The development of technological systems for specific end users requires their involvement in the design and development process, as well as their active participation in validating the resulting technology. To this end, pilot trials are usually implemented, in which the technology is deployed in the intended work environments, and the selected end users are responsible for using, testing and validating it. One objective of this activity is to obtain feedback from potential users in order to evaluate what is known as “technology acceptance”. Multiple studies have concluded that end users’ unwillingness to use information systems (i.e. not accepting these systems) is the main reason for failure in terms of the actual implementation of
technological innovations.

“Perceived usefulness” and “ease of use” have been identified as key factors in predicting user
acceptance of a system. In other words, to guarantee the success of a system, end users must
perceive it as useful for improving their job performance and easy to learn to use. While there is
broad consensus on the significant influence of these two variables, the impact of other factors
has also recently been demonstrated, including end-user training.
Several studies have demonstrated the increasing importance of adequate training in fostering
the intention to use, and consequently, the actual adoption of technological systems. Training
end users in the use of a given system has been shown to influence the aforementioned two
variables. Training end users makes it easier for them to use the system in their daily work (in
our case, the pilots), thereby increasing their perception of its usefulness. With this in mind, the
PANTHEON project developed an end-user training workshop on using the PANTHEON
system, delivered just before the Table Top Exercises (TTXs) that served as the basis for the
pilots. To this end, we implemented a three-step training design methodology:

1. Definition of actors, tasks and objectives. The aim of this phase was to define training
   needs. To achieve this, we identified the primary actors who would be directly involved
   in the TTXs and determined the tasks they would perform when interacting with the
   PANTHEON system. Based on these tasks, we identified the knowledge, skills and
   attitudes required by users to operate the system effectively, and established the training
   objectives.
2. Development and implementation of the training programme. Drawing on the
   information gathered through the training needs assessment, we defined the content of
   the training programme and developed supporting materials for those responsible for
   delivering it. This included presentations on the project in general, the PANTHEON
   system and its components, and the disaster and operational scenarios through which
   the system was to be tested and validated. We also developed a brief user manual in
   leaflet form, which included a description of the system components for each use case
   scenario, as well as an outline of the tasks to be performed. The training seminars took
   place on the day of the pilots in Athens and Vienna, just before the start of each TTXs.
3. Evaluation of the training seminar. The aim of evaluating the training workshop was
   to receive feedback from its attendees in order to improve certain elements of the
   training. We used questionnaires to measure satisfaction with the different components
   of the workshop, such as the content, trainers and support material, as well as the
   experience as a whole. We also assessed learning by asking about the perceived
   difficulty of the tasks performed during the TTX and the perceived usefulness of the
   system in their jobs.
   

The preliminary analysis of the results of the evaluation has revealed some very positive effects,
which will soon be available in “D8.5 – Report on Training and Pilot Execution”.