Socially Aware Systems Design: A Perspective Towards Technology-society Coupling

Abstract

Computing systems have a tremendous influence on how we understand the world. Due to its ubiquity and pervasiveness over the past decade, computing technology has created societal challenges (e.g., related to justice, sustainability, ethics, peace) that demand we reexamine how we design computer-based systems. Drawing on a phenomenological understanding of the human-technology-society relation, this work contributes to the discussion on such challenges and to design practice with a framework we call socially aware design (SAwD). We developed this framework to bring awareness to the human-technology-society relation in the design process. In this paper, we present the framework’s main concepts, its underlying worldview, and its methodological base with reference to its origins. We illustrate the framework with design practices that we have experienced in designing systems in diverse situations. We also summarize key aspects of the proposed human-technology-society coupling relevant to the practice of technology design as a social phenomenon, which might open new agendas in the field.