Beyond usability: wellbeing-driven end-user development design in practice

Abstract

End-User Development (EUD) empowers non-programmers to create, adapt, and extend digital tools according to their needs. Traditional research on EUD has primarily focussed on usability and efficiency, often overlooking dimensions of wellbeing and user engagement. While frameworks such as meta-design advocate for transformative potentials beyond mere usability, explicit integration of wellbeing remains insufficiently explored. To address this research gap, this paper proposes a novel conceptual methodology that focuses on wellbeing aspects in EUD components. Drawing from an wellbeing-driven design approach, we emphasise designing tangible interactive artifacts that foster positive user experiences. Building on the novel construct EUDability, we introduce an extended version called xEUDability and demonstrate how it enriches existing methodologies by integrating Design Thinking skills. This extended framework offers a robust foundation for the systematic assessment and improvement of EUD tools, prioritising sustained positive experiences and meaningful user interactions. We apply this seven-phase methodology to design a research planning tool for academic researchers, producing a prototype evaluated through an xEUDability expert review and an AttrakDiff user study, supplemented by a psychological need satisfaction assessment (BPN-TU). The evaluation indicates support across xEUDability dimensions, suggesting that the methodology can produce EUD artifacts perceived as both pragmatically useful and experientially meaningful.