Who is a user? tags: distinction
Users are people who are relegated no agency in the product lifecycle. They only receive the benefit of the product and offer participation and membership in the community surrounding the product. Users are consumers. When they have an extended role in the product lifecycle, they are called prosumers. Prosumers labour without expecting a reward that equals the value of their labour. They get willingly exploited in exchange for functionality. The functionality often offers them a critical use…