Keynote Speakers
Assoc. Prof. Koen Smit
HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht, Netherlands
Koen Smit is a University of Applied Sciences professor focusing on Digital Ethics at the HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht, in the Netherlands. He obtained his PhD in Computer Science in 2018 at the Open Universiteit. His research primarily focuses on the combination of Business Process Management, Business Rules Management, Decision Management, Decision Mining, Digital Twin technology, Social Robotics and Value-Oriented Design methods and techniques. His interest also leans towards how said technological innovations can be designed and implemented in such a way that human and public values are explicitly and adequately considered. He regularly reviews and/or publishes and presents his research contributions at conferences and journals (e.g., HICSS, ICIS, PACIS, AMCIS, PJAIS, JITTA, JMIR, IST, and BPM). Furthermore, he is part of the management team of the Institute for ICT of the same university. He supervises several PhD and Professional Doctorate students on his focus areas.
Title: Designing for Values in Action: A Problem–Solution Approach to VSD
Abstract: Value Sensitive Design (VSD) promises to put human values at the centre of technology, but practitioners routinely struggle to translate VSD’s conceptual ideas and lenses into concrete design processes. This paper closes that gap by reframing VSD around the everyday problems and solutions that designers and public servants face. Using a Design Science Research approach we introduce a practice-oriented framework that maps VSD’s conceptual, empirical and technical investigations onto two actionable spaces, problem and solution, and makes explicit which lens and methods fit each space. The framework also includes a problem typology (technology-driven vs. societal issues) and treats the technical lens orthogonally so teams can better separate design of artifacts from inquiry about values and contexts. Validated retrospectively in three public-service design cases, the model helped clarify roles, guide method choices and improve stakeholder engagement. We close by showing how attendees can apply the framework immediately in their projects, and present possible future directions to further advance the field of ethical design and implementation of IS/IT.