Crash test dummies have for a long time been modelled after young, able-bodied, cis-male bodies, which has put others, especially women and children at risk as crashes affected them differently (find this and other examples e.g. here [1]). Biases like these can make their way into technology design, even if these technologies have for a long time been considered neutral. But if we want to overcome these biases, how can we take the needs of more diverse groups into account, without falling back onto stereotypes? While HCI has always prided itself on taking the perspective of (potential) users into account, increasingly methods and underlying assumptions are questioned and extended.
In this project we will draw on queer, feminist and intersectional theory to explore these tensions. Over the duration of the semester, we will do this through critical reading & discussion as well as hands-on activities such as design tasks and small studies. This will include ‘traditional’ HCI methods, as well as more speculative and creative tasks drawing on critical design and comparable approaches.
We will center the work around the smartphone – a device well-known, well-researched and essential to most our lives. In this project, we will explore what role gender might play when designing for/interacting with the smartphone; to what extent heteronormative assumptions have shaped the smartphone and how we can potentially redesign the phone and its applications to overcome some of its current limitations.
The project content will not cover the technical basics of how smartphones work and will not engage in the basics of app design or development. Instead, through this project you will get insights into the user-centered design process, as well as a deep understanding of current debates that push the boundaries of what HCI research is.
[1] The deadly truth about a world built for men – from stab vests to car crashes | Women | The Guardian. Retrieved January 27, 2022 from https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/feb/23/truth-world-built-for-men-car-crashes |