2024
Chivukula, Shruthi Sai; Gray, Colin M
Quant-Ethico: An Approach to Quantifying and Interpreting Ethical Decision Making Proceedings Article
In: Gray, Colin (Ed.): DRS2024: Boston, Design Research Society, 2024.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Design Theory, Ethics and Values, Research Methods
@inproceedings{Chivukula2024-sj,
title = {Quant-Ethico: An Approach to Quantifying and Interpreting Ethical Decision Making},
author = {Shruthi Sai Chivukula and Colin M Gray},
editor = {Colin Gray},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.21606/drs.2024.223
https://colingray.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2024_ChivukulaGray_DRS_QuantEthico.pdf},
doi = {10.21606/drs.2024.223},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-06-01},
urldate = {2024-06-01},
booktitle = {DRS2024: Boston},
publisher = {Design Research Society},
abstract = {Design researchers have previously sought to describe, model,
and represent the cognitive processes of designers. In parallel,
researchers in HCI and STS have identified a range of frameworks
to describe the ethical and value-related char-acter of design
activity. We have identified a productive gap between these two
sets of literature—namely, the role of analytic methods in
describing ethical de-cision-making as one aspect of design
complexity. In this paper, we describe and explore an approach
for quantifying the ethical character of design decision-making,
building upon existing critical approaches from HCI and STS
literature. Through a series of visualizations at varying
temporal scales and numbers of inter-locutors, we seek to
describe the ethical complexity of design activity, grounded in
a set of ethically focused lab protocol studies. We describe the
implications of our approach for mixed methods researchers,
including the role of quantitative methods in describing
temporal aspects of ethical design complexity.},
keywords = {Design Theory, Ethics and Values, Research Methods},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Design researchers have previously sought to describe, model,
and represent the cognitive processes of designers. In parallel,
researchers in HCI and STS have identified a range of frameworks
to describe the ethical and value-related char-acter of design
activity. We have identified a productive gap between these two
sets of literature—namely, the role of analytic methods in
describing ethical de-cision-making as one aspect of design
complexity. In this paper, we describe and explore an approach
for quantifying the ethical character of design decision-making,
building upon existing critical approaches from HCI and STS
literature. Through a series of visualizations at varying
temporal scales and numbers of inter-locutors, we seek to
describe the ethical complexity of design activity, grounded in
a set of ethically focused lab protocol studies. We describe the
implications of our approach for mixed methods researchers,
including the role of quantitative methods in describing
temporal aspects of ethical design complexity.
and represent the cognitive processes of designers. In parallel,
researchers in HCI and STS have identified a range of frameworks
to describe the ethical and value-related char-acter of design
activity. We have identified a productive gap between these two
sets of literature—namely, the role of analytic methods in
describing ethical de-cision-making as one aspect of design
complexity. In this paper, we describe and explore an approach
for quantifying the ethical character of design decision-making,
building upon existing critical approaches from HCI and STS
literature. Through a series of visualizations at varying
temporal scales and numbers of inter-locutors, we seek to
describe the ethical complexity of design activity, grounded in
a set of ethically focused lab protocol studies. We describe the
implications of our approach for mixed methods researchers,
including the role of quantitative methods in describing
temporal aspects of ethical design complexity.
2023
Gray, Colin M; Mildner, Thomas; Bielova, Nataliia
Arxiv Preprint, 2023.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Dark Patterns, Ethics and Values, Legal and Policy Perspectives, Regulation, Research Methods
@unpublished{Gray2023-bs,
title = {Temporal Analysis of Dark Patterns: A Case Study of a User's Odyssey to Conquer Prime Membership Cancellation through the "Iliad Flow"},
author = {Colin M Gray and Thomas Mildner and Nataliia Bielova},
url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/2309.09635},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-09-01},
urldate = {2023-09-01},
abstract = {Dark patterns are ubiquitous in digital systems, impacting
users throughout their journeys on many popular apps and
websites. While substantial efforts from the research
community in the last five years have led to consolidated
taxonomies of dark patterns, including an emerging ontology,
most applications of these descriptors have been focused on
analysis of static images or as isolated pattern types. In
this paper, we present a case study of Amazon Prime's
``Iliad Flow'' to illustrate the interplay of dark patterns
across a user journey, grounded in insights from a US
Federal Trade Commission complaint against the company. We
use this case study to lay the groundwork for a methodology
of Temporal Analysis of Dark Patterns (TADP), including
considerations for characterization of individual dark
patterns across a user journey, combinatorial effects of
multiple dark patterns types, and implications for expert
detection and automated detection.},
howpublished = {Arxiv Preprint},
keywords = {Dark Patterns, Ethics and Values, Legal and Policy Perspectives, Regulation, Research Methods},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {unpublished}
}
Dark patterns are ubiquitous in digital systems, impacting
users throughout their journeys on many popular apps and
websites. While substantial efforts from the research
community in the last five years have led to consolidated
taxonomies of dark patterns, including an emerging ontology,
most applications of these descriptors have been focused on
analysis of static images or as isolated pattern types. In
this paper, we present a case study of Amazon Prime's
``Iliad Flow'' to illustrate the interplay of dark patterns
across a user journey, grounded in insights from a US
Federal Trade Commission complaint against the company. We
use this case study to lay the groundwork for a methodology
of Temporal Analysis of Dark Patterns (TADP), including
considerations for characterization of individual dark
patterns across a user journey, combinatorial effects of
multiple dark patterns types, and implications for expert
detection and automated detection.
