Knowledge “Utilisateur” and knowledge “Usager”: The need for an evolving assistance

Résumé En

Knowledge involved in the use of tools, devices, systems or servicesoften do not come naturally to users. This paper exploits a difference common inthe French language between “utilisateur” and “usager”. Both words are of com‐mon use and are translated in English only by “user”. They reflect two extremeways to mobilize knowledge for people engaged in an activity. The aim of thispaper is to highlight, explain and exploit the difference and show that user assis‐tance must evolve from one to the other. We begin by considering a variety ofknowledge needs in a progression of more and more global tasks, i.e. use of tools,devices, intelligent devices, services and show that for each of them some pro‐gress can be achieve to better manage the relevant knowledge. Then we showthat considerable efforts are currently being made in order to provide the helpusers need at the various stages in the mastery of a task. We conclude with somerecommendations for a better management of our Knowledge Capital