Sofie Wass

• Safari, Mugula Chris; Wass, Sofie & Thygesen, Elin (2024). One Size Does Not Fit All—Facilitating Participation of People with Intellectual Disability in Design of Digital Technology. International Journal of Design. ISSN 1991-3761. 18(1), p. 23–38. doi: 10.57698/v18i1.02. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  While marginalized groups are increasingly involved in design processes, established methods and techniques require several cognitive and sensory abilities that may not fit when designing with people with intellectual disabilities. Earlier research on design of technology with people with intellectual disabilities has primarily focused on the technological outcomes and less on the techniques and adjustments made by facilitators. In this study, we explore facilitators’ experiences of supporting adults and younger adults with intellectual disabilities during participation in digital technology design. The facilitators and users in this study participated in the design of a digital self-reflective career tool and a digital transport support tool. We conducted individual interviews with facilitators who had participated in various design activities and thematically analyzed the data. The findings show that facilitators focus on adapting to individual needs, experience a process of personal development, and learned by doing throughout the design activities. We argue that while the role of facilitating was duty- and task-oriented and challenging, the facilitators also experienced several essential gains. Experienced gains include the development of design-related knowledge, professional development, and a change in attitudes toward people with intellectual disability. This paper provides recommendations for guiding facilitators, considering both structural and individual needs, and offers insight into lessons learned.

• Wass, Sofie; Thygesen, Elin & Imre, Özgün (2023). Designing towards social inclusion - Insights on employers' willingness to recruit people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, Proceedings of the European Conference on Information Systems ECIS 2023. Association for Information Systems (AIS). ISSN 978-1-958200-08-7.
• Wass, Sofie; Thygesen, Elin & Purao, Sandeep (2023). Principles to Facilitate Social Inclusion for Design-Oriented Research. Journal of the AIS. ISSN 1536-9323. 24(5), p. 1204–1247. doi: 10.17705/1jais.00814. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  We develop principles that facilitate socially inclusive design-oriented research with marginalized groups. Building on the recognition that the research process must be informed by theoretical perspectives about social inclusion, our effort begins with an empirical investigation of a multiyear research project that designed several IT-based solutions for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We treat the efforts to design each solution as a “case,” capture primary data from multiple sources, and analyze it in light of three facets of social inclusion drawn from prior work: self-determination, belongingness, and social capital. The findings are interpreted to derive five principles for a socially inclusive design-oriented research process: (1) respecting multi- perspective problem ownership and integrated solution design, (2) surfacing emic contributions to guide artifact design, (3) leveraging the support network to shape artifact design and refine research conduct, (4) customizing design-evaluate cycles with inclusive practices, and (5) pursuing authenticity in research collaborations. We elaborate each principle with connections to different facets of social inclusion, guidelines suggested by our empirical investigation, and a mapping against contemporary design-oriented research approaches. The five principles suggest key directions to facilitate a socially inclusive design-oriented research process when working with marginalized groups. The paper concludes with a discussion of implications for IS scholars, and pointers for using design-oriented approaches for greater social inclusion of marginalized populations.

• Safari, Mugula Chris; Wass, Sofie & Thygesen, Elin (2023). Digital technology design activities—A means for promoting the digital inclusion of young adults with intellectual disabilities. British Journal of Learning Disabilities. ISSN 1354-4187. 51(2), p. 238–249. doi: 10.1111/bld.12521. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Information and communication technology has become an important aspect of everyday life, including community living and social participation. However, people with intellectual disabilities face several societal inequalities, including digital exclusion. Even if people with intellectual disabilities still do not have the same access as others, this group is increasingly involved in digital technology design activities. Although digital technology design activities can lead to several user gains, little is known about how such activities affect digital inclusion. Therefore, we explore whether and how participation in digital technology design activities can support the digital inclusion of young adults with intellectual disabilities. We interviewed seven young adults with intellectual disabilities about their participation in ten digital technology design sessions. We also collected reflective notes from eight support workers who participated in the same design activities. The interviews were analysed thematically. Thematic analysis generated four themes describing how participation in technology design activities can support the digital inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities: improving digital skills and knowledge, displaying skills and competence, increased interest in technology use, and influencing and adapting technology. Participation in digital technology design activities with support workers can provide new opportunities for young adults with intellectual disabilities and can help overcome several digital activity barriers. Designers and researchers should increasingly, and actively involve people with intellectual disability in digital technology design activities as it can support and promote digital inclusion.

