Apologos: A Lightweight Design Method for Sociotechnical Inquiry

Abstract

While scholars involved in studying the ethics and politics flowing from digital information and communication systems have sought to impact the design and deployment of digital technologies, the fast pace and iterative tempo of technical development in these contexts, and the lack of structured engagement with sociotechnical questions, have been major barriers to ensuring values are considered explicitly in the RD process. Here I introduce Apologos, a lightweight design methodology informed by the author's experience of the challenges and opportunities of interdisciplinary collaboration between computational and social sciences over a five-year period. Apologos, which is inspired by 'design apologetics', is intended as an initial mechanism to introduce technologists to the process of considering how human values impact the digital design process.