Barriers for Inclusion of User Practices in Technology Development in Blue Denmark

Abstract

As the world collectively looks to technology to salvage what is left of our world to sustain a habitat that can accommodate our way of life, users are increasingly exposed to technological solutions, rarely developed with an offset in their practice. This also holds for the maritime sector in Denmark, where the way of developing technology is limited to the applicability of technological artifacts and can reduce the potential efficiency gains that technologies can introduce. This paper applies qualitative research to show that there is a disconnect between, on the one hand, funders, technology developers, and decision-makers and, on the other hand, technology users and practitioners in the Danish maritime sector. It argued that if technology is to replace or assist any human practice and solve for example the climate crises, then knowledge of users’ practices must be key to developing the technological solutions.