The economics of end-user development

The economical aspects of the end-user development are discussed. The appropriately designed end-user development (EUD) environments and an organizational culture of mutual support can substantially reduce the costs. The empowerment of end users to tailor their applications would render appropriation processes more effective and thus leads to more economical IT investments. It also motivates users to explore the initial and potential system functionality to develop innovative work practices. As EUD empowered changes are restricted to the scope of adaptation anticipated by the original designer, it cannot fully replace the development of new software versions.