User practices in shaping complementarities for creating diverse systems of use: Insights from users in situations of hearing loss

Abstract

While technology is often designed for specific purposes, users frequently adapt, repurpose, and combine various technological and non-technological resources to create systems of use that meet their unique requirements. This paper investigates this phenomenon through a qualitative study of individuals with hearing loss, using a practice-based approach and complementarity lens to uncover how users create and sustain effective systems of use in different environments. Our research identifies three key user practices to shape complementarity, i.e., bricolaging, engineering, and integrating. Our findings contribute to the understanding of systems of use and advance the concept of complementarity beyond fixed, product-centered configurations toward dynamic, user-driven assemblages. These insights offer implications for product design, emphasizing the need for flexibility, sensitivity to context, and policy innovations that support adaptable technologies that can create value for users and society.