Hitesh Dhiman and Eileen Wemmer, who are research associates in the inIT working group 'Human-Technology Interaction' led by Prof. Dr. mult. Carsten Röcker, participated in organising a workshop at the ACM DIS 2025 conference in Madeira. The workshop explored ways in which interactive systems can support the development of human virtues and practical wisdom.
ACM DIS 2025: Platform for Interactive design
The ACM Designing Interactive Systems (DIS) Conference took place from 5 to 9 July in Funchal, Madeira. As one of the leading conferences in the field of human–technology interaction, it provided an international forum for researchers and designers interested in the development of interactive technologies and their social impact. The theme this year was 'Designing for a Sustainable Ocean'.
Impetus for ethically reflective technology design
On the opening day of the conference, Eileen Wemmer and Hitesh Dhiman hosted a workshop entitled 'Fostering Eudaimonia: Design to Support Virtues and Practical Wisdom'. The workshop aimed to develop design perspectives on the concept of eudaimonia, or a successful and meaningful life, and discuss how design processes could promote moral virtues such as courage, empathy, and responsibility.
The interdisciplinary group of participants combined theoretical foundations from ethics and philosophy with design research approaches. Discussions ranged from concrete design methods to reflections on the social impact of digital technologies. The workshop was met with great interest and participants rated it as challenging, relevant and inspiring in terms of content.
The accompanying paper has been published in the ACM DIS 2025 companion volume and is available here: https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3715668.3734163
Great interest in design-related value issues
Hitesh Dhiman, who was primarily responsible for the workshop's content, says: ‘The workshop showed that there is a strong interest in ethically sound design practice, particularly when it comes to technologies that are intended not only to solve problems, but also to contribute to personal development.’
Eileen Wemmer adds: ‘The contributions and feedback emphasised how important it is to incorporate ethical values into the design of interactive systems from the outset.’