This article reviews the academic literature (1996-2016) that emerged under value sensitive design (VSD). It investigates those VSD projects that employed the tripartite methodology, examining the use of VSD methodological elements, and illustrating common practices and identifying shortcomings. The article provides advice for VSD researchers on how to complete and enhance their methodological approach as the research community moves forward.

Social network sites (SNS) were developed during the 90’s and got popularized in the mid 2010’s. SNSs are social platforms, where users can create a profile, add a network of contacts and communicate online. The LGBTQ+ community relies heavily on SNSs for information, exploration of identity, social support and community, but due to their marginalized status, they are more prone to victimization online. Whereas anonymity can protect users from bodily harm, it can’t protect against harassment and hatred, which is why it’s important to emphasize on user-centered design for marginalized communities within HCI. The objective with this study is to define design suggestions for future SNSs, based on the values of LGBTQ+ users. Two focus groups recruited from the local LGBTQ+ community in Berlin, consisting of seven participants in total, gathered in person. The focus groups discussed open ended questions around the topics of: safety, anonymity, accountability, social support and community online, seen from a queer perspective. The results of this study had correlations with prior research within HCI research and paints a picture of the differences between the “digital well- being” norm and the severity of the threats affecting the digital wellbeing of marginalized users. In conclusion, HCI and digital well-being research needs to be elaborated on, in regards to marginalized communities and their benefits and challenges of SNSs use and how that could be incorporated in a value sensitive design approach for future development.

Att sociala normer omedvetet inbäddas i interaktionsdesign har kommit att bli ett problem i takt med den ökade digitaliseringen. Tidigare forskning visar på att interaktionsdesign inte är en neutral plattform utan kan bidra till exkludering genom att förstärka uppfattningen om vem produkten riktar sig mot inom ramarna för de sociala normer som existerar i samhället. Kunskapsgapet ligger således i bristen på teoretiska och metodologiska tillvägagångssätt som hjälper designers att ifrågasätta normativa designkonventioner och navigera designrymden för alternativa metoder och praktiker. Denna kvalitativa studie med socialundersökning som forskningsstrategi grundar sig i att besvara forskningsfrågan: Vilka tillvägagångssätt använder UX-designers för att designa normkritiskt inom interaktionsdesign? I denna studie syftar tillvägagångssätt på olika metoder och principer som UX-designers använder i sitt normkritiska arbete. Genom semistrukturerade intervjuer intervjuades tio UX-designers med frågor som utgick från fyra perspektiv: kulturella representationer, interaktivitet, teknik och användningssammanhang. Data analyserades utifrån en tematisk analys och ställdes sedan i relation till dessa fyra perspektiv med kunskap från tidigare studier för att kunna besvara forskningsfrågan. Studien visade på att det fanns flera tillvägagångssätt till att designa normkritiskt, nämligen genom användarcentrerad design, tillgänglighetsgranskning, samt ifrågasättande av normativa designval. Vidare identifierades ett antal ekonomiska, strukturella och tekniska barriärer som motverkar UX-designers tillvägagångssätt för normkritisk interaktionsdesign. / In line with increased digitalisation, the fact that social norms subconsciously are embedded in interaction design has become a topic of discussion. Previous research shows that digitally designed platforms aren't as neutral as we once thought but excludes users by reinforcing the perception of a target audience within the framework of societal norms. The knowledge gap lies in the lack of theoretical and methodological approaches to assist designers in questioning normative design conventions and help navigate the design sphere for alternative methods and practices. By collecting data from social surveys, this qualitative study aims to understand and answer the research question: What approaches do UX designers use to design norm-critically within interaction design? In this study, approaches refers to methods and principles that UX designers use in their norm-critical design work. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten participants with questions based on four norm-critical perspectives: cultural representation, interactivity, technology, and context of use. Later, the data was analysed by the use of thematic analysis and examined in relation to these four perspectives with data collected from previous studies to be able to answer the research question. The study showed that UX designers have several approaches to working norm-critical, namely through user-centered design, accessibility reviews, and questioning normative design practices. However, a number of financial, structural, and technical barriers have been identified that counteracts UX designers approaches to norm-critical interaction design.

Previous studies have shown that ethically loaded design sit- uations within design currently present themselves as an implicit and non-reflexive activity. Others promote a development of ethi- cal tools which are incorporated within the normal set of methods and tools used during the design process. Within the service de- sign discipline no such research has been identified. In order to shed a light on the ethics within service design this thesis explores the ethical design ecology of service design and gives a first sketch of an ethical baseline for the field. The data collected in the study represents five weeks of shadowing in-house and external service design consultants working in Scandinavia. The data was analyzed by means of the three major normative theories within ethics and the Value-Sensitive Design framework. The analysis tools were ap- plied through a three step process where situations first were iden- tified, then the value-sensitive situations were flagged by means of the VSD-framework. Finally these value-sensitive situations were looked at from an ethical perspective using the three major ethical normative theories, consequentialism, deontology and virtue ethics. The results demonstrate that service designers often approach eth- ical problems in an implicit and ethically consequentialist way and that when ethical situations are dealt with explicitly they are often of a nature in which the consequences of the proposed design solution easily can be foreseen.

