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dc.contributor.authorJohnson, Mikael
dc.date.accessioned2009-06-03T06:21:56Z
dc.date.available2009-06-03T06:21:56Z
dc.date.issued2007
dc.identifier.citationJohnson, M. (2007). Unscrambling the “Average User” of Habbo Hotel. Human Technology, Volume 3 (2), pp. 127-153. URN:NBN:fi:jyu-2007277. Retrieved from http://www.humantechnology.jyu.fi
dc.identifier.urihttps://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/20209
dc.description.abstractThe “user” is an ambiguous concept in human-computer interaction and information systems. Analyses of users as social actors, participants, or configured users delineate approaches to studying design-use relationships. Here, a developer’s reference to a figure of speech, termed the “average user,” is contrasted with design guidelines. The aim is to create an understanding about categorization practices in design through a case study about the virtual community, Habbo Hotel. A qualitative analysis highlighted not only the meaning of the “average user,” but also the work that both the developer and the category contribute to this meaning. The average user a) represents the unknown, b) influences the boundaries of the target user groups, c) legitimizes the designer to disregard marginal user feedback, and d) keeps the design space open, thus allowing for creativity. The analysis shows how design and use are intertwined and highlights the developers’ role in governing different users’ interests.en
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherUniversity of Jyväskylä, Agora Center
dc.relation.ispartofseriesHuman Technology: An Interdisciplinary Journal on Humans in ICT Environments
dc.relation.urihttp://www.humantechnology.jyu.fi
dc.rightsCC BY-NC 4.0
dc.subject.otherdesign-use relationshipsen
dc.subject.otheruseren
dc.subject.otherdesigneren
dc.subject.othercategorization practicesen
dc.titleUnscrambling the Average User of Habbo Hotel
dc.typearticle
dc.identifier.urnURN:NBN:fi:jyu-2007277
dc.relation.issn1795-6889
dc.relation.numberinseries2
dc.relation.volume3
dc.type.versionpublishedVersion
dc.rights.copyright© 2007 Mikael Johnson and the Agora Center, University of Jyväskylä
dc.rights.accesslevelopenAccess
dc.format.contentfulltext
dc.rights.urlhttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/


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