key Benefits: Meaningful contributions while maintaining project focus.
3. Involvement
Definition: Users provide input and influence decisions, but the overall direction is set by stakeholders or the product team.
In Action:
- Gather user feedback during usability testing or beta rollouts.
- Example: Employees test a beta version of a reporting tool and highlight usability issues, which the team addresses without revisiting the overall feature design.
Key Benefits: Improves usability and reduces user frustration.
4. Consultation
Definition: Users share opinions or feedback, but their input is advisory and decisions are made independently.
In Action:
- Use surveys or focus groups to gather insights on user pain points.
- Example: Employees complete a questionnaire on their reporting process. The product team uses this data to justify new features without further user involvement.
Key Benefits: Quick and easy input gathering with minimal disruption.
Moving Toward Coproduction in Software Development
The higher up the hierarchy, the more collaborative the approach. For high-impact features, coproduction ensures balanced solutions that satisfy both stakeholder and user needs. For lower-stakes updates, consultation or involvementmay suffice.
Adopting coproduction fosters trust, collaboration, and better-aligned outcomes. It’s not just about building software; it’s about building partnerships.
Where does your team fall on this hierarchy? What steps can you take to move closer to true coproduction? Let’s discuss!
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