Welcome to Module 5: Design for Values (DfV)

If  we were to design a technology from scratch, how could we design it in a way that it preserves the values we as the society hold dear? How can we systematically codify these values and translate them into design requirements? These questions, and more, will be answered in this week’s lectures, where we will be discussing ‘Designing for Values’  (DfV) also known as  Value Sensitive Design (VSD).
DfV can be both a top-down as well as a bottom-up process. We can define core values or we can try to understand what values existing design requirements preserve or achieve and then operationalise them into design requirements.

In this module you will learn how to:

• • recognize why values should play a key role in design and innovation process.
  • make better decisions in the design process in order to enhance socially acceptable products and technologies.
  • apply  the ‘design for values’ method as a way to systematically integrate ethical and societal values (such as sustainability, safety, equity and privacy) into the design of your own technology or projects.
  • develop/adapt strategies for dealing with value conflicts.

Overview module

• • Section 5.2  The origins of DfV and  advantages of this approach
  • Section 5.3:  Framework for implementing DfV in practice and the Values Hierarchy matrix.
  • Section 5.4: Strategies to deal with conflicting requirements

The last section contains the final open assignment. We wish you a fruitful learning experience!

Our cases studies will be HAT (Internet of Things) and RDM (self-driving vehicles). 

Questions for pondering

• How do I deal with conflicting values when designing new technologies?
• What is specific about the design for values approach?
• Do I know of technology which should have been developed differently  by applying the DfV approach?