Allt fler företag väljer att vara webbaserade och ägna sig helt till e-handel. Samtidigt fortsätter antalet e-handelsföretag att öka i antal kraftigt. Företagens behov av personlig information och kunddata har även ökat för att förbli konkurrenskraftiga. Vilket skapar ett problem, behovet av denna personliga information hos företagen riskerar att inkräkta på användarens personliga integritet. Tidigare forskning presenterar inte mycket angående värdet av den personliga integriteten och de fördelar ett skyddande av detta genererar.  En empirisk studie bland svenska användare på e-handelssidan tradera där deltagarna delade deras åsikter och värden angående den personliga integriteten och e-handel utfördes och sammanställdes. Den personliga integriteten ses som ett värde för att utreda detta begrepp med en konceptuell utredning, som är en teori inom värdekänslig design. Bidraget till forskningen är ett ramverk för e-handelsföretag som handlar om hur de skall hantera den personliga integriteten. Arbetet har präglats mycket av inläsning som det har getts utrymme för inom rapporten. / More and more companies choose to be online and devote themselves entirely to e-commerce. The number of companies who choose to be online is still continuing to increase rapidly.  The companies needs for personal information and customer data has increased in order to remain competitive. The problem is that the needs for this personal information from the companies are threating to intrude the customers privacy. Previous research is not addressing the value of information privacy and the benefit of privacy protection. I have conducted an empirical survey study among Swedish users on the e-commerce site Tradera where the participants shared their beliefs and values regarding privacy and e-commerce. I choose to see the privacy as a value in order to investigate this concept in a conceptual study, which is a theory in value sensitive design. My contribution to the research will be a framework for e-commerce and how they should manage the concept of privacy in e-commerce.

This study aims to investigate how to work with sustainability in e-commerce, with a focus on making information available to the consumer as well as how this could be conceptualized. This requires a multidisciplinary approach, with domain knowledge based on environmental science and additional knowledge in information and computer science. In the time we live in now, we see an increased need to think sustainably and act for it in society. Consumption of products or services has a great impact on this and to a large extent via e-commerce today where consumers often find themselves confused in how to make a sustainable choice. We must work towards a more sustainable society and living. If we continue to utilize our planet's resources and assets without letting nature recover, we will probably end up in an unsustainable situation. Previous research shows the complexity in terms of sustainability, the definition as such but also how to assess it, a lack of regulated standards complicates the unified picture of what is actually sustainable. Creating an index or some form of standard for sustainability is not possible for us in relation to the time frame and scope of this study. An attempt to clarify what one can do with a focus on the consumer and how he or she can access information that is available or could be, is for us interesting to investigate. What made this possible was an extensive literature study to acquire the domain knowledge required to be able to understand what we needed to focus on, the literature study itself provided good insights and a good foundation as a starting point. By following a work process based on Design Science Research Methodology and with the opportunity to collaborate with an established company that works to guide consumers in e-commerce, we have been able to work in a concrete and relevant context and thus had the opportunity to test our concepts based on a literature study and data collection methods, consisting of questionnaires and interviews. Key findings from the study were that consumers wanted to know more about sustainability as well as the importance of involving the consumer in the process. Based on a literature study and the data collections, a basic data model for sustainability was developed. Companies in e-commerce should take the initiative to support sustainable online consumption. The task is difficult, but doing so could provide a competetive advantage among the companies and at the same time it contributes to a good cause.

Persuasive technology is becoming increasingly prevalent in the retail industry, often to influence customer behaviours and increase sales. This study explores multi-stakeholder perspectives on the values, ethical considerations, and possible risks associated with the implementation of such persuasive technologies. It was conducted with a retail agency that develops persuasive technology in the form of an engagement retail platform. Value Sensitive Design (VSD) Framework and ACTVOD Futures Workshop were used to develop value scenario workshops with program managers, designers, and field team members. Value-oriented themes were then derived from a thematic analysis. Values such as ownership and property, identity, and informed consent were often discussed, while human welfare and environmental sustainability were neglected. Also uncovered were several misconceptions concerning artificial intelligence (AI) and a lack of urgency to address ethical concerns among company stakeholders. This study emphasizes the importance of recognizing and addressing the ethical considerations of persuasive technology and develop proactive solutions to make it safe, sustainable, and beneficial for users and consumers. / Övertygande teknologi, så kallad persuasive technology, blir allt vanligare inom detaljhandelsbranschen, ofta för att påverka kundbeteenden och öka försäljningen. Denna studie undersöker flera parters perspektiv på värden, etiska överväganden och möjliga risker i samband med implementeringen av övertygande teknologier. Studien genomfördes på en detaljhandelsbyrå som utvecklar övertygande teknologi i form av en engagerande detaljhandelsplattform. Ett ramverk för värdekänslig design (Value Sensitive Design - VSD) och ACTVOD Futures Workshop användes för att utveckla värdescenario-workshops med programchefer, designers och fältteammedlemmar. Värdeteman genererades sedan från en tematisk analys. Värden som ägande och egendom, identitet och informerat samtycke diskuterades ofta, medan mänskligt välbefinnande och miljömässig hållbarhet försummades. Dessutom påvisades flera missuppfattningar om artificiell intelligens (AI) och en bristande brådska att ta itu med etiska frågor bland företagets nyckelpersoner. Denna studie betonar vikten av att erkänna och hantera de etiska övervägandena för övertygande teknologi och att utveckla proaktiva lösningar för att göra sådana övertygande teknologier säkra, hållbara och gynnsamma för användare och konsumenter.

