Presentation about how Interaction Design can play a role in avoiding stigmatisation.

1. Avoiding stigmatisation
What is the role of (interaction) design?
Lars Oestreicher
Dept. of Information Technology
Uppsala University
LarsOe@it.uu.se
(Paintings by Mahmood Azadnia, Mashad, Iran)
Monday, March 11, 13

2. Impairments
and
stigmatisation
Monday, March 11, 13

3. Stigmatisation
• Goffman, Erving (1963), Stigma
• A feature that distinguishes
people from ”normality”
• Generally a degrading notion
• Generates an exclusion
Monday, March 11, 13

4. • Stigmatisation can be due to:
• The physical signs of impairments
• The social effects of impairments
• The effects from supportive devices
• Social exclusion (rules, categorisation)
Monday, March 11, 13

5. Rules can exclude...
Monday, March 11, 13

6. Bad design too...
Monday, March 11, 13

7. Bad interaction design?
Monday, March 11, 13

8. Three Projects
• POTT - Personal Object Tag Tracking
• Dynamic Maps for the Blind
• Personal Information Centers -
smartphones
Monday, March 11, 13

9. A general observation
• Many special solutions make people feel
stigmatised
• Maps for blind people
• ”Keyfinders” for people with slight
dementia
• Interface solutions for blind people
• Special solutions for physically impaired
Monday, March 11, 13

10. Special solution
Monday, March 11, 13

11. Avoiding stigmatisation
• Approaching ”normalcy”
• Special designs are made into normal ones
• Adapting special technology
• Making the unnormal normal
• Increasing visibility
• Avoiding bad, stigmatising solutions
Monday, March 11, 13

12. (Interaction) Design
• Simple solutions
for everyone
• Avoiding special
solutions
• Making the
special solutions
normal
Monday, March 11, 13

13. Well-known knowledge
• Perception and Information channels
• Physical and Psychological strengths and
weaknesses
• Social interaction
• Attitudes and self-image
Monday, March 11, 13

14. Project conclusions
• Personal solutions are vital, adapt
interaction to the needs
• Avoid ”special” solutions, make the normal
solutions fit
• Use unobtrusive but efficient
communication channels
• Move interaction close to the user
Monday, March 11, 13

15. Design for emotional
interaction?
Monday, March 11, 13