The european network for people-centered design of interactive technologies

For decision makers

You can dowload the Consultation Document for the 7th Framework Program here (160 KB, PDF).

Convivio is convinced of the pressing need to augment the current technology development process in order better to harness the rich innovative results of European research.

Technology development needs, far more than at present, to draw on the skills and knowledge of many disciplines (engineering, design, human sciences, business), and it needs to be focused on the people whose lives will be shaped by it, to decide what to design to fit their needs and how it should be designed to fit them well.
This will not happen without the commitment of decision makers in companies and in government to the design of things that not only work, but also work for people.

Convivio believes that the result will be improved:

Competitiveness.
Technology that fits people better can differentiate itself more powerfully in the market .

Innovation.
Human-centered approaches generate a rich gamut of potential products, systems and services for the market as well as for the public sector.

Productivity.
Technology designed with the user’s mental model in mind is easier to learn and wastes less of users’ and helpdesk personnel’s time. At the European level this would contribute to a considerable increase in productivity.

Quality of life.
Rather than tools for work, digital technology now shapes the environment in which we live our life. Technology that fits people’s personal, social and cultural needs can be enjoyed rather than endured, a source of rich satisfaction instead of numbing frustration.

Convivio is starting to collect case studies and demonstrators of the value and the process that leads to better human-centred design.