Inclusive Engineering Framework
Read more in the IOM3 'Materials World' blog here.
Engineers are good at creating solutions to problems. To addressing challenges and developing ingenious responses. To using their creativity to find ways to succeed. But in their enthusiasm for solutions, they often don’t stop to think about whether they have considered all of the things that impact on their design – and in particular all of the non-technical requirements that are not specified by the client or potential beneficiary. As a result, proposed solutions often lack the perspectives of people who have not been involved in their development – and in an industry which is notoriously lacking in diversity – this often means that they fail to include the perspectives of women, people with disabilities, the ageing population, and those with other under-represented characteristics.
Beyond the ‘people’ perspective, there are other areas which need consideration too, which all too often escape the design brief. This results in solutions which are not as complete, as inclusive or accessible as they could be, and often do not produce outcomes which are future ready or sustainable.
This framework is for use at the start of the Design phase of an engineering or technology development, to ensure that these perspectives are included. Its use will help ensure that bias and discrimination are not built into the proposed solutions, and its use will help develop creative and enlightened engineers.
The Framework has 8 elements:
Putting People at the Heart of Solutions
Putting people at the heart of any design or development issue is the basis of human centred design, and will ensure that we start by concentrating on the need rather than jumping to the solution. As an engineering sector we are not equally representative of all sections of the community, so we have to be able to think from the perspective of other people, adopting an inclusive mindset – or ensure that we have representation from different perspectives, such as people of different gender, people with disability, and people of different age.
The (UK) Equality Act 2010 protects people in 9 distinct ‘protected’ categories from discrimination: age; gender reassignment; being married or in a civil partnership; being pregnant or on maternity leave; disability; race including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin; religion or belief; sex; sexual orientation. Beyond this, the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED), requires those working in the public sector or on services or solutions which are used by the public, to ensure that their work serves to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and fosters good relations between different people when carrying out their activities.
Through this legislation the law is very clear in stating the need for engineers and technologists to produce products, services and solutions that do not discriminate against people with protected characteristics, but in reality there are many other personal characteristics that need to be considered when designing solutions – such as body size, neurodiversity, socio-economic status, even right or left handedness, and it is essential to take these into account to ensure that accessible, risk reduced and appropriate designs are provided for all.
The use of Equality Impact Assessments will ensure that the perspectives of different groups of people are considered and tested against possible solutions.
Ethics
Our ethical responsibility as engineers is a key behaviour in all aspects of our engineering work, but at the design phase is even more important, as we can be literally designing biases and discrimination into our technological solutions, thus amplifying existing biases. Awareness of the ethical implications of the use of new technology – such as the potential unforeseen outcomes of algorithmic decision making, or the impact of the development of robotics, deep fake technology, or genetic modification for example – is crucial. The use of historical data in machine learning can lead to the promulgation of biases including racial and gender bias that we must be very careful not to replicate. How can our technology not only prevent the reproduction of bias but actively seek to create a more equal society?
Global Responsibility and Appropriate Technology
Global responsibility refers to the need to take a perspective that goes beyond national boundaries, and considers things from a much broader viewpoint.
Creating engineering and technological solutions in response to disasters or in developing parts of the world requires us to ensure that the technology we use is appropriate to the setting, that strengthens local capability, and does not make the lives of the community members worse.
Engineering for Global Development (EGD) is an interdisciplinary practice that aims to improve the quality of life worldwide through the design and delivery of technology based solutions combined with building local capacity. This requires an understanding of not only the technological requirements, but of the economic, political, historical, social, cultural, religious, and business implications of working in a particular part of the world.
Even when not working internationally, global responsibility requires an understanding of the strategic implications associated with the use of particular resources, the working conditions and political systems under which these resources are produced. Ensuring that resources are sustainably sourced or that modern slavery has not been employed in their production are examples of our global responsibility.
Within this perspective comes the need to ensure that solutions are compliant with global standards and legislation, and where these do not exist, it is incumbent upon the engineer or developer to ensure that safety and other appropriate responsibilities are met.
Developing products for markets outside our own require cultural competence in order to ensure that we understand the particular local needs, and that we are not imposing a ‘colonial’ or westernised viewpoint or set of values where they are not appropriate.
