Resources for contextual problem solving in technology design

by Logan D. A. Williams

Photo by "My Life Through A Lens" on Unsplash

Because of the nature of systemic oppression, it is important to percolate inclusive practices throughout all levels of the Academy. This includes how we engage and interact with our peers and our students on a day-to-day basis (as taught through typical DEI training on micro-aggressions and teamwork). It also includes the content of what we teach and how we teach it. ​

Over the years I have encountered a variety of resources for engaging in contextual problem solving that do not discount culture, but instead frame culture as essential to solving technology design problems. I'm very happy to share them with you. 
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Activities for Contextual Problem Solving 

1. Barta, James, Ron Eglash, and Cathy Ann Barkley. 2014. Math Is a Verb: Activities and Lessons from Cultures Around the World. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Incorporated. 
2. Karaali, Gizem. 2019. Mathematics for Social Justice: Resources for the College Classroom. Edited by Lily S. Khadjavi. Providence, Rhode Island: American Mathematical Society. 
3. Williams, Logan D. A. 2020. “DESIGN, FEMINISM, AND the Persona Spectrum: INTRODUCING the INTERSECTIONAL Persona Matrix.” Inclusive Research By Design (blog). November 2, 2020. http://www.inclusiveresearchbydesign.com/2/post/2020/11/design-feminism-and-the-persona-spectrum-introducing-the-intersectional-persona-matrix.html. 
4. Winchester III, Woodrow W. 2019. “Inclusive and Consequential by Design: ‘Futurefying’ New Product Development (NPD) Through Vision Concepting.” INSIGHT 22 (3): 49–51. https://doi.org/10.1002/inst.12260. 
5. Seshadri, Miss Priya, Tahira N. Reid, and Joran Booth. 2014. “Paper ID No. 10180 A Framework for Fostering Compassionate Design Thinking during the de-Sign Process.” In 360 Degrees of Engineering Education, 24:1. Indianapolis, IN. 
6. Bennett, Cynthia L., and Daniela K. Rosner. 2019. “The Promise of Empathy: Design, Disability, and Knowing the ‘Other.’” In Proceedings of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 1–13. CHI ’19. New York, NY, USA: Association for Computing Machinery. https://doi.org/10.1145/3290605.3300528. 

Using Narrative as a Method for Contextual Problem Solving 

1. Jones, Natasha N. 2016. “Narrative Inquiry in Human-Centered Design: Examining Silence and Voice to Promote Social Justice in Design Scenarios.” Journal of Technical Writing and Communication 46 (4): 471–92. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047281616653489. 
2. Liptow, Emily E., Michelle H. Bardini, Noah Robert Krigel, Monica Lauren Singer, and Coleen Carrigan. 2017. “Engaging Engineers in Inclusive Cultural Change through a New Method, Articulating a Succinct Description.” In Submitted to American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference. Paper ID #19667. 
3. MacKenzie, Cameron A., Kristy A. Bryden, and Anna A. Prisacari. 2020. “Integrating Narratives into Decision Making for Complex Systems Engineering Design Issues.” Systems Engineering 23 (1): 65–81. https://doi.org/10.1002/sys.21507. 
4. Mogul, Nicole Farkas, David Tomblin, and Timothy Duane Reedy. 2019. “Just Add Context? Analyzing Student Perceptions of Decontextualized and Contextualized Engineering Problems and Their Use of Storytelling to Create Context.” In Charged up for the Next 125 Years. https://peer.asee.org/just-add-context-analyzing-student-perceptions-of-decontextualized-and-contextualized-engineering-problems-and-their-use-of-storytelling-to-create-context. 

Socio-technical Integration Research: a Collaborative Method for Integrating Context into Technical Problem Solving 

1. Fisher, Erik, and Clark Miller. 2009. “Collaborative Practices for Contextualizing the Engineering Laboratory.” In Engineering in Context, edited by Steen Hyldgaard Christensen, Bernard Delahousse, and Martin Meganck, 369–82. Aarhus: Academica. 
2. Fisher, Erik, and Daan Schuurbiers. 2013. “Socio-Technical Integration Research: Collaborative Inquiry at the Midstream of Research and Development.” In Early Engagement and New Technologies: Opening up the Laboratory, edited by Neelke Doorn, Daan Schuurbiers, Ibo van de Poel, and Michael E. Gorman, 97–110. Philosophy of Engineering and Technology. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7844-3_5. 

Considering Ethics or Values when Framing Problems in Context 

1. Gray, Colin M. 2019. “Revealing Students’ Ethical Awareness during Problem Framing.” International Journal of Art & Design Education 38 (2): 299–313. https://doi.org/10.1111/jade.12190. 
2. Mulvenna, Maurice, Jennifer Boger, and Raymond Bond. 2017. “Ethical by Design: A Manifesto.” In Proceedings of the European Conference on Cognitive Ergonomics 2017, 51–54. ECCE 2017. Umeå, Sweden: Association for Computing Machinery. https://doi.org/10.1145/3121283.3121300. 
3. Steen, Marc, and Ibo Van de Poel. 2012. “Making Values Explicit During the Design Process.” IEEE Technology and Society Magazine 31 (4): 63–72. https://doi.org/10.1109/MTS.2012.2225671. 

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