Eudaimonic Design of Work Assistance Systems (EDWANCE)

• Applicants: Professor Dr. Michael Fellmann; Professor Dr. Holger Muehlan; Professor Dr.-Ing. Carsten Roecker
• Subject Area: Data Management, Data-Intensive Systems, Computer Science Methods in Business Informatics
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 550436992

The world of industrial work is undergoing a major transformation. Work environments are increasingly technologized while demographic developments in several countries lead to many experienced workers who retire. This fuels the necessity to improve employability, productivity and skills of younger workers while at the same time foster workers’ wellbeing and job satisfaction. One of the ways to do so is by developing worker assistance systems (“WA” for short) providing interactive support. However, despite the numerous developments, wellbeing is still largely neglected as a potential candidate for incorporation into the design of WAs. This is surprising given numerous studies indicating that a direct focus on enhancing productivity and engagement through technology rather results in short-term improvements and in the long run may harm the user’s wellbeing. In regard to worker wellbeing, job satisfaction has been established as an important concept (i.e., feeling good, happy, and satisfied). This hedonic view of wellbeing has been criticized for its inadequate reflection of worker wellbeing, since it ignores the reflection on experiences, motives, and functioning that lead to long-lasting wellbeing. In contrast, the eudaimonic approach shifts the focus from the enjoyment of a job or tasks to the purpose of work and on the sense of fulfilment of that purpose. The focus here lies on one’s skill development, growth, sense of contribution, and personal relationships. While nurturing eudaimonic wellbeing at work also results in hedonic, or subjective wellbeing, it does so while aiming at improving long-term wellbeing. Hence incorporating eudaimonic principles into the design of WAs is very promising. However, to do so is still an open research problem. The gap lies in how to "translate" the abstract factors of eudaimonia into concrete designs of WA, both on the theoretical and implementation level. Neither IT standards nor research in wellbeing or HCI conveys relevant design suggestions. Therefore, the proposed research project is aimed to close this gap. We expect the following results: 1) A design method to synthesize knowledge about design aspects and features of WA that create or foster eudaimonic experiences at work. 2) Design principles for developing WA that create or foster eudaimonic experiences. 3) Demonstration of the design principles in the form of domain-specific instantiations and empirical evaluations within laboratory studies under realistic conditions. How to incorporate principles of eudaimonic wellbeing into WAs and analysing their effects on wellbeing have not been studied so far. To do so, the interdisciplinary research project EDWANCE will follow the Design Science Paradigm and will generate both valuable theoretical and practical insights due to access to real-world industry settings. Hence EDWANCE will lead to novel insights that substantially advance the design and implementation of future work assistance systems.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants