Incorporating Values into

the Design Process

The Case of E-Textbook
Development for Estonia
Arman Arakelyan, Ilya Shmorgun, Snia Sousa

Institute of Informatics
Tallinn University

This research has been produced in the context of the LEARNMIX project (RU/3013) funded by
the Archimedes Foundation.
Introduction
There is a need to transition from artifact-centered design
to intentional creation of value.

A value proposition needs to be deliberately highlighted.

Value can be seen as:
the reason for creating an artifact;
something cared for and having desirable properties.

We focus on values in the design and reflection on their
presence or absence.
Design Critique and Critical Design
Design critique:
focuses on the specific details of a design, its role and
value in the environment;
helps compare alternatives and reflect on different
approaches.

Critical design:
aims to uncover opportunities for improvement;
helps ensure that values are incorporated in the design
through reflection in-action or post-action.
Design Values in LearnMix
LearnMix aims to reconceptualize e-textbooks as
aggregations of professional and user-contributed content
available on a wide range of devices.

The focus of the project ranges from defining what is a
future e-textbook to designing specific interactions.

A set of values have been developed based on:
a range of user studies; and
input from TEL experts.
Communicating Design Rationale
Reflection on design rationale needs to be
documented for communication purposes.
This will help others understand the design
choices and uptake them in their own work.
Design spaces are a means of developing
and documenting design rationale. The
approach is based on work by MacLean et
al.
Design Space as a Node-and-Link
Diagram
Design Space as a Table
Q: What are
of the design
space for the
ubiquitous
computing design
challenges
presented in
tabular form
the design
challenge?
C: Improving
ease and
convenience of
use
C: Facilitating
interactions with a
wide variety of
devices
C: Increasing
user control in the
interaction
C: Selecting
technologies
appropriate for
the design task
C: Developing a
robust design
practice
O: Understanding
user needs
+ - + + +
O: Designing for
multiple interfaces
+ + - + -
O: Designing for
smartness
+ + + + +
O: Selecting
appropriate
technologies
+ + + + +
O: Developing
ubicomp design
conventions
+ - - + +
Template Design Space for Design
Critique
Example Design Space for Design
Critique
Template Design Space for Critical
Design
Example Design Space for Critical
Design
Conclusion
Design spaces are informative in discussing perceived or
intended design rationale.

They are more useful for design criticism than for critical
design.
Existing artifacts can be analyzed and evaluated
against a set of criteria.
For critical design design spaces are too detailed and
strict, which limits creativity. Design spaces could be
used as additional inputs, but not set recommendations.