Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
increasing attention in the field of computer ethics and public discourse (Nissenbaum, 1998).
Thus, in addition to the experimental laboratory study, Kahn et al. initiated two additional but
complementary empirical investigations with indirect stakeholders: (a) a survey of 750 people
walking through the public plaza, and (b) in-depth social-cognitive interviews with thirty individ-
uals walking through the public plaza (Friedman et al., 2006). Both investigations focused on
indirect stakeholders' judgments of privacy in public space, and in particular having their real-
time images captured and displayed on large screens in nearby and distant offices. The impor-
tance of such indirect stakeholder investigations is being borne out by the results. For example,
significant gender differences were found in their survey data: More women than men expressed
concern about the invasion of privacy through Web cameras in public places. This finding held
whether their image was to be displayed locally or in another city (Tokyo), or viewed by one per-
son, thousands, or millions. One implication of this finding is that future technical designs and
implementations of such display technologies need to be responsive to ways in which men and
women might perceive potential harms differently.
Coordinated Empirical Investigations
Once Kahn et al. identified an important group of indirect stakeholders, and decided to undertake
empirical investigations with this group, they then coordinated these empirical investigations with
the initial (direct stakeholder) study. Specifically, a subset of identical questions was asked of
both the direct stakeholders (“the watchers”) and indirect stakeholders (“the watched”). Results
show some interesting differences. For example, more men in the watched condition expressed
concerns that people's images might be displayed locally, nationally, or internationally than men
in the plasma display watcher condition. No differences were found between women in the
watcher plasma display condition and women in the watched condition. Thus, the Value Sensitive
Design methodology helps to bring to the forefront values that matter not only to the direct stake-
holders of a technology (such as physical health, emotional well-being, and creativity), but to the
indirect stakeholders (such as privacy, informed consent, trust, and physical safety). Moreover,
from the standpoint of Value Sensitive Design, the above study highlights how investigations of
indirect stakeholders can be woven into the core structure of the experimental design with direct
stakeholders.
Multiplicity of and Potential Conflicts Among Human Values
Value Sensitive Design can help researchers uncover the multiplicity of and potential conflicts
among human values implicated in technological implementations. In the above design space, for
example, values of physical health, emotional well-being, and creativity appear to partially con-
flict with other values of privacy, civil rights, trust, and security.
Technical Investigations
Conceptual and empirical investigations can help to shape future technological investigations, par-
ticularly in terms of how nature (as a source of information) can be embedded in the design of dis-
play technologies to further human well-being. One obvious design space involves buildings. For
example, if Kahn et al.'s empirical results continue to emerge in line with their initial results, then
one possible design guideline is as follows: We need to design buildings with nature in mind, and
within view. In other words, we cannot with psychological impunity digitize nature and display
Search WWH ::
Custom Search