Exploring the Role of Shame in Design Strategies

Abstract

Shame is an emotion most of us are well familiar with and has taken an increasing role in public discourse in the last couple of years. While design literature has seen a strong tradition for evoking positive emotions, shame seems to be somewhat neglected. As a step towards a more practical understanding of shame in design, this article combines design literature with studies from other disciplines in an attempt to give an overview of designers' current notion of shame, and discuss if and how this notion could be further explored into concepts and tools that may benefit future designers.

Shame cues: detecting shame in disguise and playing with new perspectives to inform the design process

“…It is not the act of feeling shame that interests the author but how our reluctance to deal with shame can act to draw boundaries, hide opportunities, and empower certain storylines. A recent scoping review by the author provides the prelude for research in this area by covering a broad range of perspectives, drawing predominantly on design literature but also on theories from psychology and sociology, as in these fields, shame and similar emotions have been more thoroughly elaborated (Trondsen and Boks, 2022). In addition, shame concepts derived from environmental studies, marketing, linguistics, philosophy, and art, as well as nonliterate works and examples from cultural productions (e.g., art installations, social campaigns, commercial advertisement, and media entertainment), were included to make up for potential gaps and give more room to discuss implications for design.…”

“…Much connected to research exploring the role of shame in design strategies (Trondsen and Boks, 2022. ), the cards are made to reflect aspects of how shame can take different roles and fulfill different purposes when intentionally (or unintentionally) included in the design.…”

“…Still, a subset of design researchers focuses on the role of negative emotions in design, acknowledging that our emotional spectrum is more nuanced than solely feeling good or bad. However, there seems to be a need for more literature reflecting designers' ability to understand and engage with the concept of shame, especially beyond emotional frameworks grounded in psychological theories (Trondsen and Boks, 2022). Considering shame's social and moral capacity and its close relation to other social concepts such as stigma and taboos, but also cringe, awkwardness, and guilty pleasures, it becomes interesting to question designers' current notion of shame.…”

About utopias, apocalypses, respawning and zombies and how understanding images of space and time may inform Ddesign for sustainable behaviour

“…Indeed, this constellation of norms, values, and emotions surrounding them are well-known to have impacts on human behaviour, especially when it relates to controversial, politicized topics (Kahan et al, 2012). Yet, uncovering norms and values, in particular when elements of awkwardness, embarrassment and even shame may play a role, is understudied in design research (Trondsen & Boks, 2022). Sustainability design studies in particular could benefit from such research, as it is subject to narratives about who and what is responsible, which informs and is informed by norms and values (Fausey et al, 2010).…”

Pee poo period: exploring the intersection between shame, bodily fluids, and sustainable design

“…Shame is a self-conscious emotion that depends on social conditioning and tells us something about right and wrong (Tangney, Stuewig, and Mashek, 2006). It can act as a social control mechanism and a behavioral agent with both positive and negative effects (Trondsen and Boks, 2022). In some cases, shame can nudge us into more socially healthy behaviors (e.g., avoiding littering in public), while in other cases, it can act as a threshold to doing things differently (e.g., swimming naked).…”