3 simple steps for better insights
I’ve spent the last three months working on an independent research project as the final part of an MA in Digital Experience Design with the lovely people at Common Good in Manchester, England.
The overarching theme of my research has been investigating the ethical complexities that arise when working with vulnerable people in the design process. One of the sub themes of my research, and how I arrived at the subject of this article was:
How might ethical considerations throughout the design process lead to better insights?
A lot of people have been talking about empathy recently, myself included. I read a great paper from Lauren Tan on how empathy is becoming a central skill for the designer. Additionally, in her book Practical Empathy, Indi Young states that empathy with another person is the foundation for understanding their perspective and is fundamental to human centred design.
As designers, for us to effectively embrace this methodology we must create an environment of openness for behaviours and feelings to be shared freely. Trust is integral to the realisation of this and must be established between the designer and the participant.
In order for behaviours and feelings to be unbiased by the presence of designer, the natural imbalance of power in the relationship between designer (dominant) and participant (receptive) must be considered.
Throughout my research I’ve seen these three elements pop up again and again, but not found anything exploring the interrelationship between them. I mapped them onto a hierarchy which we’re using to frame our thinking when planning our design research at Common Good.
When addressed and applied correctly, these combined elements of empathy, trust and balance of power reinforce the validity of insight gained from the participant.
What do empathy, trust and the balance of power have to do with ethical consideration?
In an attempt to plant ethical consideration at the beginning of the process rather than as an uncomfortable afterthought, I’m creating a bunch of tools for design teams to use. The aim is to provoke thought and debate when planning interactions with participants throughout their design processes.
I’ve borrowed heavily from philosophical, legal, biomedical and ethnographic fields in pulling these considerations together as I’m certainly no expert in ethics, and there aren’t enough people comparatively to the wider design thinking discourse talking about ethics and its place within the design process. I wanted to create something accessible and practical that would promote autonomy and foster a shared responsibility for ethics amongst design teams.
My hypothesis is this: the process of considering the needs and wider environment invokes an empathetic connection with the people you’re designing for. This puts you in a position to obtain an honest and informed consent which defines your relationship with the participant — forming the basis for establishing trust.
Want to get involved?
It’s early days here and the tools being designed are still in development. We’ve started using them on live projects which potentially involve vulnerable or at risk people at Common Good, alongside other companies who are helping us to develop them further.
If you’re interested in getting involved or you have thoughts or feelings about the hierarchy of insight, I’d love to hear from you.