[pt] Valores de usuário são um fator importante no design de software, mas nem sempre são considerados de forma explícita no processo de design. Ao tomar decisões de design, valores de usuários podem se perder junto aos viéses dos designers relacionados a seus próprios valores. Para evitar esse problema, este trabalho estuda a integração de valores de usuários com técnicas de design rationale, especificamente Questões, Opções e Critérios (QOC), e como essa integração é refletida em um artefato de design resultante (um diagrama de interação usando MoLIC). Conduzimos dois estudos separados com estudantes de Ciência da Computação no Rio de Janeiro. No primeiro estudo, vimos que valores de usuários podem ser integrados com design rationale usando notações informais, como circulando ou sublinhando as opções ou critérios associados a valores de usuários. As decisões tomadas com o método QOC usando valores de usuário resultaram em impactos relevantes nos diagramas MoLIC. Participantes que realizaram as atividades para usuários com valores bem definidos tiveram resultados mais ricos do que aqueles com usuários mais genéricos. No segundo estudo, vimos que designers conseguem reconhecer quando valores de usuários são incorporados em artefatos de design. Esses resultados são estimulantes para continuar a pesquisar valores de usuários, com possibilidades de desenvolver novos métodos ou de atualizar técnicas e notações existentes, como QOC ou MoLIC, para dar suporte a valores de usuários. / [en] User values are a significant part of designing software, but are not always considered explicitly in the design process. When making design decisions, user values can get lost among the designers own biases regarding their values. To avoid this pitfall, this work studies the integration of user values with design rationale techniques, namely Questions, Options, and Criteria (QOC), and how this integration reflects on a resulting design artifact (in particular, an interaction diagram using MoLIC). We performed two separate studies with Computer Science students in Rio de Janeiro. In the first study, we found that user values can be integrated into design rationale using informal notations, such as circling or underlining the options or criteria related to user values. The decisions made with the QOC method using user values did result in relevant impacts on MoLIC diagrams. Participants who performed activities for users with strong values had richer results than those for more generic users. In a second study, we found that designers can recognize when user values are embedded into design artifacts. These results are encouraging to continue research regarding user values, with possibilities of developing new methods or updating existing techniques and notations such as QOC or MoLIC to explicitly support user values.

Holographic communications technologies are a new digital technology being currently  developed by companies to be available to the public in the near future. Through holographic  communications technologies, the image of one user located in one place can be captured with  special equipment from different angles, so that its three-dimensional depiction is created  realistically. The 3D depiction is then transmitted in high-quality to another user located in some  other remote place, creating a whole new experience of unconventional data communication. This  new digital technology is planned to be deployed in several fields, such as marketing, education,  medicine, business and entertainment. However, like any new technological tool that is  introduced, also in the case of holographic communication technologies there are ethical and/or  legal challenges that could emerge from its misuse and set in danger fundamental human rights.  Hence, research was conducted as an interpretive qualitative study to explore the potential ethical  and/or legal challenges of holographic communications technologies by considering the  knowledge, opinions, experiences, and perspectives of legal experts, as well as experts on ethical  issues. The empirical data was collected through individual semi-structured interviews from the  selected participants, and from the review of mainly confidential documents, before being  subjected to a thematic analysis. The analysis of the data gave prominence to five themes which  were reviewed in the context of the research question and the proposed theoretical framework  with the help of Ethical Technology Assessment (ETA). The discussion of the findings revealed  that the most prominent challenges that could arise from the use of holographic communications  technologies are privacy and data protection issues. It was further shown that existing digital  technologies with similar features and the ethical and/or legal challenges confronted in the past  about them can be of help to approach the ones regarding holographic communications  technologies. The research indicated that the designing phase of a new digital technology, and  accordingly holographic communication technologies, is important as decisions are being made  about the technical features of it, as well as the capabilities it will offer to the end users. Hence, it  plays a vital role to whether the use of the digital technology will be according to ethics and laws  later on. It was also shown that the participation of end users in this phase is important to reflect  their concerns and desires with the creators before the new digital technology is introduced, but  it is still a challenge to decide who will be included and on what criteria they will be selected.   The research showed that existing ethical and legal frameworks are important to form a  corresponding framework for holographic communications technologies and can be built upon.  However, this is also a challenge, as, according to the research, any new framework that will be  constructed with regard to holographic communications technologies cannot possibly be  unanimous as different norms and societal beliefs apply to different territories or domains, but  should rather be “personalized” according to the targeted audience.