• Safari, Mugula Chris; Wass, Sofie; Thygesen, Elin & Haugland, Silje (2023). Intellectual Disability, Digital Technologies, And Independent Transportation – A Scoping Review. In Bui, Tung X. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 56thAnnual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. HICSS Conference Office. ISSN 978-0-9981331-6-4. p. 1983–1992. doi: https:/hdl.handle.net/10125/102878. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Transportation is an essential aspect of everyday life. For people with intellectual disabilities transportation is one the largest barriers to community participation and a cause of inequality. However, digital technologies can reduce barriers for transportation use for people with intellectual disabilities and increase community mobility. The aim of this scoping review was to identify and map existing research on digital technology support for independent transport for people with intellectual disabilities and to identify knowledge gaps relevant for further research. The authors conducted a scoping review of articles presenting digital technologies designed to assist in outdoor navigation for people with intellectual disabilities. The search yielded 3195 items, of which 45 were reviewed and 13 included in this study. The results show that while a variation of design elements was utilized, digital technologies can effectively support individuals with intellectual disability in transport. Further research should focus on multiple contexts and types of transportation, different support needs during independent travel, real-world settings, participatory approaches, and the role of user training to enhance the adoption of digital technologies.

• Hansen, Lise Amy & Wass, Sofie (2022). Enactive methods towards situational learning - engaging people with intellectual and developmental disability in design. Procedia Computer Science. ISSN 1877-0509. 196, p. 598–605. doi: 10.1016/j.procs.2021.12.054. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In this paper we explore how enactive methods may support and enhance the design of mobile solutions for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Our project deals with supporting independent public transport and applies enactive methods in order to account for the interdependent nature of technology, disability, and environment. We staged three iterations of a bus workshop and one theatre workshop where real, everyday scenarios were acted out to gain tacit yet crucial insights. These enactive workshops and the prototype testing showed that transport activities are context dependent and unique to each individual. In our case, enactive methods revealed that independent public transport goes beyond a need for reminders, time management and communication, towards the management of unforeseen events. Our work shows how a closer realistic setting may provide more nuanced, personal, and detailed design insights that support emotional and situational understandings of user experiences.

• Safari, Mugula Chris; Wass, Sofie & Thygesen, Elin (2022). Motivation of people with intellectual disabilities in technology design activities: the role of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Behaviour and Information Technology. ISSN 0144-929X. p. 1–19. doi: 10.1080/0144929X.2021.2015442. Full text in Research Archive
• Thygesen, Elin; Safari, Mugula Chris & Wass, Sofie (2021). Transport og arbeidsinkludering. In Gjertsen, Hege Kristin; Melbøe, Line & Hauge, Hans A. (Ed.), Arbeidsinkludering for personer med utviklingshemming. Universitetsforlaget. ISSN 978-82-15-04692-1. p. 117–126.
• Wass, Sofie; Hansen, Lise Amy & Moe, Carl Erik (2021). Generation of Design Principles as Knowledge Conversion - Elucidating Dynamics. In Kruse, Leona Chandra; Seidel, Stefan & Hausvik, Geir Inge (Ed.), The Next Wave of Sociotechnical Design: 16th International Conference on Design Science Research in Information Systems and Technology, DESRIST 2021 Kristiansand, Norway, August 4–6, 2021 Proceedings. Springer. ISSN 9783030824044. p. 149–161. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-82405-1_17.
• Wass, Sofie; Safari, Mugula Chris; Haugland, Silje & Omland, Hans Olav (2021). Transitions from school to sheltered employment in Norway – Experiences of people with intellectual disabilities. British Journal of Learning Disabilities. ISSN 1354-4187. 49(3), p. 373–382. doi: 10.1111/bld.12414. Full text in Research Archive
• Safari, Mugula Chris; Wass, Sofie & Thygesen, Elin (2021). ‘I Got To Answer the Way I Wanted To’: Intellectual Disabilities and Participation in Technology Design Activities. Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research. ISSN 1501-7419. 23(1), p. 192–203. doi: 10.16993/sjdr.798. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  User involvement in technology design processes can have positive implications for the designed service, but less is known about how such participation affects people with intellectual disabilities. We explored how 13 individuals with intellectual disabilities experienced participation in the design of a transport support application. The study is based on qualitative interviews, photovoice interviews, participant observations, and Smileyometer ratings. A thematic analysis generated the following themes: a sense of pride and ownership, an experience of socialization, and a sense of empowerment. The findings suggest that participation in design activities is a primarily positive experience that develops the participants’ skills. However, experiences such as boredom may occur. The variability within the experiences of the participants show that it is crucial to be aware of individuality, preferences, and personal interests when designing with people with intellectual disabilities.

