A User-Led Approach to Smart Campus Design at a University of Technology

Abstract

A South African university of technology (UoT) has embarked on a transformative journey towards achieving a SMART campus status. Due to the plurality of perspectives concerning the meaning of the SMART campus concept among end-users and other stakeholders, and for the avoidance of pitfalls associated with end-user apathy towards new innovations, a user-led approach (participatory design) was adopted. This study provides a detailed narrative on the utility of the participatory design process in the design of the SMART campus initiative at the UoT. Relevant user categories within the UoT were identified, and a pre-determined number of individuals purposively recruited from each of these categories. A workshop was convened to elicit their opinions concerning the SMART campus concept. Discussions at the session were recorded and subsequently transcribed. Data emerging from the discussions were analyzed thematically relying on a coterie of pre-set themes. Findings from the study highlight the benefits accruable from the proper usage of the participatory design approach. The adoption of this approach enabled among other things, a consensus on an institution-wide/institution-specific definition of the SMART campus concept, an identification of the state-of-the-art of the institution’s ICT platform, users’ perception of the performance of extant ICT platforms, their expectations, as well as aspects of the SMART campus they believe should be prioritized during implementation. The study highlights the utility of the participatory design approach in the design and implementation of innovative solutions like the SMART campus initiative in organizations.