Good work design: strategies to embed human-centred design in organisations

Abstract

Human-centred design of work provides the potential to improve productivity, safety, and health. This thesis examines how organisations can achieve such good work design. Specifically, the research examines the tools, practices, activities, structures, systems, conditions, and culture by which organisations can achieve human-centred work.

Dislocated accountabilities in the “AI supply chain”: Modularity and developers’ notions of responsibility

“…User experience design plays a key role here. One participant led his team in a brainstorming session for their product to allow users to scan and monitor their body composition over time, which he felt was enabled by a shared and authentic “passion for the user, for the customer.” To this end, they made design modifications in response to feedback from pilot studies with users, framing this as putting the customer's needs first: “We recognize [health and body composition as] a very sensitive thing [… we’re …] focused on solving problems for the customer.” While paying customers are often the privileged “humans” in “human”-centered design to the exclusion of other affected parties (Pasanen, 2019), specific anticipated users create a connection point between commercial incentives and better or worse societal impacts, even if these were proxies for relations rather than direct relations themselves.…”