users throughout their journeys on many popular apps and
websites. While substantial efforts from the research
community in the last five years have led to consolidated
taxonomies of dark patterns, including an emerging ontology,
most applications of these descriptors have been focused on
analysis of static images or as isolated pattern types. In
this paper, we present a case study of Amazon Prime's
``Iliad Flow'' to illustrate the interplay of dark patterns
across a user journey, grounded in insights from a US
Federal Trade Commission complaint against the company. We
use this case study to lay the groundwork for a methodology
of Temporal Analysis of Dark Patterns (TADP), including
considerations for characterization of individual dark
patterns across a user journey, combinatorial effects of
multiple dark patterns types, and implications for expert
detection and automated detection.
2022
Gray, Colin M
Building an Ethnographic Toolbox: Engaging Analog and Digital Tools in Virtual and Physical Spaces Journal Article
In: TechTrends, vol. 66, no. 1, pp. 56–67, 2022, ISSN: 1559-7075.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Critical Theory, Design Education, Instructional Design, Research Methods
@article{Gray2022-bj,
title = {Building an Ethnographic Toolbox: Engaging Analog and Digital Tools in Virtual and Physical Spaces},
author = {Colin M Gray},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-021-00680-y},
doi = {10.1007/s11528-021-00680-y},
issn = {1559-7075},
year = {2022},
date = {2022-01-01},
urldate = {2022-01-01},
journal = {TechTrends},
volume = {66},
number = {1},
pages = {56--67},
abstract = {Studio pedagogy has been used as a comprehensive approach to
prepare students to practice within their chosen discipline of
design. However, little is known about how students experience
these learning environments, including the interplay of social
and educational experiences that support the development of
expertise and identity. To explore and evaluate this complexity,
I used a critical ethnographic approach to immerse myself for one
year in a physical studio and set of Facebook groups, which in
parallel supported students' learning experience. I describe the
``ethnographic toolbox'' that I built and utilized to inform
interpretations of the physical and virtual learning
environments. This toolbox included analog and digital tools,
along with many forms of sensemaking, archiving, and engagement
with metadata that both structured and enabled my role as an
ethnographer. I describe the set of tools, and use vignettes to
illustrate how these tools were used in physical and virtual
environments.},
keywords = {Critical Theory, Design Education, Instructional Design, Research Methods},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Studio pedagogy has been used as a comprehensive approach to
prepare students to practice within their chosen discipline of
design. However, little is known about how students experience
these learning environments, including the interplay of social
and educational experiences that support the development of
expertise and identity. To explore and evaluate this complexity,
I used a critical ethnographic approach to immerse myself for one
year in a physical studio and set of Facebook groups, which in
parallel supported students' learning experience. I describe the
``ethnographic toolbox'' that I built and utilized to inform
interpretations of the physical and virtual learning
environments. This toolbox included analog and digital tools,
along with many forms of sensemaking, archiving, and engagement
with metadata that both structured and enabled my role as an
ethnographer. I describe the set of tools, and use vignettes to
illustrate how these tools were used in physical and virtual
environments.
prepare students to practice within their chosen discipline of
design. However, little is known about how students experience
these learning environments, including the interplay of social
and educational experiences that support the development of
expertise and identity. To explore and evaluate this complexity,
I used a critical ethnographic approach to immerse myself for one
year in a physical studio and set of Facebook groups, which in
parallel supported students' learning experience. I describe the
``ethnographic toolbox'' that I built and utilized to inform
interpretations of the physical and virtual learning
environments. This toolbox included analog and digital tools,
along with many forms of sensemaking, archiving, and engagement
with metadata that both structured and enabled my role as an
ethnographer. I describe the set of tools, and use vignettes to
illustrate how these tools were used in physical and virtual
environments.
