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Design for the value of presence (publication)

Chapter by Nevejan and Brazier in 'Handbook of ethics, values and technological design' (2015)

[ABSTRACT]
This chapter elaborates on design for the value of presence. As digital technologies have made it possible for us to connect to each other at a speed and scale that is unprecedented, presence is acquiring many new stances. The distinctions between being there (in virtual worlds), being here (making the being there available here), and the merging realities of these two are essential to the notion of presence. Understanding the essence of presence is the focus of current presence research to which many disciplines contribute, including computer science, artificial intelligence, artistic research, social science, and neurobiology.

The definition of presence used in this chapter is “steering towards well-being and survival,” and this definition introduces a neurobiological perspective on presence fundamental to the approach on which this chapter focuses. This perspective recognizes the choices and trade-offs involved in presence design. Presence design is a meta-design, which creates the context for human experience to emerge. Presence as a value for design can be a design requirement, a factor of analysis, and a key value in a process of Design for Values.

This chapter discusses a number of analytical and design frameworks for constructing and deconstructing presence design. Acknowledging that presence is a fuzzy concept and that a variety of open issues can be identified, presence as a value for design is fundamental for human beings to accept responsibility in complex environments.

Nevejan, C., & Brazier, F. (2015). Design for the Value of presence. J. van den Hoven, PE Vermaas, I. Van de Poel Handbook of ethics, values, and technological design: Sources, theory, values and application domains, 403-430.

Authors: Caroline Nevejan & Frances Brazier

The website being-here.net was the foundation for Caroline Nevejan's research into witnessing. Forty four authors contributed to this study. Artists, academics, journalists, designers reflected upon their own work form the perspective of witnessing. As result the YUTPA framework was further developed. This YUTPA framework makes trade-offs for trust visible. YUTPA is the acronym for 'being with You in Unity of Time Place and Action. The framework works with the four dimensions of Time, Place, Relation and Action to understand how trade-offs for trust are made in merging on-and offline realities.In each dimensions 4 factors are identified that affect such trade-offs. 

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