Disruptions, Dilemmas and Paradoxes: Ethical Matter(s) in Design Research

This special issue on ethical matter(s) contains innovative and reflective scholarship focused on questions of ethics with human computer interaction (HCI) design research. Through this introductory piece, we articulate three trends influencing contemporary design research which are creating spaces of discomfort for many scholars as they acknowledge their positionality and responsibility. We introduce the articles developed for this special issue through the framing of ethical difficulties, dilemmas and paradoxes, recognizing that some issues may not be immediately resolvable. We argue that no matter which structures, principles or heuristics you commit to at the start of an HCI project, ethical conundrums are likely to develop. Through this piece, we are not suggesting that anyone is trying to achieve the status of moral saint within HCI design research. Rather, we offer you work crafted by scholars striving to improve their scholarship, working to address the question of ethical action in HCI research.