Design Practices and Guidelines for Empowerment

Abstract

Increasingly, digital applications and services have become tools to combat inequality and empower people. However, it is unclear what the design practices are that lead to empowering systems and designs. To address this question, we conducted a structured literature review of 33 publications that were specific to the design of digital tools and were a subset of papers used to develop the HCI empowerment framework. We analyzed the specific design practices that were associated with the psychological components of the empowerment framework—“feeling”, “knowing”, and “doing”. We extend the HCI empowerment framework and contribute the following design practices and guidelines for empowerment: give individuals autonomy; tailor to individuals’ cultures, experiences, and values; connect individuals to knowledge, resources, and options; provide individuals with frequent feedback; divide and conquer tasks; and encourage collaboration and participation.