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Title: Editorial: Ethics, Values, and Designer Responsibility
As we rely upon increasingly complex sociotechnical systems to support ourselves and, by extension, the structures of society, it becomes yet more important to consider how ethics and values intertwine in design activity. Numerous methods that address issues related to ethics and value- centeredness in design activity exist, but it is unclear what role the design research and practice communities should play in shaping the future of these design approaches. Importantly, how might researchers and practitioners become more aware of the normative assumptions that underlie both their design activity and the design artifacts that result? Previous research has revealed that a designer’s awareness of ethical issues can be raised through value-centered design approaches and methods (c.f., value-sensitive design), but the broader ethical impacts of these approaches and methods are often underexplored. For example, the diversity of potential stakeholders and complexity of use contexts may not be immediately accessible to a designer, leaving their near- and long-term ethical responsibility under-developed. There is always the spectre of unintended consequences, while shifts in culture make designs not only obsolete but unfathomable.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1657310
PAR ID:
10064084
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Proceedings of the Design Research Society
Volume:
1
Page Range / eLocation ID:
83-85
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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