Capability Sensitive Design for Health and Wellbeing Technologies.

Area of Science:

• * Technology Ethics
• * Human-Computer Interaction
• * Social Implications of Technology

Background:

• * Existing design methodologies like Value Sensitive Design (VSD) often overlook human diversity and structural injustices.
• * Martha Nussbaum's capability theory offers a framework for assessing human flourishing and wellbeing.
• * There is a need for design frameworks that proactively address ethical considerations and social impact in technology.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To introduce and elaborate on the Capability Sensitive Design (CSD) framework.
• * To demonstrate CSD's utility in normatively assessing technology design, particularly for health and wellbeing applications.
• * To highlight CSD's advantages over traditional VSD by accounting for human diversity and structural injustices.

Main Methods:

• * Conceptual framework development by integrating Value Sensitive Design (VSD) with capability theory.
• * Application of the Capability Sensitive Design (CSD) framework to a hypothetical design case: a mental health therapy chatbot.
• * Comparative analysis of CSD against the standard VSD approach using the design case.

Main Results:

• * The Capability Sensitive Design (CSD) framework provides a robust method for ethically evaluating technology design.
• * Applying CSD to a mental health chatbot design revealed its effectiveness in addressing human diversity and potential injustices.
• * CSD demonstrates superior ability to integrate capability considerations from the outset of the design process compared to VSD.

Conclusions:

• * Capability Sensitive Design (CSD) offers a novel and effective approach to ethical technology design, particularly in sensitive areas like mental health.
• * The framework's emphasis on capabilities and social justice enhances the assessment of technology's impact on human wellbeing.
• * Early integration of capability considerations into design processes leads to more equitable and human-centered technologies.