12 User centered issues for sustainability of learning projects in international settings

During the workshop all the participants shared their experience on what factors to include (if resources are possible) in a learning (mobile, eLearning) project:

1. involve all stakeholders using focus group and observation methods;
2. take a random sample of users within the defined user target group, not people you know, to ensure that you design something that is aimed at a wide variety of your target user group;
3. ensure longterm support for the users;
4. enable knowledge sharing between users;
5. include an ethnographic assessment to tailor to the local context: respect local customs, identify local 'information' stream, language use...;
6. look at human computer interaction (HCI): for increased design affordances and user preferences;
7. include adaptability for an ever changing technology settting;
8. ensure back-up people for all the profiles that are needed in the project;
9. ensure capacity building and empowerment of the users (lifelong learning capacities are a surplus);
10. use physical sensors (in the beginning it can be disruptive for the users, but after a while they get back to their natural state of behaving, enabling the observers to monitor emotional respons to the researched object or system;
11. include positive emotional stimulus to enhance motivation;
12. break the total system down to the smallest possible bubble (both content, design, technology....) to ensure longterm and rapid adaptability when necessary.