Client circumstances before and after SAAP assistance : an analysis of the national data collection, 2002-03

If a program is to be successful for clients, it is important to be able to assess the outcomes before and after having been in the program. In order to draw some conclusions about the success of SAAP the following article attempts to summarise briefly the changes in circumstances experienced by SAAP clients when compared with their pre-SAAP circumstances.

The impact of client attitudes on the selection of contractors

This research is concerned with identifying prequalification criteria that both clients and contractors believe are good indicators of future construction performance. Criteria used in the past have been developed by clients in a largely idiosyncratic manner with little or no consultation with the contractors affected. The methodology chosen for the research was a survey which probed stakeholder attitudes to commonly used prequalification criteria. This was carried out via a postal questionnaire involving contactors and clients across Australia. The data was analysed using Discriminant Analysis, which is a multivariate statistical approach that determines the differences between groups. The research is structured around 39 criteria that were developed as part of a whole-of–government task force into best practice in procurement. The findings identified the most important criteria from both a client’s perspective, and a contractor’s perspective. The purpose was to discover if those differences reduce the effectiveness of the procurement process. This paper contributes to a more clarified understanding of the impact or contrasting views between the stakeholders involved in the prequalification process. This work is innovative because it is one of a few pieces of research that showed that clients and contractors do actually have divergent opinions on the importance of some criteria currently relied upon in the decision making process. The most important prequalification criteria are identified and possible reasons for these differences are discussed.

Usability testing: a client-centred approach to innovation

Systematic usability testing of the library website was unheard of at Deakin University Library three years ago. However, over the last two years, a large scale usability testing program has evolved and various methodologies have been trialled and tested by the team. This paper will discuss the methodologies used by the team, and the changes that were made to the Library’s search interfaces as a result of the studies. The paper will provide useful insights on what we did right, and on what we need to do differently in future usability studies.

Individually tailored client-focused reports for ubiquitous devices : an experimental analysis

We describe results of a test of a method for tailoring communications based on the recipient’s preferred information processing style and dominant motivational attitude. Results indicate that the greater the match between the style of the report and the individual’s attributes, the more informed the reader feels about the subject of the report. This research has been conducted as part of a study into methods to design patient-centred medical using diabetic patients as an exemplar of chronic disease. The long term aim is to use reports personalised to the recipient to better inform patients about their disease and strengthen their motivation to follow the treatment plan.

It can be quite difficult to have your creativity on tap : balancing client expectations and artistic practice in the tattoo industry

Tattoo artists work in a commission structure. Their artistic practice, possibly more than in any other creative career, requires the complete approval of the client prior to the creation of the final work. An unsatisfactory tattoo cannot be on-sold, discarded or easily replaced. Rarely can a tattooer practice their art without external participation. Therefore, tattoo artists come up with a number of strategies to manage their client base to ensure that the art they are asked to create satisfies both the client and their own artistic skills and preferences. Drawing on phenomenological research conducted for my PhD investigating artistic persona, this paper will explore the strategies tattoo artists use to construct their portfolios, manage the tattoo consultation and design process, and develop their own artistic skills, in order to build a successful and rewarding career in the tattoo industry.

Assessing client outcomes in youth justice services : current status and future directions

Youth justice services are increasingly expected to demonstrate that the services and programs they provide lead to measurable outcomes. This paper considers how client outcomes other than recidivism, which are considered important to youth justice service providers, might be conceptualized and reliably assessed. We conclude that there is a need to develop methods of assessment that are consistent with the principles of evidence-based assessment and we make a number of suggestions for the development of practice in this area.

Client self-assessment in community aged care: A comparative study involving older Australians and their case managers

Self-assessment of support needs is a relatively new and under-researched phenomenon in domiciliary aged care. This article outlines the results of a comparative study focusing on whether a self-assessment approach assists clients to identify support needs and the degree to which self-assessed needs differ from an assessment conducted by community care professionals. A total of 48 older people and their case managers completed a needs assessment tool. Twenty-two semi-structured interviews were used to ascertain older people’s views and preferences regarding the self-assessment process. The study suggests that while a co-assessment approach as outlined in this article has the potential to assist older people to gain a better understanding of their care needs as well as the assessment process and its ramifications, client self-assessment should be seen as part of a co-assessment process involving care professionals. Such a co-assessment process allows older people to gain a better understanding of their support needs and the wider community aged care context. The article suggests that a co-assessment process involving both clients and care professionals contains features that have the capacity to enhance domiciliary aged care.

Accountability in juvenile justice : a framework to assess client outcomes

This article describes the development of an assessment protocol for use with juvenile justice clients that can be used to assess needs in a manner that not only informs the development of case plans but also allows for the assessment of change over the course of a service contact. The youth justice assessment tool supports case needs identification and analysis as well as screening for mental health concerns, risk of harm to self or others, and risk of reoffending. Initial validation of the case needs component has been undertaken and although further validation is required, preliminary data reported in this article suggest that this type of approach to client assessment does hold some promise.