Future Technology
Many new technologies are currently on the horizon, including digital technologies, artificial intelligence, machine learning, smart and mixed reality solutions and materials, tailored medication, and many more. Often, change happens incrementally, and we build on existing developments, but this is not always the case, and particularly in the developing world it is possible to leapfrog current technology in favour of new technologies that are on the horizon. In order to take advantage of these opportunities when producing new solutions, it is necessary to be aware of what future technology is available, and its readiness level. It is also important to build future capacity in at the design phase to take advantage of what will be available in the near future, and ensure sustainability of design. Future technology timelines and the use of Technology Readiness Level data are useful in ensuring that new designs and solutions have longevity.
It is also important to ensure that new technology is responsive to the needs of marginalised or under-represented groups, to embed social justice considerations in the development of future technology.
Societal Impact
In addition to future technology, it is crucial to be aware of societal factors that influence our world both now and those that will become more significant in the future. Current issues such as the threat of a global pandemic, obesity, the digital divide, food security, gender inequality, and mental health crises are all societal issues that have a relevance to our technological solutions. The possibility of overlaying a response to a societal problem whilst simultaneously implementing a technological solution ensures that engineering and technology positions itself at the heart of society and is able to provide a multifunctional response.
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
By considering the SDGs in their entirety we ensure that our solutions are considered from multiple perspectives, and that we are not inadvertently implementing solutions in one area which have detrimental affects in others. Of the 17 sustainable development goals, solutions can be tailored to have positive benefits in multiple areas of development, ultimately leaving no one behind. Tools such as the SDG Impact Assessment Tool (https://sdgimpactassessmenttool.org/instructions), or the Social Value Bank Calculator https://www.hact.org.uk/social-value-bank will help give some structure to the assessment of outcomes.
Additionally many tools and much guidance exists around the circular economy, and ensuring that the full lifetime of the product or solution is taken into account at the start of the design process, to include manufacturing, maintenance, decommissioning and re-use considerations.
Safety and Cyber Security
Working in a safe way is something that engineers are trained to prioritise, and safety is rightly part of any technological development and workplace behaviour, but the additional long term implications from a cyber security perspective are often not considered at the start of a project, and a failure to consider these could put the solution at serious harm from attack, and endanger lives.
For example, it is worth considering whether technology could be used in malicious ways that you had not intended, for example, to subvert the truth and spread disinformation and propaganda to undermine trust; could it become addictive and create unhealthy societies; could it lead to economic inequality due to accessibility discrepancies; does it create an asset that allows only certain groups to profit from; could it fall into the wrong hands and be used to increase surveillance or impinge upon the rights of citizens; could it be used for theft, fraud or other illegal activity?
The Ethical OS Framework is a tool that will help identify these risks in more detail https://ethicalos.org/.
The Natural Environment
Increasingly, the natural environment is becoming more important in our understanding of the need for balance with nature and a sustainable future, and aspects of the natural environment which are often not considered in engineering include the burden we place on the soil, vegetation, air, water and wider ecosystem. As we wake up to the realisation that we need to live in symbiosis with our environment, it is worth considering how our engineering solutions encourage the restoration of natural ecosystems.
Dawn Bonfield
Towards Vision©
Engineers are good at creating solutions to problems. To addressing challenges and developing ingenious responses. To using their creativity to find ways to succeed. But in their enthusiasm for solutions, they often don’t stop to think about whether they have considered all of the things that impact on their design – and in particular all of the non-technical requirements that are not specified by the client or potential beneficiary. As a result, proposed solutions often lack the perspectives of people who have not been involved in their development – and in an industry which is notoriously lacking in diversity – this often means that they fail to include the perspectives of women, people with disabilities, the ageing population, and those with other under-represented characteristics.
Beyond the ‘people’ perspective, there are other areas which need consideration too, which all too often escape the design brief. This results in solutions which are not as complete, as inclusive or accessible as they could be, and often do not produce outcomes which are future ready or sustainable.
This framework is for use at the start of the Design phase of an engineering or technology development, to ensure that these perspectives are included. Its use will help ensure that bias and discrimination are not built into the proposed solutions, and its use will help develop creative and enlightened engineers.
The Framework has 8 elements:
- Putting People at the Heart of Solutions
- Ethics
- Global Responsibility and Appropriate Technology
- Future Technology
- Societal Impact
- Sustainable Development Goals
- Safety and Cyber Security
- The Natural Environment
Putting People at the Heart of Solutions
Putting people at the heart of any design or development issue is the basis of human centred design, and will ensure that we start by concentrating on the need rather than jumping to the solution. As an engineering sector we are not equally representative of all sections of the community, so we have to be able to think from the perspective of other people, adopting an inclusive mindset – or ensure that we have representation from different perspectives, such as people of different gender, people with disability, and people of different age.
