Turning user requirements into solutions is a major challenge of software development. It is tough for developers to fulfill the user’s needs. Strikingly, often this is not due to a lack of technology but due to insufficient communication between users and developers. This issue is approached by the Requirements Bazaar. Experiences from earlier projects showed that traditional requirements engineering techniques (interviews, focus groups, etc.) become virtually unfeasible in highly distributed settings involving multiple diverse domains. Usually, traditional techniques are challenged by a lack of scalability, increased efforts and travel expenses, numbers of end-users >> number of developers, lack of traceability, lack of unified process). The Requirements Bazaar and its underlying Social Requirements Engineering approach were developed to address exactly these challenges. The Learning Layers Project is the perfect match for the application of a social requirements engineering process – multiple spatially distributed partners, test-beds in multiple domains, high demands for open

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There are many reasons why co-design is suitable for Learning Layers project.  Listing some of the most obvious reasons are for example, co-design is flexible for parallel design activities and process, it is an iterative process as are the agile software development methods used in the Layers project, it requires that all stakeholders take part in the process – especially the end-users, the actual users who are/will/should be using what ever is designed. The not so obvious and what might not always be mentioned are: the artefacts of the iterative cycles, e.g. mock-ups, wireframes, testing results, created practices, from low level to high level prototypes are valuable outcomes and research results as such, and that the process attempts to engage the end-users for sustained activities, thus lastly it is a process that can go on long, it just changes its focus during the journey toward most enjoyable usage experiences. Explaining

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The Layers project has a challenge of combining various parallel activities in broader and narrower scale. The R&D streams are the broader parallel activities and the design teams, whose birth was one result of the design conference held in Helsinki, are the narrower parallel activities. The design teams collect the knowledge of the different R&D streams and in cooperation with end users form the end-users needs and knowledge from the R&D streams into design ideas, wireframes, mock-ups, use cases and finally through test usage into field trial prototype usage and real use in the context. It could be said that the design teams work as a layer above the other structures, getting input from all aspects in the project. The focus of the design teams’ work changes depending of the phase the project and design teams are in.  At the moment the contextual design with its ethnographical studies has been executed.

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CAPTUS is a design idea (see the other 4 design ideas of Layers here) for a knowledge sharing and networking tool that facilitates the creation and sharing of learning materials among various actors to enhance  informal learning in construction clusters. CAPTUS builds on three aspects that are key in enhancing informal learning in the workplace. These are the aggregation of both formal and informal learning materials, the situations where these materials are created and used, and the sharing of these materials in a network comprised of actors with different expertises and interests. We consider bringing together formal and informal materials to be  meaningful as it allows workers to access both formal materials and informal materials. Formal materials in the construction sector may include information such as instruction manuals by material suppliers or policies provided by authorities. Informal materials can be supplementary to formal materials such as good / bad examples

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Das europäische Projekt Learning Layers (LL) ist dabei, eine breite Palette von Web-2.0 Anwendungen und Dienstleistungen (z. B. gezielte Trainings, Beratungen) für arbeitsbezogenes Lernen zu entwickeln. Ein wichtiger Anwendungsbereich liegt im deutschen und europäischen Baugewerbe und Bauhandwerk. Die Entwicklung anwendergerechter Lösungen wird die Interessen und Kompetenzen mehrerer Anwender berücksichtigen müssen. Learning Layers hat sich für einen solchen Entwicklungsprozess entschieden, der die Hinweise und Ideen von Facharbeitern, Auszubildenden und Firmenleitern in allen Stadien der Entwicklung berücksichtigt. Welche Probleme und Themen stellen sich dem Projekt? In der beruflichen Aus- und Weiterbildung ist es manchmal schwierig, verschiedene Qualifizierungsanforderungen und Lernphasen miteinander in Einklang zu bringen. Besondere Herausforderungen stellen sich in der Zusammenarbeit zwischen überbetrieblichen Ausbildungsstätten und Ausbildungsbetrieben. So auch bei dem Ausbildungszentrum der norddeutschen Bauindustrie, Bau ABC, Bad Zwischenahn, (Projektpartner). Hier bekommen die Auszubildenden derzeit ihre Lern- und Arbeitsaufgaben als Projektskizzen auf Papier. Sie berichten und dokumentieren ihre Arbeitsergebnisse und Erfahrungen in Ergebnisberichten (wiederum

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[Read this post in German here] The European project Learning Layers (LL) is developing a variety of web tools and applications for supporting learning at the workplace. One of pilot areas for testing and wider implementation is the construction sector (in particular the SMEs of construction trade). Here, it is important to take into account the needs and interests of different users. Therefore we need iterative  processes process that enable feedback from skilled workers, apprentices and managers of SMEs. What kind of problems and solutions are on the agenda? In different phases of initial and continuing vocational training it is often difficult to link the specific requirements of the work situations and the training contents to each other. Here we see special challenges for the common training activities of training centres that support different companies. E.g. the training at Bau ABC (partner of the LL project) is based on a series

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Research projects on Information and Communication Technologies are often being criticized for overly emphasizing technical issues at the expense of considerations for where and how the technologies should be employed. The Learning Layers project is quite different in this respect as only roughly half of the overall budget will go into researching and developing technology. The other half will be spent on gaining a deep understanding of the application fields and the practice of people, as well as the potential business opportunities and models.   The first 4 months of the project have therefore put an emphasis on establishing connections and gaining an understanding of the two application domains we are targeting, Health Care and Building and Construction. In January, we visited our partners in the Northern German Building and Construction Industry, such as Bau ABC in Rostrup and the Network for Sustainable Building and Construction in Verden. As the

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As Learning Layers aims at supporting and proceeding informal learning practices at the workplaces of the application partners, the future end user is always in the center of attention. To have an efficient and useful informal learning solution result, tailored for a consistent daily appliance, the primary focus lies within capturing end user’s concrete knowledge demands, working conditions and true system requirements. Therefore the design teams begin with gaining a profound understanding of how the potential users currently solve their learning demands and knowledge gaps to conclude on future integration of particular system demands UIBK performed a study employing focus group interviews in the specific sectors of the application partners – in the construction as well as in the healthcare sector. Each focus group validated one out of a number of predefined initial user stories which were richly described with actors from multiple organizations, physical objects, goals, courses of actions and

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The Learning Layers (LL) project was assembled to its first Design Conference (DC)  in Helsinki on early March, hosted by the LL team of the Media Factory from Aalto University. The event was organised as a “creative space” (or, if you allow us the expression: creative spaceship) to work out initial design ideas in a co-design process to be taken further by design teams that will start their work in the coming period. Some of the design ideas had a specific local flavour, whilst others can be seen as more transversal. The challenge for the project is now: How to take these ideas further and make them work “on the  ground”? The initial design ideas will soon be presented in detail on the LL internal wiki and we´ll be posting those advances on this web. I would rather raise the question: What can we learn from the whole set of design ideas

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With Learning Layers – Smarter Learning for Primary Care Professionals in health and social care are involved in learning every day. Learning in practice (which could include learning based on reflecting on patient cases, from patients themselves, twitter and other social media exchanges, discussions with colleagues, reviewing new guidelines or research or sharing learning with others) helps to ensure that high quality patient care is maintained and developed. However, learning effectively from practice and then transferring that learning back into practice has many challenges especially given the time pressures on professionals. The Learning Layers project is working closely with healthcare professionals in the UK to explore this question. The focus is on understanding learning at the workplace and developing a set of modular and flexible technologies for supporting this informal learning across a healthcare cluster. The work with the healthcare cluster is led by the University of Leeds, in collaboration locally

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