Sustainable system of systems at work: unravelling (some of) the complexity of farmers' transition to sustainability.

To support sustainable development, several researchers in ergonomics propose a comprehensive approach to work situations or the systems in which they are embedded. This article empirically instantiates one of the proposed models - the Sustainable System of Systems (SSoS) model - in the case of the work of farmers engaged in agroecological transitions. It thus explores complexity regarding sustainability, and to highlight its contributions and limits. Based on a case study, our results illustrate how the macro, meso and micro levels of SSoS are finely articulated in workers' concerns, decisions, and trajectories to sustainability. We enrich this approach with a diachronic method to support the actors involved in such transitions as they navigate the complexities of sustainable transition.Practitioner summary: The research proposes insights into how farmers manage their transition to more sustainable practices, by revealing the various systems influencing that transition. It highlights: (1) farmers' development of a systemic and temporal approach to this transition, and the impacts that the different levels of the system have on one another; and (2) methodological issues related to the development of long-term ergonomic actions to support navigation and copying within the complexity of sustainable transition.

Designers' and users' roles in participatory design: What is actually co-designed by participants?

This research deals with an analysis of forms of participation in a participatory design (PD) process of a software that assesses the sustainability of agricultural cropping systems. We explore the actual forms of participation of designers and users by adapting an Actual Role Analysis in Design approach (Barcellini et al., 2013) to capture the levels of abstraction (conceptual, functional and operational) of participants' discussions. We show that: (1) the process does not only concern the design of the artifact itself, but also the design of the concept of sustainability; (2) all participants (users & designers) have a role in co-designing the concept (in our case, sustainability); (3) some roles and profiles are key to this co-design. We discuss our contributions to both the research and the practices of participatory design. These contributions deal with the production of a method and related knowledge about actual activities in participatory design situations. They may support the development of relevant training programs regarding participatory situations, or be reflexive activities that can help those who are involved in designing and leading in participatory situations, to make improvements.