Constructing design requirements based on more-than-human values and needs

Summary

In this teaching activity, students will learn how to analyse more-than-human values/needs. Based on this, they will construct specific design requirements that guide a design process forward. In doing so, the judgments and design decisions involved will be explained in an explicit, debatable, and transparent way.

Motivation

As the words used for describing values and needs can be perceived as too general and abstract, it can be difficult for students to make them concrete and incorporate them into design work. In this teaching activity the students will learn how to translate more-than-human values and needs, identified in previous teaching activities, into design requirements. The teaching activity is an adaptation of a method originally developed by Van de Poel (2013).

In the teaching activity, the students formulate a so-called value/need hierarchy consisting of three levels: (1) the value/need of the more-than-human actor (identified in previous teaching activity, e.g., a stakeholder analysis), (2) the design objectives, and (3) the specific design requirements. By constructing a value/need hierarchy, the identified values or needs are systematically translated into design requirements, and the judgments and design decisions involved become explicit, debatable, and transparent. Making these judgments and design decisions explicit allows for critical reflection upon the translations made and enables debate among the stakeholders involved.

Learning outcomes

After the teaching activity students should be able to:

• Analyse the values and needs of more-than-human actors and construct specific design requirements.
• Explain the involved judgments and design decisions in an explicit, debatable, and transparent way.

Teacher guidance

Preparations
Before this teaching activity, the students have identified the values/needs of more-than-human actors that affect or are affected by the design project they are working on. 

Step 1: Lecture, Group size: All, Time: 40 min
The teacher introduces the concept of the value/need hierarchy and what the three levels stand for (values, design objectives, design requirements). Examples of value/need hierarchies are presented.  

Step 2: Lecture, Group size: All, Time: 20 min
The teacher walks through the process of the activity with the students: instructions, time plan, worksheet, and expected outcome.

Step 3: Group work, Group size: 3-4, Time: 60 min
The students work on value/need hierarchy activity in groups.

Step 4: Share in class, Group size: All, Time: 35 min
Students meet back in the classroom to present their value/need hierarchies and reflect upon the outcome of the activity.

Step 5: Discussions, Group size: All, Time: 10 min
The teacher ends the session by summarising the values/need hierarchy activity and comments on the outcome.

Questions for assessment

• Describe how you go from more-than-human stakeholder’s value or needs, to design objectives and finally, to the specific design requirements?
• In what way does the construction of design requirements highlight the judgments and design decisions made and to what extent can they be said to be explicit, debatable, and transparent?

Recommended readings

van de Poel, I. (2013). Translating Values into Design Requirements. In: Michelfelder, D., McCarthy, N., Goldberg, D. (eds) Philosophy and Engineering: Reflections on Practice, Principles and Process. Philosophy of Engineering and Technology, 15. Dordrecht: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7762-0_20