M.Sc. (Tech.) Pirjo Friedrich has studied how social media tools can be used to support user participation in the design and innovation processes, and how social media affects the elements of user participation. User involvement is generally regarded to be useful in information systems design. However, when designing online services for consumers, it may be difficult to reach the potential users and involve them in iterative development processes. Social media provides new possibilities for interacting with users on a daily basis, since it has become a natural method of communication for many people. Friedrich defended her doctoral thesis on the 19th of June 2013.
For more information:
Pirjo.Friedrich@vtt.fi
Read the dissertation:
http://lib.tkk.fi/Diss/2013/isbn9789513880040/isbn9789513880040.pdf