Fairness in Design Shifts Focus from Output to Process

Why It Matters

This insight challenges the traditional focus on the final product's inclusivity by highlighting the critical role of the design methodology. By prioritizing fairness in the process, designers can proactively address potential inequities and ensure a wider range of users are considered from the outset.

Key Finding

Instead of solely focusing on whether the final product is inclusive, designers should ensure the process of designing is fair, considering diverse needs throughout development.

Key Findings

• The pursuit of inclusivity in design can create a paradox where addressing the widest audience might exclude specific needs.
• Applying Rawls' theory of justice as fairness suggests that the demand for equitability should shift from the design output to the design process itself.
• The questions of 'standards of justice' and 'metrics of justice' are relevant to design, with a Rawlsian approach being suitable for standards, and metrics requiring revision.

Research Evidence

Aim: How can principles of justice, specifically Rawls' theory of justice as fairness, be applied to the design process to ensure equitable outcomes for a diverse user base?

Method: Philosophical inquiry and theoretical application

Procedure: The researchers analyzed the paradox of inclusive design (addressing the widest audience vs. considering specific differences) and mapped it onto John Rawls' theory of justice as fairness. They explored how the demands for justice translate from design outputs to design processes and proposed a Rawlsian approach to establishing standards of justice in design, suggesting revisions for its metrics.

Context: Design theory and practice, particularly in relation to inclusive and equitable design.

Design Principle

Justice in design is achieved through a fair process that accounts for diverse human differences.

How to Apply

When initiating a design project, establish clear guidelines for user research and stakeholder engagement that ensure representation from marginalized or diverse groups. Regularly review the design process to identify and mitigate potential biases or exclusions.

Limitations

The application of abstract philosophical theory to practical design can be complex and may require further empirical validation.

Student Guide (IB Design Technology)

Simple Explanation: To make designs that work for everyone, focus on making the way you design fair and inclusive, not just the final product.

Why This Matters: Understanding how to make design processes fair helps you create products that are more accessible and equitable for all users, which is a key goal in design.

Critical Thinking: How can designers practically implement a 'fair process' when faced with competing stakeholder demands and limited resources?

IA-Ready Paragraph: The principles of justice as fairness, as explored by Bianchin and Heylighen (2018), suggest that equitability in design should be a focus of the design process itself, not solely the output. This research highlights the importance of ensuring that the methods used to develop a design are fair and inclusive, actively considering diverse user needs and perspectives throughout development to avoid paradoxes of inclusivity.

Project Tips

• When planning your design project, think about how you will involve a wide range of users and perspectives.
• Consider how your design decisions might unfairly impact certain groups and try to address this early on.

How to Use in IA

• Reference this research when discussing your design methodology and how you ensured user inclusivity throughout your design process.

Examiner Tips

• Demonstrate a clear understanding of how your design process reflects principles of fairness and inclusivity, not just the final product's features.

Independent Variable: Design process fairness and inclusivity

Dependent Variable: Equitability and inclusivity of design outcomes

Controlled Variables: Type of product being designed, specific user needs addressed

Strengths

• Applies a robust philosophical framework (Rawls' theory of justice) to a practical design problem.
• Offers a novel perspective by shifting the focus from product to process.

Critical Questions

• What are the specific metrics for measuring 'fairness' in a design process?
• How can designers balance the ideal of 'widest possible audience' with the necessity of addressing specific, potentially conflicting, needs?

Extended Essay Application

• An Extended Essay could investigate how different design methodologies (e.g., co-design, participatory design) align with or diverge from the principles of a 'fair design process' as outlined by Bianchin and Heylighen.

Source

Just design · Design Studies · 2018 · 10.1016/j.destud.2017.10.001