Research Papers
Examining The Problem Of Dark Patterns In Design
By: Felix Liu
The internet age has overseen the creation of many new digital technologies and platforms. These innovations have allowed individuals to better connect with each other and gain value on an unprecedented level and scale.In parallel with this growth has been the creation of websites, applications, and business behaviors that are dedicated to holding your attention and manipulating your online behaviors in order to earn more money. Dark patterns are one way that this is done. They manipulate people to share personal data, spend money on things that they don’t want, and engage in behaviors that they might not want to engage in. In this paper, I hope to explain what dark patterns are, discuss why it is important for more people to know about them, and finally, analyze some of the solutions that have been proposed in the space.
A Hope For Bi-Partisan Solutions
By: John Baldridge
Carbon emissions are on the rise with the increase in cheap air travel as the major contributor. According to the Airports Council International (2018), by 2040, there will be a total of 20.9 billion trips taken by air travelers worldwide, which is 12.7 billion more than the number of passenger trips taken in 2017. We see an opportunity to leverage the interest Millennials have in saving the environment (via reducing carbon emissions) to also help cities such as Pittsburgh, PA retain tourism dollars by having travel expenditures spent domestically rather than internationally.
Climate and Wealth: An Ethical Approach to Tackling Global Challenges
By: John Walker Moosbrugger
In 2014, 10% of the world’s adult population controlled 88.3% of the world’s total wealth with the top 1% controlling a staggering 49.7%.1 In creating that wealth our existing systems have manufactured an even larger challenge to global equity in the form of anthropogenic global warming. The IPCC estimates that human activity has already caused ~1°C of global warming from pre-industrial levels. The scientific case for action on climate change and the moral case for action on wealth inequality2 are both well documented. Approaching these problems through the lens of design for social innovation highlights the challenges associated with tackling either of these problems. The magnitude of each of these problems might suggest it would be easier to tackle them independently, however, by examining how intersectional systems of power magnify negative impacts on marginalized populations in a society it is clear we have a moral obligation to tackle them together. This necessitates the engagement of a broad range of stakeholders, an essential task when designing equitable systems which will have to fundamentally reshape much of our infrastructure and institutions to meet the challenges we now face.
Consumerism
By: Jessie Rehwald
The end of the Industrial Revolution marked an iconic time in history; with massive levels of manufacturing, production, and distribution being made abundantly possible, the world saw the inevitable birth of the consumer society. This cultural and economic dogma has continued to flourish in the years succeeding, with Americans on average now spending a staggering amount of their income on consumer goods. While this has often had a positive economic impact, the same cannot be said about its effects on the environment. The food industry is one sector that has seen recent growth in public interest surrounding its associated impacts and how it can improve. Furthermore, the use of social media outlets to spread innovative ideas and garner support for consumer-focused alternatives have expanded substantially. Unfortunately, these same consumers are constantly bombarded with information and products that are cleverly marketed to appeal to their environmental interests, while the deeper truth of the associated impacts is skillfully disguised. What the public desperately lacks is factual, transparent, and non-biased information about the products they are buying that is produced by a third party and not associated with or under control of the industries. This proposal is a sample model of an initiative that is designed to address this social issue.
AI For Us
By: Rachel Alexander
Advances in AI technologies are contributing to new products and services across a broad spectrum of industries. Along with great potential for innovation comes a vast body of unknowns regarding the ethical, social, and cultural implications of AI technologies on our communities. As we saw in the outcomes of the 2016 election, the unintended and unforeseen consequences of intelligent technologies can have devastating implications and we must be vigilant. Rapid advances in technology produce social vulnerabilities that we must be prepared to understand and take action around. We currently have advanced and powerful AI technologies available to anyone who can buy them with few or limited constraints over their development and accessibility. We are on the cusp of many possible futures, and the ones that we will choose demand a managed and just transition. In light of this, designers have a pivotal role to play as social and ethical mediators of AI powered technology, and yet, they can not manage the transition alone. Technology and policy must be in a state of coevolution while educators, consumers and producers must be motivated to educate, consume and produce ethically.
Women’s Work: Equity Not Equity
By: E.Louise Larson
The culture of innovation is busted. Women’s Work is Prototype’s incubator that aims to correct the course of Pittsburgh’s innovation economy through increasing access to money, networks, and sustained support for womxn entrepreneurs in Pittsburgh, PA.