Visualising home technologies of the future: a report from Leicester's diverse communities

In a previous ETHICOMP paper (Firth and Flick, 2020), we outlined a proposed method for engaging with those with low digital capital (often associated with low socio-economic status) in order to look at their sociotechnical imaginaries of home technologies of the future. In that paper, we argued that this is important to do because of the dramatic divide between those traditionally involved in developing such technologies, and those who may benefit or be harmed by them. The method proposed an arts-based expressive mechanism that gave “participants to explore and give shape to their ideas and future technologies by collaborating in creating art pieces”. In this paper we report back on the findings of this method: the results from art workshops conducted with Leicester families for the Living Innovation (EU H2020) project along with a reflection of the method involved, particularly given the context of COVID-19

Real-life inclusion: How to innovate with low socio-economic status families

This chapter tells a story of technology innovation. It reveals how 14 families, including parents and children, in three relatively deprived areas of Leicester in the UK identified innovative digital technology ideas that might impact on homes in future. This was done through drawings and interviews in a collaborative and asynchronous workshop setting. The workshops demonstrated the adoption of a co-creative approach in line with Design Thinking to develop ideas for technologies that might solve a particular real problem the family faced. Furthermore, the workshops reflect important aspects of Responsible Innovation, and offer a unique methodology through which socially disadvantaged persons could be involved in systems or product development responsibly. The research technique provides the business practitioner community with a novel approach to co-creation and Design Thinking activities involving a mainly marginalized group