Promoting user advocacy through design thinking in the age of automated writing

Abstract

This article investigates how design thinking can help solve wicked problems in the design and use of automated writing technologies. First, I argue that problems in developing and using automated writing algorithms are complex and recurrent wicked problems that can hardly be solved with traditional, once-and-for-all solutions. Then I analyze how wicked problems harm user experience and benefits, causing unequal power distribution between users and tech giants. Finally, I argue that design thinking as "a process for addressing complex, messy problems in the world"[1] can help improve the use of AW technologies to avoid technological exploitation and exclusion of users. Design thinking's emphasis on users' voices, experiences, and needs can help bring the design and use of AW technologies back to human-centeredness.