• Wass, Sofie; Hansen, Lise Amy & Safari, Mugula Chris (2020). Designing Transport Supporting Services Together with Users with Intellectual Disabilities. In Hofmann, Sara; Müller, Oliver & Rossi, Matti (Ed.), Designing for Digital Transformation. Co-Creating Services with Citizens and Industry. Springer Nature. ISSN 978-3-030-64822-0. p. 56–67. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-64823-7_6.
• Wass, Sofie & Moe, Carl Erik (2020). Knowledge Creation - A Perspective on the Development of Design Principles. In Hofmann, Sara; Müller, Oliver & Rossi, Matti (Ed.), Designing for Digital Transformation. Co-Creating Services with Citizens and Industry. Springer Nature. ISSN 978-3-030-64822-0. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-64823-7_19.
• Wass, Sofie; Hansen, Lise Amy & Stuve, Erlend (2020). Me, Myself and I - Supporting People with Intellectual Disabilities Towards Self-determination. In Hofmann, Sara; Müller, Oliver & Rossi, Matti (Ed.), Designing for Digital Transformation. Co-Creating Services with Citizens and Industry. Springer Nature. ISSN 978-3-030-64822-0. p. 420–425. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-64823-7_40.
• Wass, Sofie & Safari, Mugula Chris (2020). Photovoice—Towards Engaging and Empowering People with Intellectual Disabilities in Innovation. Life. ISSN 2075-1729. 10(272), p. 1–11. doi: 10.3390/life10110272. Full text in Research Archive
• Wass, Sofie; Omland, Hans Olav & Moe, Carl Erik (2019). Understanding the Problem – Innovation in the Welfare Sector Through Action Design Research. In Rodriguez-Abitia, Guillermo & Ferran, Carlos (Ed.), MCIS 2019 PROCEEDINGS. Association for Information Systems (AIS). ISSN 978-0-9966831-8-0.
• Wass, Sofie & Omland, Hans Olav (2019). Eliciting potential innovation benefits - a case study of employment for persons with intellectual disabilities. In Thygesen, Elin (Eds.), Proceedings from InnArbeid International Conference on work inclusion for persons with intellectual disabilities . Linköping University Electronic Press. ISSN 978-91-7685-017-6. p. 15–21.
• Imre, Özgün & Wass, Sofie Sara Terese (2019). Trends in Patient Generated Data – An Initial Review. In Bui, Tung X. (Eds.), Proceeding of the 52nd Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS 2019). AIS Electronic Library. ISSN 978-0-9981331-2-6. p. 4146–4154. doi: 10.24251/HICSS.2019.502. Full text in Research Archive
• Wass, Sofie Sara Terese & Vimarlund, Vivian (2018). Same, same but different: Perceptions of patients’ online access to electronic health records among healthcare professionals. Health Informatics Journal. ISSN 1460-4582. p. 1–11. doi: 10.1177/1460458218779101.
• Wass, Sofie Sara Terese & Vimarlund, Vivian (2018). The Role of PAEHRs in Patient Involvement. Journal of Medical Systems. ISSN 0148-5598. 42(210), p. 1–6. doi: 10.1007/s10916-018-1070-y.
• Wass, Sofie Sara Terese; Moe, Carl Erik; Thygesen, Elin & Haugland, Silje (2018). Use of welfare technology to increase employment of individuals with intellectual disabilities. Linköping Electronic Conference Proceedings. ISSN 1650-3686. p. 11–15. Full text in Research Archive

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• Safari, Mugula Chris & Wass, Sofie (2023). VR-based Scenarios in Education.
• Wass, Sofie (2020). InnArbeid - Samskaping & Innovation.
• Wass, Sofie (2020). InnArbeid - User-driven Innovation.
• Thygesen, Elin & Wass, Sofie (2020). InnArbeid - innovasjon i offentlig sektor Behovsdrevet innovasjon for inkludering av personer med utviklingshemming i arbeidslivet ved bruk av teknologi.
• Wass, Sofie; Omland, Hans Olav & Moe, Carl Erik (2019). UNDERSTANDING THE PROBLEM–INNOVATION IN THE WELFARE SECTOR THROUGH ACTION DESIGN RESEARCH. Show summary

  Action design research is a method to produce knowledge and solve real-world problems through developing innovative IT/IS artifacts. However, the method does not provide detailed guidance in the early stages of the problem formulation. This makes the initial problem formulation process challenging, especially in situations of innovating new artifacts in complex settings. The paper explores how the Work Systems (WS) snapshot can be used as a tool for identifying and understanding a problem domain. The study leans on a project that focuses on the welfare sector and the transition from school to employment for persons with intellectual disability. The study shows that the WS snapshot can provide some basic guidance and structure in such situations and that user journeys can assist in communicating the findings. The complexity of the welfare sector demands that significant time is spend on understanding not only the problem domain itself but also its surrounding settings.

