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Journal of the Association for Information Systems

Abstract

Assistive digital technologies (ADTs) hold significant potential to advance the social dimension of digital sustainability by fostering the participation of individuals with accessibility constraints. However, prior research and high abandonment rates indicate that their impact is still limited. To achieve systemic, long-term impact that will sustain social sustainability, socially inclusive design knowledge must address an underlying design tension: While users require constraint-specific individualization, providers aim for impact-oriented generalization. If not addressed, this design tension can lead to ADTs that are either overly individualized, limiting broader applicability, or overly generalized, lacking personal relevance. To address this challenge, we followed a design science research approach, conducting four design cycles informed by 44 interviews with experts, users, and providers, as well as 55 real-world examples. This revealed six competing design requirements, forming three specific design tensions between users and providers. We propose six constraint-agnostic, tension-aware design principles for ADTs that include mechanisms to mitigate design tensions at the artifact level. Our work contributes to socially inclusive design knowledge regarding both design outcomes and the design process and offers important guidance for providers of ADTs.

DOI

10.17705/1jais.01016

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