Value‐centred interaction design methods
| Pages | 334-348 |
| Published date | 21 November 2008 |
| Date | 21 November 2008 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/14779960810921132 |
| Author | John Knight |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management |
Value-centred interaction design
methods
John Knight
Intiuo Design and Research, London, UK
Abstract
Purpose – This paper aims to inform and improve the quality of electronic products and services by
outlining an approach to ethically grounded design.
Design/methodology/approach – A number of design disciplines were investigated using desk
research and also learning from experience in commercial design practice in the mobile phone, Internet
and software industries.
Findings – It is suggested that design “scripts” specific behaviours with either good or bad results.
Scripts have a behavioural element and they define the physical, social and individual impact of
products and services. This suggests that designers should be aware of the impact design decisions
have throughout the product lifecycle. In order to achieve this, three ethical design principles (situated
research, reflexivity and participation) are proposed to frame ethical design practice.
Research limitations/implications – It is suggested that measuring impact alone is insufficient to
minimise harm caused by electronic products and services. Instead, research should focus on
positively informing design through actionable results in the participatory design tradition.
Conversely, design needs to accommodate research into measuring the impact of products in order to
deliver long-term benefits to users rather than perpetuating passive consumption.
Practical implications – Thepaper provides anoverview of methods forvalue-centred interaction
design based on the analysis of alternative approaches to ethical design.
Originality/value – The research in the paper spans a number of related but heretofore separate
disciplines pertinent to deepening design thinking. These disciplines are critiqued on the basis of their
appropriateness and applicability to an ethical design approach and the concept of scripting, used in
traditional design, is applied to interactivity. Lastly, three new principles are proposed for ethically
grounded design.
Keywords Design, Ethics,Electronic equipment and components,Social values, Interactive devices
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Despite the central role that design plays in shaping technology, there have to date
been few initiatives to integrate understanding the impact that designers have within
their practice. This gap between design and impact is all the more suprising given the
harm that users experience through designed products (Huws, 1987) including
physical pain (Fairweather, 1999) and even addiction (Shotton, 1989). Generally, such
studies (from a sociological perspective) focus on negative impact of techno logy.
In contrast, the design community has generally seen technology as a benefit and
design opportunity. Design thinking in this areas has highlighted the benefits of
computer technology including increasing access to products, services and tools and
social benefits such as greater personal expression (Turkle, 1995 and Joinson, 2001).
Gaver (2007) suggests that digitalisation offers the possibility of reducing the impact of
consumption by. Chapman (2005, p. 19) echoes a point made by Dunne (1999, p. 73) that
computers create a “new way of engaging at a rational and emotional level and indeed
enable even poetic and aesthetic experiences”.
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/1477-996X.htm
JICES
6,4
334
Journal of Information,
Communication & Ethics in Society
Vol. 6 No. 4, 2008
pp. 334-348
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
1477-996X
DOI 10.1108/14779960810921132
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