Abstract
This paper describes a design anthropology approach toward design ethics, which understands design ethics in a relational and emergent manner. We characterize how ethical issues and judgments emerge from the continuous stream of social interactions, collaborations, and relations that constitute the design process. The approach recognizes that there is a fundamental uncertainty in how social engagements and associated ethical issues in a design process unfold. Design anthropology aims to remain open to such emergent understandings, and fosters a sense of empathy and practice of care towards collaborators. The approach is illustrated by reflecting on empirical findings from an interdisciplinary energy transition project in Amsterdam South-East. The findings show how unexpected ethical issues emerged in the design process that challenged the authors to navigate, with care and empathy, between the opposing needs of project collaborators.
Keywords
design ethics; design anthropology; care; emergence
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2024.797
Citation
van Leeuwen, G., and Singh, A. (2024) Design anthropology for ethics of care and emergence: Reflections from an energy transition project, in Gray, C., Hekkert, P., Forlano, L., Ciuccarelli, P. (eds.), DRS2024: Boston, 23–28 June, Boston, USA. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2024.797
Creative Commons License
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Conference Track
Research Paper
Included in
Design anthropology for ethics of care and emergence: Reflections from an energy transition project
This paper describes a design anthropology approach toward design ethics, which understands design ethics in a relational and emergent manner. We characterize how ethical issues and judgments emerge from the continuous stream of social interactions, collaborations, and relations that constitute the design process. The approach recognizes that there is a fundamental uncertainty in how social engagements and associated ethical issues in a design process unfold. Design anthropology aims to remain open to such emergent understandings, and fosters a sense of empathy and practice of care towards collaborators. The approach is illustrated by reflecting on empirical findings from an interdisciplinary energy transition project in Amsterdam South-East. The findings show how unexpected ethical issues emerged in the design process that challenged the authors to navigate, with care and empathy, between the opposing needs of project collaborators.