Info Tech Shrt Res Paper

ITS 832 CHAPTER 8 VALUE SENSITIVE DESIGN OF COMPLEX PRODUCT SYSTEMS

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN A GLOBAL ECONOMY

DR. JORDON SHAW

INTRODUCTION

• Complex Technology • Smart Meters in the Netherlands • Smart Meters as Complex Products • Values in the Design of Technical Artifacts • Conclusion

COMPLEX TECHNOLOGY

• Common in today’s society • Many basic service infrastructures

• Collection of many smaller systems • Technology is more than hardware and software

• Implementing technology always has impact • To the surrounding environment

• Many stakeholders • Tech development driven by stakeholder needs

• Value sensitive design (VSD) • Incorporates impact on stakeholders

SMART METERS IN THE NETHERLANDS

SMART METERS IN THE NETHERLANDS

• Early smart meters were developed in the 1980s and 1990s • The Netherlands identified benefits

• Energy savings • Lower utility bills

• Consumers were not included in research • Consumer concerns were not taken into account

• Public resistance led to a long delay • Required modification and marketing

SMART METERS AS COMPLEX PRODUCTS

• Complex system characteristics • Systematic • Multiple interactions • Nondecomposable

• Competing standards • Actor or Stakeholder analysis • Networks of stakeholders

• Standards organizations

VALUES IN THE DESIGN OF TECHNICAL ARTIFACTS

• Smart meters and Home Energy Management Systems (HEMS) • Overlapping technologies • Some shared development milestones

• Value drives development and acceptance • Value sensitive design (VSD) • Focus is moral and political implications

• VSD in Smart meter design

SUMMARY

• Complex systems • Implementation impacts society • Stakeholders are often unable to appreciate full impact

• Ignoring all stakeholders can delay implementation • Smart meters in the Netherlands is a classic example