Abstract. Any software development project is based on assumptions about the state of the world that probably will hold when it is fielded. Investigating whether they are true can be seen as an important task. This paper describes how an empirical investigation was designed and conducted for the EU funded APOSDLE project. This project aims at supporting informal learning during work. Four basic assumptions are derived from the project plan and subsequently investigated in a twophase study using several methods, including workplace observations and a survey. The results show that most of the assumptions are valid in the current work context of knowledge workers. In addition more specific suggestions for the design of the prospective APOSDLE application could be derived. Though requiring a substantial effort, carrying out studies like this can be seen as important for longer term software development projects.

This paper presents and discusses the use of an online diary for the remote evaluation at the workplace of a new knowledge management tool that supports selfdirected learning at work, the second APOSDLE prototype. The workplace evaluation was carried out collaboratively in four different organizations, across different European countries. The online diary was built with the open source discussion forum software phpBB. Used in combination with other research methods, the diary allowed gathering data on the system design and performance as well as the user experience. Its flexibility met participants' preferences and needs. With its use, the diary became the communication tool between users, researchers and developers, giving voice to the users in the evaluation and redesign process.

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