Young carers as co-designers of a web-based support system - the views of two publics

Aim: The aim of the study was to reveal young carers’ views of design of a web-based support system(WBSS) directed to them and the differences between their views and the views of projectrepresentatives (PRs), in a participatory design process.Methods: Eight young people, 17–24 years, were involved in either a work or a test group. The workgroup participated in video-recorded design meetings with representatives of the project. Contentanalysis and Dewey’s concept of public were applied on the data. The test group worked fromtheir homes and data were collected via test forms and used as supplemental data.Results: Four themes were revealed, constituting key parts in the design of the WBSS: Communicatingthe message, Ideational working principles, User interaction and User interface. Furthermore, decisivedifferences between the views of participants and PRs were found.Conclusion: The four key parts should be considered in a WBSS directed to young carers. The study alsosuggests that early user involvement and critical reflection in the design process itself may be crucialto discern differences in perspective between designers and users