We theoretically develop the ethical positions implicit in somaesthetic interaction design and, using the case study of a water faucet, illustrate our conceptual understanding of ethical sensibilities in design. We apply four lenses -- the felt self, intercorporeal self, socio-cultural and political self, and entangled self -- to show how our selves and ethical sensibilities are fundamentally constituted by a socially, materially, and technologically entwined world. Further, we show how ethical sensibilities are cultivated in the practice of somaesthetic interaction design. We contribute felt ethics as an approach to cultivating ethical sensibilities in design practice. The felt ethics approach is comprised of (i) a processual cultivation of ethical sensibility through analytical, pragmatic, and practical engagement, (ii) an ongoing critical attentiveness to the limits of our own bodies and lived experiences, and (iii) the rendering visible of our ethical practices as a matter of care.
https://doi.org/10.1145/3544548.3580875
In recent years, extended reality (XR) technology has seen a rise in use in environmental subjects, i.e., climate change or biodiversity loss, as a potential tool to inform and engage the public with current and future environmental issues. However, research on the potential of XR technology for environmental sustainability is still in the early stages, and there is no clear synthesis of the methods studied in this field. To provide a clearer view of existing approaches and research objectives, we systematically reviewed current literature dealing with XR use in environmental topics. Although the results indicate that the volume of literature exploring XR in environmental applications is increasing, empirical evidence of its impact is limited, hindering the possibility of presently drawing significant conclusions on its potential benefits. Based on our analyses, we identified thematic, theoretical, and methodological knowledge gaps and provide a guideline to aid future research in the field.
https://doi.org/10.1145/3544548.3581147
There is a need to reframe our relationship to energy, particularly in Western energy contexts, where we have plentiful access and no meaningful barriers to use. This paper outlines a first-person engagement with energy systems and shows how somaesthetic design is one possible means to cultivate and design for new ways of ethical being with energy systems. Early autobiographical design work focused on designing for 'sustainability' revealed a trajectory of fatalism and restriction. A turn towards enacting material relations, co-performed with others, opened into a more holistic relationship with energy. Reflecting on how this process unfolded, we argue that sustainability is not, in itself, a somaesthetic sensibility, and remains constrained within rational framings. We develop this argument to contribute to a new understanding of how we somatically relate to energy and how relational ethics in interaction design research and practice can encourage a felt sense for the materiality of energy.
https://doi.org/10.1145/3544548.3581160
Inappropriate design and deployment of machine learning (ML) systems lead to negative downstream social and ethical impacts -- described here as social and ethical risks -- for users, society, and the environment. Despite the growing need to regulate ML systems, current processes for assessing and mitigating risks are disjointed and inconsistent. We interviewed 30 industry practitioners on their current social and ethical risk management practices and collected their first reactions on adapting safety engineering frameworks into their practice -- namely, System Theoretic Process Analysis (STPA) and Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA). Our findings suggest STPA/FMEA can provide an appropriate structure for social and ethical risk assessment and mitigation processes. However, we also find nontrivial challenges in integrating such frameworks in the fast-paced culture of the ML industry. We call on the CHI community to strengthen existing frameworks and assess their efficacy, ensuring that ML systems are safer for all people.
https://doi.org/10.1145/3544548.3581407
Dark patterns are deceptive and malicious properties of user interfaces that lead the end-user to do something different from intended or expected. While now a key topic in critical computing, most work has been conducted in Western contexts. Japan, with its booming app market, is a relatively uncharted context that offers culturally- and linguistically-sensitive differences in design standards, contexts of use, values, and language, all of which could influence the presence and expression of dark patterns. In this work, we analyzed 200 popular mobile apps in the Japanese market. We found that most apps had dark patterns, with an average of 3.9 per app. We also identified a new class of dark pattern: “Linguistic Dead-Ends” in the forms of “Untranslation” and “Alphabet Soup.” We outline the implications for design and research practice, especially for future cross-cultural research on dark patterns.
https://doi.org/10.1145/3544548.3580942
Societal implications of technology are often considered after public deployment. However, broader impacts ought to be considered during the onset and throughout development to reduce potential for harmful uses, biases, and exclusions. There is a need for tools and frameworks that help technologists become more aware of broader contexts of their work and engage in more responsible and inclusive practices. In this paper, we introduce an online card tool containing questions to scaffold critical reflection about projects’ impacts on society, business, and research. We present the iterative design of the Responsible & Inclusive Cards and findings from five workshops (n=21 participants) with teams distributed across a multinational technology corporation, as well as interviews with people with disabilities to assess gameplay and mental models. We found the tool promoted discussions about challenging topics, reduced power gaps through democratized turn-taking, and enabled participants to identify concrete areas to improve their practice.
https://doi.org/10.1145/3544548.3580771