• Wass, Sofie Sara Terese & Hansen, Lise Amy (2019). Inclusive worklife innovation – reflections on problem framing and solution spaces across systems.
• Wass, Sofie Sara Terese (2019). InnArbeid - innovasjon genom samskaping.
• Thygesen, Elin; Wass, Sofie Sara Terese; Hansen, Lise Amy; Moe, Carl Erik; Holen-Rabbersvik, Elisabeth & Ludvigsen, Ann-Elisabeth [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2019). InnArbeid - need-based innovation of technology-supported services with intellectual disabillities in working life.
• Thygesen, Elin; Wass, Sofie Sara Terese; Hansen, Lise Amy; Moe, Carl Erik; Holen-Rabbersvik, Elisabeth & Ludvigsen, Ann-Elisabeth [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2019). InnArbeid - Userdriven technology innovation for including people with intellectual disability in working life. Show summary

  In Norway, a national objective is to facilitate the participation of the entire population in the workforce, including people with intellectual disabilities (ID). However, it is difficult to find, enter and retain suitable employment for people with ID and the majority start their disability pensions directly after high school. The aim of the InnArbeid project is to develop services and technologies to facilitate a different transition: from high school to a sustained working life for people with ID. A new service model that includes technological support will be developed to facilitate a smoother transition to working life. This implies an opportunity for better coordination of plans and services for this group. In addition, a digital communication solution will be developed to improve the communication between employees in the housing service, employees at the school or at the workplace, relatives and the people with ID. A job search tool will also be developed to connect jobseekers with potential employers. Finally, studies will be conducted on how technological solutions can simplify the work situation for people with ID. This may include existing and newly developed solutions. Methods The methodological approach in the InnArbeid project is based on Action Design Research (ADR). ADR methodology combines action research and design research and includes user-need mapping, co-creation, evaluation and implementation through iterative processes whereby users participate in all stages. Through such extensive user involvement, we aim to gain insights and commitment from all actors, thereby enhancing the possibilities for realisation of the innovations. It is a challenge to develop technology for people with ID since they have reduced learning ability and individual needs. An important part of the project will therefore be to develop new methods for involving this user group. Results In the first phase of the project we have identified relevant actors in the transition from school to working life - as well as their positive and negative experiences of the transition. Key research questions were: What are the needs, barriers, and opportunities for increased work participation for people with ID? More than 60 people have participated in workshops, interviews and observations. At the conference, we will present some preliminary user insights and our mapping of user needs towards the project innovations. Discussions & implications InnArbeid aims to contribute to innovation and improvements in several areas: Better coordination and closer cooperation between actors to make work adaptations more efficient. A new service model for providing greater predictability and security for people with ID and their relatives. Technology-based services to support individual skills and greater participation for people with ID. As more people with ID can join the workforce instead of daycentres, municipal expenses may be reduced and new engagements in society made available for people with ID.

• Holen-Rabbersvik, Elisabeth; Haugland, Silje; Wass, Sofie Sara Terese; Fredwall, Terje Emil & Omland, Hans Olav (2019). InnArbeid- User needs and user insights as a base for innovation of technology supported services for includingpersons with disabilities in working life - Work package 2.
• Holen-Rabbersvik, Elisabeth; Omland, Hans Olav; Haugland, Silje; Wass, Sofie Sara Terese & Fredwall, Terje Emil (2019). InnArbeid - Behovsdrevet innovasjon for inkludering av personer med utviklingshemning i arbeidslivet ved bruk av teknologi -status fra arbeidspakke 2.
• Wass, Sofie Sara Terese (2019). InnArbeid - Need-based innovation of technology supported services for including persons with disabilities in working life.
• Wass, Sofie Sara Terese (2019). InnArbeid - an Action Design Science Project.
• Wass, Sofie Sara Terese (2019). InnArbeid - Behovsdrevet innovasjon for inkludering av personer med utviklingshemming i arbeidslivet ved bruk av teknologi.
• Wass, Sofie Sara Terese; Moe, Carl Erik; Thygesen, Elin & Haugland, Silje (2018). Use of welfare technology to increase employment of individuals with intellectual disabilities.

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