Titulo Estágio
Developing tools to support ethical and responsible design and innovation
Local do Estágio
DEI-FCTUC
Enquadramento
Digital technology is nowadays a significant part of our society and, as technology reaches into every aspect of our daily lives, the ethical and moral responsibilities of those who are involved in the design and development of those technologies increase. By being involved in the creation of the tools for the future, designers ultimately shape tomorrow’s society, which further increases the necessity for conducting ethical and responsible processes.
Frauenberger et al. (2017) discuss the ethical dilemmas that can emerge in the context of design and technology, from the protection of study participants to the shared power dynamics among design and development teams. The authors then propose the In-Action Ethics framework, highlighting key qualities to be considered by teams during the design and development of products and services. It is in this context that the notion of ethos building is introduced, as a way to operationalise ethical and responsible design and innovation among teams.
Building upon this framework and other similar ones, this dissertation will contribute to the development of In-Action Ethics by creating and validating tools that can support teams in carrying out their design and development processes. These tools can take a diversity of forms, from canvas to maps, guides, card-based games, or even outlines for conducting speculative design fictions among others. The final form of the tools developed by the student will depend on the interests and skills of the student as well as the findings from research with experts. Regardless of the final form of the tools, they are expected to contribute to capturing, describing, and guiding the main steps into developing an ethical and responsible design process.
References:
C. Frauenberger, M. Rauhala, and G. Fitzpatrick, “In-Action Ethics,” Interact Comput, vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 220–236, Mar. 2017, doi: 10.1093/iwc/iww024.
Michael J Quinn, “Ethics for the Information Age” (7th Edition) (9780134296548), 2016, https://www.amazon.com/Ethics-Information-Age-Michael-Quinn/dp/0134296540
Jordan, P., Silva, P.A. (2021). Science Fiction—An Untapped Opportunity in HCI Research and Education. In: Soares, M.M., Rosenzweig, E., Marcus, A. (eds) Design, User Experience, and Usability: UX Research and Design. HCII 2021. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 12779. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-78221-4_3
Ethics for Designers https://www.ethicsfordesigners.com/
The humane institute https://www.humanetech.com/
Ethics canvas https://www.ethicscanvas.org/
Objetivo
The goal of this dissertation is to create and validate tools that can support teams in carrying out an ethical and responsible design and development process. This will invite the student to study and reflect on the ethical dilemmas of designing technology in the 21st century, from a practical perspective and through the lenses of the area of Human-Computer Interaction.
Plano de Trabalhos - Semestre 1
Develop an understanding of key ethical concepts and what it means to conduct an ethical and responsible design and innovation process
Gain insight into the different ethical issues surrounding the design of digital technology and why it is important to consider ethics in this context
Search and review existing ethical and responsible design and innovation support tools, guides, and frameworks
Conduct contextual research with design and development teams to learn about current ethical and responsible design practices (i.e: through fieldwork and interviews with researchers and practitioners)
Analyse and synthesise the results obtained in the contextual research phase and determine the specific focus of the tools that will be designed and validated in the second semester
Writing the initial chapters of the dissertation.
Plano de Trabalhos - Semestre 2
Explore alternative strategies and tools that could support an ethical and responsible design and innovation process
Plan, (co) design, and (co)create a preliminary set of tools to support an ethical and responsible design and innovation process
Iteratively review, test, and validate the proposed tool with researchers and practitioners
Synthesise results and create a manual on how to use the developed tool
Review the initial chapter of the thesis (if needed) and write the remaining chapters of the dissertation.
Condições
The student is expected to have an interest in the Human-Computer Interaction discipline and in developing ethical and responsible innovation. Fluency in English is a plus.
Orientador
DEI | CISUC, University of Coimbra
paulasilva@dei.uc.pt 📩