When interacting with autonomous participants it makes sense to make the content of the interaction ‘worthwhile’ for these participants. After all, there is a reason why this interaction takes place. That reason is about the perception of added-value: the involved participants get ‘something’ out of the interaction that they like (or desire, need, must have to complete a task, etc.). Added-value is a subjective opinion: each participant has an individual opinion on whether ‘something’ has added-value.
User-Centered innovation distinguishes between desired and delivered added-value.
If we assume that added-value is created by interaction between participants then it becomes possible to differentiate between delivering added-value and desiring added-value. This distinction aids in finding discrepancies in solutions where there is a mismatch between delivered and desired added-value. For example, it becomes possible to analyse an interaction where content is delivered as desired, but desired transparency in the delivery process is not delivered.
As with autonomy: humans and machines differ in their understanding and perception of added-value received through interactions. For humans, added-value can be about the quality, manner of delivery (politeness, swiftness), relevance to situation at hand, price, etc. For machines, added-value can be about quality of information, manner of delivery (in-time or real-time), adherence to interaction protocols, etc.
In user-centered innovation solutions ought to deliver the desired added-value – as much as possible.
A non-exhaustive list of starting points to read more on added-value:
- Economic definition of added value (price minus cost) on Wikipedia.
- Value-added modelling is used to evaluate teachers, see on Wikipedia.
- Multi-dimensional aspects of added-value, see L. de Chernatony, F. Harris and F. Dall’Olmo Riley (2000). Added value: its nature, roles and sustainability. European Journal of Marketing, 34(1/2):39-56. doi:10.1108/03090560010306197, available at EmeraldInsight.com and at ResearchGate.