Humanities Studios: Pedagogy, Psychology, Philosophy

Transformations of values in ethical design approaches

Elena Balalayeva
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Abstract

Human existence in a technologised world has prompted scientists to comprehensively consider the problem of integrating human values into the processes of designing products, services and systems, which has led to the emergence and rapid growth of various ethics-oriented approaches to design. The aim of this article was to analyse trends in the interpretation of values in ethical design approaches in contemporary scientific sources. The general strategy for identifying relevant publications was based on a targeted thematic selection in scientometric databases using qualitative methods. As a result of the analysis of the selected sources, key provisions regarding values and their integration into design from the perspective of contemporary approaches were identified and systematised. It was found that although the value systems considered differ significantly depending on the focus of the concept, they often coincide in key points based on fundamental ethical principles. Research into the development of approaches to interpreting values in design has shown that two main trends prevail at the present stage: further development, improvement and adaptation of sets of values and their interpretations within the framework of specific approaches, and the integration of ideas and methods available in different approaches with the construction of new value systems. This has led to the conclusion that a new direction of research is developing, moving away from understanding values as a given rigid and stable register to studying them in dynamics, raising questions about their universality, allowing for contextual interpretation, and exploring their interaction with each other and changes at different stages of design. The results correlate with contemporary research, in particular on value dynamism, and can be used in the training of specialists in design and engineering-related fields in various areas of knowledge

Keywords

value-sensitive design; value-oriented design; value integration; value dynamics; design ethics

Suggested citation
Balalayeva, E. (2025). Transformations of values in ethical design approaches. Humanities Studios: Pedagogy, Psychology, Philosophy, 13(2), 103-113. https://doi.org/10.31548/hspedagog/2.2025.103
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