Social Responsibility and Theoretical Choice - Part 1

Now that my thesis has been examined and accepted, I am going to begin posting excerpts that I think will be of interest to mobile designers and the broader HCI community. After it has been formally published I will post the entire thesis PDF, but as it is rather lengthy, I believe the smaller portions here should be easier to read.

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This excerpt is the first of a six part series which addresses how design methods and theory affect the types of technologies we create and the social impact of those technologies. Are we ensuring a more humane world by using certain methods or frameworks? What can we learn from the historical examples of technology development? How can we determine if our new creations will make the world better or worse?

Excerpt from:
Axup, J. (2006, Forthcoming). Methods of Understanding and Designing For Mobile Communities. Thesis, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.

It is not always clear to practitioners what the theoretical aims and resulting consequences of the methods they use are. Some methods are structured not only to produce useful results, but also to advance a social agenda or produce certain kinds of technologies. The remainder of this section explores the influence that technology has on human behaviour and the influence that designers and users have on technology. Several possibilities are presented which could help developers produce more humane technologies which likewise advance humanity’s potential.

Choosing Design Theory With Social Intent

All methods have a theoretical bias. Ethnomethodology leans towards accounts of socially constructed behaviour from the perspective of those that live it. Ethnography similarly advocates observations of natural behaviour. Participatory design has trade union and democratic leanings. Action research sometimes aims for social emancipation. Traditional software engineering can be reductionist and seeks organised structure and logical workflows. Cultural probes aim to be playful and provoke participants to reconsider their lives. Each of these theories or methods influences the participants who take part in the research, and ultimately the type of designs and ideas that result from using them. When we choose methods we necessarily promote certain social values and design processes.

Choosing a method is often a practical issue concerning what will get results or which methods are familiar and comfortable to use. However this means that we may be supporting certain design ideologies and social outcomes of our work without realising it. So what are the implications of our design choices? What is the societal goal behind the design? Recently Google and other major US technology companies were publicly admonished for their social policies in foreign markets. Wired reported that US representative Tom Lantos said "Your abhorrent actions in China are a disgrace. I simply do not understand how your corporate leadership sleeps at night." and went on to discuss the need for social responsibility in the tech industry . So it seems that governments are interested in the social implications of technology use, and that perhaps designers should increasingly do so as well.

Next post: Technology and Those That Control Its Use