## Value sensitive design

## Journalistica: The Methods Section

In this section, Journalistica puts a spotlight on research methods used in journalism studies and/or journalism practice.

## FRANCESCA MORINI

Södertörn University

## KEYWORDS

Human-computer  interaction,  design,  moral  psychology,  participatory  design, value-oriented semi-structured interviews, value sketch, value-oriented prototype, epistemology of journalism, data journalism

## 1. Description of the method

Value sensitive design is a methodological approach for the design and understanding of technology: a set of qualitative methods that foregrounds the well-being of humans (Friedman & Hendry, 2019). For journalism scholars - often interested in conducting transdisciplinary and participatory research - this set of methods is useful to study the relation between journalism and technologies such as AI, machine learning, or social computing (e.g. social networks).

In Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), the creation and evaluation of computer systems and software are central objectives. These activities  require  problem-solving  techniques  and  user-oriented methods to improve the usability, and human experience with technology. While usability is typically seen as a functional concern in technology design, value sensitive design aims to prioritize ethical, moral, and human values throughout the process (Friedman, 1996). Overall, value sensitive design bears similarities with qualitative approaches like action research (Stringer, 2007) and participatory design (Spinuzzi, 2005). Like these approaches, value sensitive design promotes close interaction between researchers and their subjects (Baskerville & Wood-Harper, 1996; Morini et al., 2022) and enables the investigation of tacit and invisible aspects of human activity.

In the context of journalism, this translates to the study of how reporters  work  with  technologies,  formally  and  informally.  Value sensitive design would enable journalism scholars to go beyond the discourse on technology to break down the artifacts and the practices surrounding them. This has the potential to trace the evolution of ethical and moral values of journalism from their abstract ideations to their concrete manifestations in technological artifacts. For value sensitive design, concepts like democracy, privacy or respect are not exclusively abstract, but manifest themselves any time humans interact with everyday technologies. Researchers must work in tandem with potential users to understand the values involved in the usage of a particular technology (Friedman et al., 2002).  Core to the  approach  are  conceptual,  empirical,  and  technical  investigations (Friedman et al., 2008). Conceptual investigations are useful to discover what values are key in the creation of a technology. Empirical  investigations  translate  values  into  prototypes  and  sketches. Technical  investigations  establish  what  human  values  are  supported or hindered by existing technologies (ibid., p. 3).

Overall,  value  sensitive  design  comprises  17  methods.  These methods should all be integrated within the research process (Friedman & Hendry, 2019, p. 64), however - for journalism scholars some might be easier to implement than others. For instance, value source analysis is a diagraming task that helps in distinguishing what values are already explicitly supported by stakeholders and which ones should be added. Value scenario is a narrative technique that allows technical and human values to intertwine.

## 2. Example of use

Currently,  there  are  few  examples  of  studies  in  journalism  using value sensitive design (e.g. Diakopoulos, 2012; Morini et al., 2022). Diakopoulos (2012) devised a hybrid method to generate new opportunities  of  innovation  in  journalism.  Value  sensitive  design  is used here to identify key human values in developing innovative forms  of  journalism  through  brainstorming  and  survey  activities. Morini et al. (2022) used value sensitive design to run a conceptual investigation on how sensors - pieces of hardware capable of converting analogue input into digital information (Bui, 2014) - impact the  journalistic  practice.  The  authors  set  up value-oriented  semistructured interviews and value-oriented scenarios with journalists and scholars. The data collected from these activities has been analyzed using a value-oriented coding manual (Friedman & Hendry, 2019). During interviews, journalists were prompted to recall past and current experiences with sensors in relation to pre-identified ethical values, such as privacy (Morini et al., 2022, pp. 4-6). Then, the interviewees took part in building value-oriented scenarios. For each  of  these  values,  the  authors  were  able  to  produce  practical considerations that account for ethical and moral risks. Other examples can be found across several domains, primarily HCI (e.g. Friedman et al., 2000), urban studies (Borning et al., 2008) and service research (Woelfer & Hendry, 2010).

## 3. Main advantages and challenges of using the method

Value sensitive design is a methodological approach useful to embed human values in new technologies as well as evaluate existing ones. For journalism scholars, this approach could serve different purposes, especially in considering the role of existing technologies in journalism. It could help in understanding how the ethical and moral values of journalism are reflected by the use of certain technologies.  Its  deeply  investigative  and  participatory  intents  combined with its imaginative methods poses an ideal setting to explore how journalists' moral and ethical values translate in their everyday practices.

More specifically, conceptual and technical investigations could be used inside and outside newsrooms, combining observational or hands-on approaches. For instance, they could assess the creation of AI-generated content, the usage of data-driven dashboards, and the  technical  pipelines  to  create  news  graphics  or  data  visualizations for journalistic stories. Alternatively, empirical investigations could be used to experiment with new formats or production strategies that center human values in journalists' daily work.

The main challenge with this approach is to find reliable ways to interpret  the  empirical  data  produced  through  value-oriented methods. The data resulting from observation and co-design activities are mostly qualitative. Results could be difficult to understand and relate to previous research in a broad and abstract manner. A practical solution to this problem could be to combine value sensitive design with other methods that produce more generalized results.

## 4. Ethical considerations

Within the domain of journalism research, the debate around the values and ethics of journalism occupies a prime position. This discussion centers on the assumptions that key values vary based on geographical and political contexts, with journalists adhering to different ideas of what journalism is and how it should be exercised. Value sensitive design methods should be carefully contextualized and tailored to fit local journalists' understanding of their practice and technical literacy, with due respect for their perspectives.

## REFERENCES

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- Borning, A., Waddell, P., & Förster, R. (2008). Urbansim: Using Simulation to Inform Public Deliberation and Decision-Making. In H. Chen, L. Brandt, V. Gregg, R. Traunmüller, S. Dawes, E. Hovy, A. Macintosh, & C. A. Larson (Eds.), Digital Government (Vol. 17, pp. 439-464). Springer US. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-71611-4\_22
- Bui, L. (2014, September 20). A (Working) Typology of Sensor Journalism Projects . https://medium.com/@dangerbui/a-working-typology-of-sensor-journalism-projects-c0042a0410af
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- https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2022.2134161
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## FRANCESCA MORINI

PhD Student Culture and Education Södertörn University

Francesca.morini@sh.se