Information Studies Theses and Dissertations
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2780
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Item HOW DO NONPROFITS INVOLVE BENEFICIARIES IN THE DESIGN OF MISSION PROGRAMS AND SERVICES(2022) DiPasquale, Sarah; Chan, Joel; Library & Information Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Human service nonprofits play an important role in communities across the United States. While existing research has studied how nonprofits engage beneficiaries in the evaluation of services, little research has been done to understand how human service nonprofits involve beneficiaries in the design of services. This research argues participatory design can be used to engage beneficiaries in program design. Through semi-structured interviews conducted with nine human service nonprofit professionals, this research sought to better understand how human service nonprofits involve beneficiaries in the design and development of service programs; and what barriers exist for human service nonprofits to do participatory design. These research findings provide a foundational understanding of how human service nonprofits use participatory design and uncover barriers to help inform the solutions necessary to increase participatory design use at human service nonprofits.Item Making Invisible Entities Visible: Negotiating Disclosure of Invisible Chronic Conditions in the Workplace(2020) Ganesh, Kausalya; Lazar, Amanda; Library & Information Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Invisible chronic conditions affect the work life of people in ways that are not obvious to others due to the lack of prominent symptoms. This thesis examines the negotiation of disclosure at work for people with invisible chronic conditions. In the first phase of this study, I analyzed posts on two Reddit forums, migraine and fibromyalgia. I found different factors in the workplace that can mitigate or exacerbate chronic pain in people with invisible conditions, and how people negotiate the disclosure of their invisible condition at work. In the second phase, I created five technological design concepts that were then shown to six people with one or both of these conditions in semi-structured interviews. Based on these phases, I contribute understandings of disclosure to take into account in future design efforts, such as how disclosure is not a simple, one-time conversation, nor is concealment an easy route without adequate access to manage chronic pain privately. Additionally, I identify design implications and future areas for research.