Titulo Estágio
Validation and Redesign of the Participant-Designer Journey Map
Local do Estágio
DEI-FCTUC / CISUC
Enquadramento
Digital technology is nowadays a significant part of our society. As technology reaches into every aspect of our daily lives, the ethical and moral responsibilities of those involved in designing and developing these technologies increase. Designers and developers shape tomorrow’s society through their creations, emphasising the crucial need for ethical and responsible practices in their processes.
In this context, one challenge emerges as central: power dynamics. Especially in participatory design approaches, power dynamics plays a predominant role in the design process, as it is influenced by decision-makers and those in positions of authority. While power dynamics are inevitable when using participatory approaches, they are not desirable and can have negative impacts. Power imbalances, can compromise the ethics of the project and reduce the potential for positive impact on the project. To address these challenges the 'Participant-Designer Journey Map' tool has been developed, which documents the collaboration between designers and participants throughout the design process, to identify interactions and instances in time in which power imbalances may occur.
References:
C. Frauenberger, M. Rauhala, and G. Fitzpatrick. 2017. In-Action Ethics. Interact Comput, vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 220–236. doi: 10.1093/iwc/iww024
Sheena Erete, Yolanda Rankin, and Jakita Thomas. 2023. A Method to the Madness: Applying an Intersectional Analysis of Structural Oppression and Power in HCI and Design. ACM Trans. Comput.-Hum. Interact. 30, 2, Article 24 (April 2023), 45 pages. https://doi.org/10.1145/3507695
L. Tejo, P. A. Silva. 2024. Navigating Ethics and Power Dynamics through Participant-Designer Journey Mapping. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/381046344_Navigating_Ethics_and_Power_Dynamics_through_Participant-Designer_Journey_Mapping
Objetivo
This dissertation aims to validate the Participant-Designer Journey Map (PDJM), by evaluating it with end-users of real projects. As a result of that evaluation, a second and third aims are to re-design and document the use of the PDJM. This will require 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
- Review the state of the art on ethical design processes, power dynamics in participatory design processes, and tools to support ethical processes
- Study and explore the Participant-Designer Journey Map (PDJM) and how it can be applied to conduct a power-balanced design process
- Contact relevant entities to be involved in the validation process
- Review and gather feedback from design teams about the design and use of the PDJM through expert reviews and focus groups.
- Analyse the results obtained in the previous review phase, determine changes needed, and define a preliminary validation plan.
- Write an intermediate dissertation document.
Plano de Trabalhos - Semestre 2
- Redesign the PDJM, exploring different design proposals.
- Define the final version of the validation plan, pilot it, and refine it (if needed).
- Execute the validation plan in the context of real-world projects
- Develop documentation for the tool (i.e.: user manuals and guides for implementing the PDJM and case studies demonstrating the use of the tool).
- Review the intermediate document of the dissertation (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.
Observações
The work will be co-supervised by Leonor Tejo, who concluded her MSc in Design and Multimedia in 2023. Leonor Tejo researched the topic of this dissertation and is eager to share what she learned with the student who decides to take on this dissertation project.
Orientador
Paula Alexandra Silva
paulasilva@dei.uc.pt 📩