Hess, Jan, et al. "Involving users in the wild—Participatory product development in and with online communities." International journal of human-computer studies 71.5 (2013): 570-589.

This paper explores the challenges and insights from a Participatory Product Development (PPD) project employing social technologies to involve a large, heterogeneous, and globally distributed user base in the software development process. Traditional participatory design (PD) methods, focused on representative user involvement from specific work or application settings, face new challenges in this context, including diverse user purposes and untested technological environments. Through participatory observation, online tool analysis, and semi-structured interviews, the study highlights issues related to timeliness, process structures, and the roles and responsibilities across different user experiences. The research underscores the importance of user representatives in managing heterogeneity and bridging professional and hobbyist perspectives. It also suggests that standard web technologies only partially support online PD processes, pointing to the need for more integrated approaches that link design discussions directly with usage environments and continuous development reflection.