Language of conflicts: An introduction to using concern conflicts as a design opportunity

This workshop is based on the proposition that concern conflicts can be powerful starting points for user-centered design processes. Concern conflicts arise when the user wants to simultaneously fulfill two concerns that require mutually exclusive choice alternatives. Imagine your alarm clock ringing in the morning. You need to attend an early morning meeting that is important for your work (concern for competence), but you also want to stay in bed to relax for as long as you can since you could not get enough sleep (concern for relaxation). What do you do? This is a typical example of an experience that involves a concern conflict, i.e. a dilemma. Dilemmas are pervasive in everyday life, and thus, they are a crucial part of every design context. The way designers formulate and address users dilemmas can lead to creation of different product identities ranging from user-friendly products to products that promote social responsibility. In this workshop, participants will have the opportunity to explore different types of dilemmas and to create design concepts using new design tools and techniques.