Evidence-based product support and the cultivation of a community of learners

While consumers adopt technological solutions based on their perceived usefulness, continued use of those products often depends on the support customers receive as they initially use the product, and when they run into problems or complex uses. Traditional support models (e.g., call centres) are often costly and only somewhat effective. The current proposal outlines research focused primarily on two issues; First, what is the best way to configure information within a support site to allow efficient and rich access to needed information and second, how can crowd-sourcing be best harnessed to create a community of learners that can provide immediate, complex and “human” support without requiring the typical costs. The experiments and “in vivo” research will be conducted within the context of two University of Toronto products licensed to Pearson Education Canada – peerScholar and Cogneeto – but the implications of the work are wide-reaching and timely.

Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Steve Joordens

Student:

Dwayne E. Paré

Partner:

Pearson Education Canada

Discipline:

Psychology

Sector:

Information and communications technologies

University:

University of Toronto