Understanding Knowledge Management Systems: Psychological Needs As A Conceptual Lens On User Experience, Research, and Design

Knowledge Management Systems (KMS) are crucial for capturing, sharing, and applying organizational knowledge. While technical and organizational aspects of KMS have been discussed in the HCI literature, the psychological dimension has received less attention. Still psychological need fulfillment and adequately addressing the motivations of different stakeholders could be a deciding factor for their actual usage and success. This paper introduces psychological needs (e.g. autonomy, competence, relatedness, and meaning) as a valuable framework to better select, evaluate, and design KMS. First, the complex landscape of KMS types, use cases and stakeholders is mapped, demonstrating that these classifications often fall short of practical realities. Then psychological needs are proposed as an integrative lens to make sense of this complexity and guide both research and design decisions. This perspective is particularly relevant for UX researchers, designers, and organizational leaders or users in general seeking to foster more suitable Knowledge Management Systems.