Light, Ann; Gray, Colin M; Lindström, Kristina; Forlano, Laura; Lockton, Dan; Speed, Chris
Designing Transformative Futures Proceedings Article
In: Proceedings of the Design Research Society Conference, Bilbao, Spain, 2022.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Critical Theory, Design Methods, Ethics and Values, Research Methods
@inproceedings{Light2022-cj,
title = {Designing Transformative Futures},
author = {Ann Light and Colin M Gray and Kristina Lindström and Laura Forlano and Dan Lockton and Chris Speed},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.21606/drs.2022.896
https://colingray.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/2022_Lightetal_DRS_DesigningTransformativeFutures.pdf},
doi = {10.21606/drs.2022.896},
year = {2022},
date = {2022-01-01},
urldate = {2022-01-01},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the Design Research Society Conference},
address = {Bilbao, Spain},
abstract = {What makes the design of futures sufficiently transformative?
Worldwide, people are aware of the need to change and keep
changing to address eco-social challenges and their fall-out in
an age of crises and transitions in climate, biodiversity, and
health. Calls for climate justice and the development of
eco-social sensibilities speak to the need for dynamic and
provisional engagements. Such concerns raise age-old issues of
inequality and colonialist destruction. Our designs carry the
imprint of this current politics, wittingly or unwittingly, into
worlds to come. This conversation asked how might we respond
fluidly to coming uncertainties, questioning our own practices
to sow the seeds of more radical transformation, while
recognizing the structural forces that can limit or temper
opportunities for design activism. It was organized in three
quadrant exercises, which we also reflect upon.},
keywords = {Critical Theory, Design Methods, Ethics and Values, Research Methods},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
What makes the design of futures sufficiently transformative?
Worldwide, people are aware of the need to change and keep
changing to address eco-social challenges and their fall-out in
an age of crises and transitions in climate, biodiversity, and
health. Calls for climate justice and the development of
eco-social sensibilities speak to the need for dynamic and
provisional engagements. Such concerns raise age-old issues of
inequality and colonialist destruction. Our designs carry the
imprint of this current politics, wittingly or unwittingly, into
worlds to come. This conversation asked how might we respond
fluidly to coming uncertainties, questioning our own practices
to sow the seeds of more radical transformation, while
recognizing the structural forces that can limit or temper
opportunities for design activism. It was organized in three
quadrant exercises, which we also reflect upon.
Worldwide, people are aware of the need to change and keep
changing to address eco-social challenges and their fall-out in
an age of crises and transitions in climate, biodiversity, and
health. Calls for climate justice and the development of
eco-social sensibilities speak to the need for dynamic and
provisional engagements. Such concerns raise age-old issues of
inequality and colonialist destruction. Our designs carry the
imprint of this current politics, wittingly or unwittingly, into
worlds to come. This conversation asked how might we respond
fluidly to coming uncertainties, questioning our own practices
to sow the seeds of more radical transformation, while
recognizing the structural forces that can limit or temper
opportunities for design activism. It was organized in three
quadrant exercises, which we also reflect upon.
2016
Gray, Colin M; Toombs, Austin L; McKay, Christian
Meaning Reconstruction As an Approach to Analyze Critical Dimensions of HCI Research Proceedings Article
In: Proceedings of the 2016 CHI Conference Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems - CHI EA '16, pp. 328-340, ACM, San Jose, California, USA, 2016, ISBN: 9781450340823.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Critical Theory, Research Methods
@inproceedings{Gray2016-gx,
title = {Meaning Reconstruction As an Approach to Analyze Critical Dimensions of HCI Research},
author = {Colin M Gray and Austin L Toombs and Christian McKay},
url = {https://colingray.me/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/2016_GrayToombsMcKay_CHI_MeaningReconstruction.pdf
http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/2851581.2892571},
doi = {10.1145/2851581.2892571},
isbn = {9781450340823},
year = {2016},
date = {2016-01-01},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2016 CHI Conference Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems - CHI EA '16},
pages = {328-340},
publisher = {ACM},
address = {San Jose, California, USA},
series = {CHI EA '16},
abstract = {A critical tradition has taken hold in HCI, yet research methods needed to meaningfully engage with critical questions in the qualitative tradition are nascent. In this paper, we explore one critical qualitative research approach that allows researchers to probe deeply into the relationships between communicative acts and social structures. Meaning reconstruction methods are described and illustrated using examples from HCI research, demonstrating how social norms can be traced as they are claimed and reproduced. We conclude with implications for strengthening rigorous critical inquiry in HCI research, including the use of extant critical research methods to document transparency and thick description.},
keywords = {Critical Theory, Research Methods},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
A critical tradition has taken hold in HCI, yet research methods needed to meaningfully engage with critical questions in the qualitative tradition are nascent. In this paper, we explore one critical qualitative research approach that allows researchers to probe deeply into the relationships between communicative acts and social structures. Meaning reconstruction methods are described and illustrated using examples from HCI research, demonstrating how social norms can be traced as they are claimed and reproduced. We conclude with implications for strengthening rigorous critical inquiry in HCI research, including the use of extant critical research methods to document transparency and thick description.