Value sensitive design

Value sensitive design (VSD) is a theoretically grounded approach to the design of technology that accounts for human values in a principled and comprehensive manner.^[1][2] VSD originated within the field of information systems design^[3] and human-computer interaction^[4] to address design issues within the fields by emphasizing the ethical values of direct and indirect stakeholders. It was developed by Batya Friedman and Peter Kahn at the University of Washington starting in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Later, in 2019, Batya Friedman and David Hendry wrote a book on this topic called "Value Sensitive Design: Shaping Technology with Moral Imagination".^[5] Value Sensitive Design takes human values into account in a well-defined matter throughout the whole process.^[6] Designs are developed using an investigation consisting of three phases: conceptual, empirical and technological.^[7] These investigations are intended to be iterative, allowing the designer to modify the design continuously.^[8]

The VSD approach is often described as an approach that is fundamentally predicated on its ability to be modified depending on the technology, value(s), or context of use.^[9][10] Some examples of modified VSD approaches are Privacy by Design which is concerned with respecting the privacy of personally identifiable information in systems and processes.^[11] Care-Centered Value Sensitive Design (CCVSD) proposed by Aimee van Wynsberghe is another example of how the VSD approach is modified to account for the values central to care for the design and development of care robots.^[12]