Hostile Interaction Design
Speaker: Marcus Foth – Brisbane, QLD, AustraliaTopic(s): Human Computer Interaction
Abstract
This talk critically explores the emergence and implications of hostility within interaction design. Drawing parallels to hostile architecture, the talk examines how design choices often prioritise the protection of corporations and governments over the needs of users and citizens. Through examples, including the speaker’s lived experience dealing with nefarious social media impersonation as well as evidence from the infamous Robodebt scandal involving the Australian Government, the presentation illustrates how such designs are more than just trivial inconveniences and can exacerbate real harm and inequity. In the second part of the talk, Professor Foth poses provocative questions: Has interaction design always been hostile? If not, how did this shift occur? Reflecting on our role as designers, the talk challenges the audience to consider their complicity in perpetuating such hostility. The final section offeres a pathway forward, showcasing new methods and ways of thinking that have been proposed such as Value Sensitive Design, Care-full Design, and Activist HCI. These approaches emphasise empathy, accountability, systemic change, and long-term thinking, urging the field to adopt practices that foster inclusivity, justice and planetary wellbeing. Concluding with open-ended questions about the future of design responsibility—whether through activism, regulation, or unionisation—the talk calls for collective action to reimagine interaction design for a more equitable world.
Recommended readings:
Foth, M., Tomitsch, M., Satchell, C., & Haeusler, M. (2015, Dec 7-10). From Users to Citizens: Some Thoughts on Designing for Polity and Civics. In Proceedings of OZCHI (pp. 623-633). ACM. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/88937/
Foth, M., Doherty, S., & Kelly, N. (2024). The dark side of creativity: A design perspective on the built environment’s chequered histories. In J. Miao & T. Yigitcanlar (Eds.), Routledge Companion of Creativity and the Built Environment (pp. 314-326). Routledge. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/237912/
Matthews, B., Doherty, S., Johnston, J., & Foth, M. (2022). The Publics of Design: Challenges for Design Research and Practice. Design Studies, 80, 101106. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/229566/
About this Lecture
Number of Slides: 63Duration: 45 - 60 minutes
Languages Available: English
Last Updated:
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