Design for Existential Crisis

Ann Light; Irina Shklovski; Allison Powell

doi:10.1145/3027063.3052760

Design for Existential Crisis

Ann Light, Irina Shklovski, Allison Powell

Research output: Conference Article in Proceeding or Book/Report chapter › Article in proceedings › Research › peer-review

Abstract

What should designers do with their design skills and orientation to the future as right-wing populism sweeps through politics; climate predictions worsen; mass migration (within/across countries) escalates refugee numbers; new classes of automation threaten workers' jobs and austerity policies destabilize society? What is to be done when it isn't "business as usual" and even broken concepts of progress seem no longer to be progressing? In this paper, we discuss aspects of humanity, such as the need for meaning, fulfillment, dignity and decency, which computers struggle to support but can easily undermine. We juxtapose design that offers hope with that which offers only distraction and conclude with a plea to avoid Bovine Design, or tools that encourage passivity, rote-behavior and a blinkered existence at a time of great uncertainty and change. The big question that alt-chi can ask for 2017 is: What is good design for existential crisis?

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Proceedings of the 2017 CHI Conference Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Publisher	Association for Computing Machinery
Publication date	2017
Pages	722-734
ISBN (Electronic)	978-1-4503-4656-6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1145/3027063.3052760
Publication status	Published - 2017

Series	Proceedings of the 2017 CHI Conference Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems

Keywords

design
crisis

Access to Document

10.1145/3027063.3052760

alt1034_lightAAccepted author manuscript, 307 KB

VIRT-EU: Values and ethics in Innovation for Responsible Technology in EUrope
Shklovski, I. (PI), Rossi, L. (CoI), Douglas-Jones, R. (CoI), Fritsch, E. (CoI), Hanteer, O. (CoI), Nino Carreras, B. P. (CoI) & Memic, I. (CoI)
European Commission
01/01/2017 → 31/12/2019
Project: Research

Cite this

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title = "Design for Existential Crisis",

abstract = "What should designers do with their design skills and orientation to the future as right-wing populism sweeps through politics; climate predictions worsen; mass migration (within/across countries) escalates refugee numbers; new classes of automation threaten workers' jobs and austerity policies destabilize society? What is to be done when it isn't {"}business as usual{"} and even broken concepts of progress seem no longer to be progressing? In this paper, we discuss aspects of humanity, such as the need for meaning, fulfillment, dignity and decency, which computers struggle to support but can easily undermine. We juxtapose design that offers hope with that which offers only distraction and conclude with a plea to avoid Bovine Design, or tools that encourage passivity, rote-behavior and a blinkered existence at a time of great uncertainty and change. The big question that alt-chi can ask for 2017 is: What is good design for existential crisis?",

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Design for Existential Crisis. / Light, Ann; Shklovski, Irina; Powell, Allison.
Proceedings of the 2017 CHI Conference Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems. Association for Computing Machinery, 2017. p. 722-734 (Proceedings of the 2017 CHI Conference Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems).

Research output: Conference Article in Proceeding or Book/Report chapter › Article in proceedings › Research › peer-review

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Design for Existential Crisis

Abstract

Keywords

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VIRT-EU: Values and ethics in Innovation for Responsible Technology in EUrope

Cite this