Most research on platform innovation studies the phenomena from a distance due to lack of access. This paper reports from within an action research case of platform development in a small-scale context. The case is based on a regional business initiative with the goal to establish an arena for mobile commerce and stimulate local industry growth. It was conducted in collaboration between researchers and third-party developers. The article shows how the initial phases of platformization are characterized by socio-technical arrangements, co-creation of boundary resources and intimate knowledge communication. The paper contributes to platform research by acknowledging a small-scale context for platform research. It further develops distributed tuning of boundary resources into an intimate fine-tuning process that we illustrate is valid for a small-scale context.

The design of digital artifacts in general and mobile apps in particular has not been investigated fully from a practice perspective. Mobile apps are commonly designed from a distant, armslength relationship where they are developed without taking the users' practices into account.This paper problematizes this notion and takes the point of departure from a collaborative design (co-design) process where the goal was to design a mobile app supporting grocery shopping forthe home care sector. We analyse the role of designing a mobile app as a facilitator for collaboration between the elderly's everyday practice and the caregivers work practice and investigatehow these two practices become intertwined. The research questions are: How can the design process be organized in order to foster the formation of a prospective collaborative care practice? What aspects are important to consider when designing with a boundary practice perspective? The findings of this study indicate that organizing the design activities in a certain collaborative manner empowered the elderly and their caregivers and led to the formation of a common, collaborative care practice (herein called co-care). The focus of the design process thereby shifted from designing the digital artifact (framed as a boundary object) to designing the co-carepractice (framed as a boundary practice). Our contribution is discussed in terms of design considerations,which can be applied for the facilitation of a collaborative boundary practice. The considerations are of particular relevance for settings where two or more practices are to collaborate and where new conditions are to be created for future co-practice.

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to understand how the role of an mHealth artifact plays out in home care settings. An mHealth artifact, in terms of a mobile app, was tested to see how the quality of home care work practice was enhanced and changed. The research question is: In what ways does an mHealth artifact re-shape a home care practice and how does this affect the interaction between caregivers and the elderly and learning opportunities for the caregivers? Design/methodology/approach: An action research approach was taken and the study was conducted in a home care organization in a Swedish municipality. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews and observations that were conducted during home visits. Concepts of learning and boundary objects were used to analyze and distinguish interactions and conversations with the mHealth artifact. Findings: The study shows how an mHealth artifact is re-shaping a home care practice and how this affects interactions and identifies learning opportunities. Views on the mHealth artifact as a designated boundary object as well as a boundary object-in-use must co-exist. Originality/value: The study provides qualitative descriptions from using an mHealth artifact for home care, which is an emerging area of concern for both research and practice. It focuses on the interactional and organizational values generated from the actual use of the designed mobile application. © 2017, © Emerald Publishing Limited.

Healthcare is increasingly permeated with digital platforms supporting cooperative care involving different professional groups and also patients. New mobile technologies allow for patients to continuously monitor and document their symptoms to support better healthcare, as well as self-care. The successful design of such multi-user platforms calls for new design approaches involving heterogeneous conditions and goals. This paper analyzes theuse of boundary objects in design as a mediator for different users' needs and conditions. Our research is conducted at a clinic supporting cancer survivors in their struggles with treatment induced illnesses, a treatment heavily dependent on new medical research as well as on patient involvement. The data is collected ethnographically over two years following a design project that developed a digital platform to support the care provided by the clinic. We describe how useful boundary objects transform over time, from rich narratives, to conceptual formulations and finally into concrete prototypes of the platform. We argue that understanding such a transformation can inform the design of healthcare platforms and guide future design processes, where co-designing with boundary objects can be especially useful as a design approach when doing design complex settings, such as healthcare settings.