The purpose of this article is to analyze the following statement in the context of a specific website development project:
In the system development life cycle the users are the ones who truly understand the business; it makes sense for all information systems to be developed by the end users.
Henry Lucas tells us that the most serious constraints on system design are not technical in nature (1971). Informal, formal, and direct involvement (Butler and Fitzgerald, 1997) influences the outcome of any project. A website implementation project at a law school is described and analyzed with respect to the effects of user involvement in the development process. Prior to the latest revision of the website user involvement was minimal. During the latest revision cycle user involvement was intentionally solicited by the development team and user recommendations were incorporated into the project. The initial feedback on this project has been very positive.
Three apparent truths emerged from this approach:
1. User involvement is very important to the development process but should be managed properly.
2.User involvement should not only be solicited but should be acted upon and feedback should be provided to the user.
3. Technical aspects should be left up to the technical experts.
