UC San Diego

The technological systems in our society are widespread and structured in complex ways. To comprehend the construction of these systems, it is necessary to understand who has opportunities to influence them and how. Previous scholarship in the sociology of technology has provided some analysis of the roles of designers and users in constructing technology. However, this research tends to oversimplify the nature of design work and portrays designers and users in isolation, having little- to-no interaction with each other. This approach limits the understanding of the design of technology and the role users play in that process. My research investigates what type of interaction occurs between designers and users and how designers' ideas about the role of users affect the potential for user influence. I use depth interviews with 30 product designers, as well as participant observation of professional association meetings and usability testing. My research findings show that interaction between designers and users is common and takes a variety of forms. However, a cultural divide exists amongst designers. Designers use two main contrasting schemas to make sense of their work and the role of users in design: rationality and creativity. These schemas affect both discourse and practice of designers. Under schemas of creativity, designers tend to gather less direct feedback from users than under schemas of rationality. As a result, users have reduced opportunities to affect the construction of technology. This divide is embedded in design culture, with historical precedence evident in early mass production and current views manifest in the ways designers evaluate the legitimacy and success of Apple, Inc