User Perspectives on the Acceptability of Realtime Data Capture for Design Research by Connected Products

Connected products present new opportunities for conducting in-the-wild design research, where live data is transmitted by devices about their use and function. However, industry data gathering practices have raised public concerns around privacy and security. Thus, we need to account for users’ perspectives on how data is gathered and used. A technology provocation was used to spark discussion on the acceptability of physical devices collecting information for design research. Attitudes ranged from extreme unease to lack of concern, with varying beliefs about the trustworthiness and capability of researchers and companies. A range of real and speculative contexts prompted participants to examine value trade-offs between themselves and corporations, privacy and ethical issues, agency, and informed consent. Based on this we set out implications for carrying out data-driven design in order to unlock potential value while respecting user privacy and time.