Titulo Estágio
Extremes - Exploration on how the concept of Extremes might inform the design of inclusive digital work systems
Local do Estágio
Porto or Remote Work
Enquadramento
Project Abstract:
The speed at which digitalisation at work is taking place often outpaces legal frameworks (1). Digitalisation is often also faster than the speed at which workers can be involved in participatory design that is meant to shape how technology should be designed to align with humane values. If, on the one hand, digitalisation can reduce physical effort required to do the job and improve safety at work, it may also put workers at risk due to intensified work, less control over the job, less job security and potential exposure to occupational diseases.
Essentially, we are witnessing a moment of significant changes at work fuelled by great leaps in digital technologies, akin to moments lived in the 1970s and 1980s when digital technologies were first introduced at work in large scale, albeit currently at a greater speed. Therefore, we require from design research a response in the form of a set of methods appropriate to these conditions, which help question, critique and offer designs for digitalisation at work that place human and overall life needs at the centre of digitalisation.
Prior work by Fraunhofer AICOS has hypothesised that we can use the concept of Extremes as a tool in such design research methods (2). Originating from the field of Inclusive Design, the concept of Extremes allows us to integrate views of extreme abilities and disabilities, extreme jobs, and extreme scenarios to speculate about how the future might be. Fraunhofer AICOS has also looked at how workers in extremely demanding environments (industrial shopfloors) can be involved in participatory design. Previous and ongoing projects have contributed to the design research community with knowledge about how to engage with shopfloor operators for technology design (3), how to learn from operator-made utensils (4), and how to engage with operators in the creation of Design Fictions (5).
What we are still missing is ways of connecting these two types of prior contributions. Therefore, goal of this project is to explore the hypothesis related to the use of the concept of Extremes through the development and testing of design research materials that can mediate researcher-participant (i.e., worker) communication and help deliver speculative designs and/or design fictions. The designed artifacts should be validated with a group of external stakeholders who specialise in domains related to digitalisation, labour, occupational health, policy making or human rights.
Objetivo
Objective:
The main expected outcome is a set of design research materials that researchers can use to investigate the topic of the future of digitalisation at work with the participation of workers. As a secondary outcome, the research project has the potential to deliver worker-generated visions of future digitalisation that can be used to inform policy makers.
Plano de Trabalhos - Semestre 1
Workplan:
1. State of the art on design methods (e.g., speculative design, design fictions, counterfactual history methods, counter rhetorical design), and on digitalisation at work (e.g., algorithmic management, models of health at work).
Plano de Trabalhos - Semestre 2
Workplan:
2. Analysis of AICOS’ existing data and, ideally, user research with workers and other domain experts;
3. Design and testing of materials to support co-creation with workers;
4. Validation of materials with external experts;
5. Recommendations for tool use and methodological recommendations for design research.
Condições
Student profile:
- Inquisitive and curious mind;
- Skills in (audio)visual representations;
- Interest – and, ideally, experience – in facilitating co-creation sessions;
- Keen interest in speculative design, design fictions and the future of digitalisation at work;
- Willingness to perform field work in user research- co-creation and prototype assessment;
- Proficiency in English and good domain of Portuguese for field work.
Observações
References
(1) Zuboff, S. (2019). The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power (1st edition). PublicAffairs.
(2) Correia de Barros. A. (2024, in press). Extremes: On how the study of appropriation might inform inclusive workplace design in manufacturing. In Design Research Society Conference.
(3) Correia de Barros, A., Correia, C., Silva, D., Cunha, L, Brito, S., Pereira, J. (2023). Factory fieldwork informing the design research process. In Holmlid, S., Rodrigues, V., Westin, C., Krogh, P. G., Mäkelä, M., Svanaes, D., Wikberg-Nilsson, Å (eds.), Nordes 2023: This Space Intentionally Left Blank, 12-14 June, Linköping University, Norrköping, Sweden.
(4) Correia de Barros, A., Magalhães, I., Correia, C., Moutinho, R. (2024, in press). Generating design briefs based on the analysis of workplace artifacts invented by industrial workers: Towards addressing gaps of context and scope in the study of spontaneous design. In Cumulus Conference: P/References of Design.
(5) Project Fictions: https://futuresilience.eu/future-resilience-labs/fictions
Orientador
Ana Maria Vieira Rebelo Correia de Barros
ana.barros@aicos.fraunhofer.pt 📩