Value Sensitive Design is a theoretically grounded approach to the design of technology that accounts for human values in a principled and comprehensive manner throughout the design process. It employs an integrative and iterative tripartite methodology, consisting of conceptual, empirical, and technical investigations. We explicate Value Sensitive Design by drawing on three case studies. The first study concerns information and control of web browser cookies, implicating the value of informed consent. The second study concerns using high-definition plasma displays in an office environment to provide a “window ” to the outside world, implicating the values of physical and psychological well-being and privacy in public spaces. The third study concerns an integrated land use, transportation, and environmental simulation system to support public deliberation and debate on major land use and transportation decisions, implicating the values of fairness, accountability, and support for the democratic process, as well as a highly diverse range of values that might be held by different stakeholders, such as environmental sustainability, opportunities for business expansion, or walkable neighborhoods. We conclude with direct and practical suggestions for how to engage in Value

Policy decisions at the organizational, corporate, and governmental levels should be more heavily influenced by issues related to well-being––people’s evaluations and feelings about their lives. Domestic policy currently focuses heavily on economic outcomes, although economic indicators omit, and even mislead about, much of what society values. We show that economic indicators have many shortcomings, and that measures of well-being point to important conclusions that are not apparent from economic indicators alone. For example, although economic output has risen steeply over the past decades, there has been no rise in life satisfaction during this period, and there has been a substantial increase in depression and distrust. We argue that economic indicators were extremely important in the early stages of economic development, when the fulfillment of basic needs was the main issue. As societies grow wealthy,

The paper concerns the effects of windows on work and well-being. Literature from a variety of disciplines was reviewed although most recent research was found in the area of environmental psychology. The most consistent finding in the literature is that people prefer natural rather than built or urban views from windows. Windows with views of nature were found to enhance work and well-being in a number of ways including increasing job satisfaction, interest value of the job, perceptions of selfproductivity, perceptions of physical working conditions, life satisfaction, and decreasing intention to quit and the recovery time of surgical patients. However, the access to a view did not improve the performance of students or actual productivity of office workers. The positive psychological and health effects of natural views were explained in the context of recent psychological theories. The direction and potential for future research is discussed. Table of Contents 1.0

Designers of human-computer interfaces often overlook issues of affect. An example illustrating the importance of affective design is the frustration many of us feel when working with a poorly designed computing device. Redesigning such computing interfaces to induce more pleasant user emotional responses would improve the user’s health and productivity. Almost no research has been conducted to explore affective responses in rendered haptic interfaces. In this paper, we describe results and analysis from two user studies as a starting point for future systematic evaluation and design of rendered physical controls. Specifically, we compare and contrast self-report and biometric measurement techniques for two common types of haptic interactions. First, we explore the tactility of real textures such as silk, putty, and acrylic. Second, we explore the kinesthetics of physical control renderings such as friction and inertia. We focus on evaluation methodology, on the premise that good affect evaluation and analysis cycles can be a useful element of the interface designer’s tool palette.

We present Open Window: an ambient virtual window display for long-stay hospital patients that aims to reduce feelings of loneliness and disconnection from the outside world. This is an ongoing project in collaboration with the blood disease isolation unit of a local city hospital. We discuss the very particular constraints that were present for this project, the feelings engendered in patients by long hospital stays and isolation, how we believe these can be alleviated and the system that has been implemented.

more. This is a test of the abstract. Write stuff here, and more, and more and more and Here is some more text The visceral emotional reactions that users have to technologies is increasingly understood to be important in terms of safety, performance, and pleasure in its own right. This thesis systematically explores users’s emotional (affect) reactions to everyday physical manual controls, in order to inform a design process that considers appropriate affective response as well as performance relationships. Design of both mechanical and emerging mechatronic physical controls are addressed. This novel design process includes parameterizing second order (inertial) dynamics using a system identification technique, and rendering models on a custom force-feedback knob. Next, this thesis explores biometric and self-reported measures of the affective responses elicited by these dynamics, and an iterative prototyping tool for rapid refinement of the “feel ” of physical controls. This research impacts use of the pas-sive physical interfaces such as mechanical knobs and sliders that are already ubiquitous

Abstract. There is a growing belief that the environment plays an important role in the healing process of patients, supported by empirical findings. Previous research showed that psychological stress caused by loneliness can be reduced by artificial companions. As a pilot application for this purpose, this paper presents an affective agent playing tic-tac-toe with the user. Experimenting with a number of agents under different parameter settings shows the agent is able to show human-like emotional behavior, and can make decisions based on rationality as well as on affective influences. After discussing the application with clinical experts and making improvements where needed, the application can be tested in a clinical setting in future research.

consultant and the views expressed in it are not necessarily those of the Steering Group members. Since the original report was compiled in January 2003 it has been adjusted in a number of detailed respects. As a result there are some disparities between the original and the latest Wood Bank report. This copy of the report has been restructured to mirror the “Woodbank ” promotional leaflet,

Human well-being is dependent on goods and services provided by well-functioning ecosystems. Changes in ecosystem status and integrity can therefore impact directly and indirectly on human well-being. However, neither current measures of ecosystem health nor methods to value ecosystem services incorporate methods to assess impacts of changes in ecosystem health on human well-being. Assessment of these impacts is potentially useful in improving the sustainability of coastal management decision making. This paper presents a conceptual model developed to identify the potential links between ecosystem condition and human well-being. Based on existing literature, it is hypothesised that changes in coastal ecosystem condition may affect aspects of social and community relations through affecting people's sense of place, degree of involvement in the community and the extent to which they undertake recreation in the coastal environment. Changes in these aspects of social relations can have flow-on impacts on social capital, social networks, levels of trust and physical and mental health. Changes in ecosystem condition may also have more direct impacts on human health, through bacterial contamination of recreational waters, the presence of toxicants in seafood, or through the presence of toxic algal blooms in recreational waters. Regional economic production is also affected by changes in coastal ecosystems, through changes in the production of fishing, aquaculture and tourism industries. The conceptual model provides a basis for the development of a dynamic systems model to assess the impacts of changes in ecosystem health on human well-being. This information is necessary to ensure that decisions regarding the use of natural ecosystems are well-informed and therefore appropria...

The research literature on outdoor recreation as it relates to human health is vast and growing. To help policymakers take new and emerging findings into account when designing recreation and park services and initiatives for the 21st century, this paper summarizes the salient issues and identifies research gaps. It considers how being outside in natural surroundings may improve health and how outdoor physical activities benefit participants. Particular attention is given to children’s health problems that can be mitigated through outdoor play, sports, and nature study. The paper describes approaches to measuring physical activity and recent trends in park visitation and outdoor activity participation. It looks at variables that affect participation in outdoor activities and considers the projected demographic changes that will affect policymaking in this arena. The findings of this literature review point to potential new directions for outdoor recreation policy, as well as new policy questions to be explored.