The (UK) Equality Act 2010 protects people in 9 distinct ‘protected’ categories from discrimination: age; gender reassignment; being married or in a civil partnership; being pregnant or on maternity leave; disability; race including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin; religion or belief; sex; sexual orientation. Beyond this, the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED), requires those working in the public sector or on services or solutions which are used by the public, to ensure that their work serves to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and fosters good relations between different people when carrying out their activities.
Through this legislation the law is very clear in stating the need for engineers and technologists to produce products, services and solutions that do not discriminate against people with protected characteristics, but in reality there are many other personal characteristics that need to be considered when designing solutions – such as body size, neurodiversity, socio-economic status, even right or left handedness, and it is essential to take these into account to ensure that accessible, risk reduced and appropriate designs are provided for all.
The use of Equality Impact Assessments will ensure that the perspectives of different groups of people are considered and tested against possible solutions.
Ethics
Our ethical responsibility as engineers is a key behaviour in all aspects of our engineering work, but at the design phase is even more important, as we can be literally designing biases and discrimination into our technological solutions, thus amplifying existing biases. Awareness of the ethical implications of the use of new technology – such as the potential unforeseen outcomes of algorithmic decision making, or the impact of the development of robotics, deep fake technology, or genetic modification for example – is crucial. The use of historical data in machine learning can lead to the promulgation of biases including racial and gender bias that we must be very careful not to replicate. How can our technology not only prevent the reproduction of bias but actively seek to create a more equal society?
Global Responsibility and Appropriate Technology
Global responsibility refers to the need to take a perspective that goes beyond national boundaries, and considers things from a much broader viewpoint.
Creating engineering and technological solutions in response to disasters or in developing parts of the world requires us to ensure that the technology we use is appropriate to the setting, that strengthens local capability, and does not make the lives of the community members worse.
Engineering for Global Development (EGD) is an interdisciplinary practice that aims to improve the quality of life worldwide through the design and delivery of technology based solutions combined with building local capacity. This requires an understanding of not only the technological requirements, but of the economic, political, historical, social, cultural, religious, and business implications of working in a particular part of the world.
Even when not working internationally, global responsibility requires an understanding of the strategic implications associated with the use of particular resources, the working conditions and political systems under which these resources are produced. Ensuring that resources are sustainably sourced or that modern slavery has not been employed in their production are examples of our global responsibility.
Within this perspective comes the need to ensure that solutions are compliant with global standards and legislation, and where these do not exist, it is incumbent upon the engineer or developer to ensure that safety and other appropriate responsibilities are met.
Developing products for markets outside our own require cultural competence in order to ensure that we understand the particular local needs, and that we are not imposing a ‘colonial’ or westernised viewpoint or set of values where they are not appropriate.
Future Technology
Many new technologies are currently on the horizon, including digital technologies, artificial intelligence, machine learning, smart and mixed reality solutions and materials, tailored medication, and many more. Often, change happens incrementally, and we build on existing developments, but this is not always the case, and particularly in the developing world it is possible to leapfrog current technology in favour of new technologies that are on the horizon. In order to take advantage of these opportunities when producing new solutions, it is necessary to be aware of what future technology is available, and its readiness level. It is also important to build future capacity in at the design phase to take advantage of what will be available in the near future, and ensure sustainability of design. Future technology timelines and the use of Technology Readiness Level data are useful in ensuring that new designs and solutions have longevity.
It is also important to ensure that new technology is responsive to the needs of marginalised or under-represented groups, to embed social justice considerations in the development of future technology.
Societal Impact
In addition to future technology, it is crucial to be aware of societal factors that influence our world both now and those that will become more significant in the future. Current issues such as the threat of a global pandemic, obesity, the digital divide, food security, gender inequality, and mental health crises are all societal issues that have a relevance to our technological solutions. The possibility of overlaying a response to a societal problem whilst simultaneously implementing a technological solution ensures that engineering and technology positions itself at the heart of society and is able to provide a multifunctional response.
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
By considering the SDGs in their entirety we ensure that our solutions are considered from multiple perspectives, and that we are not inadvertently implementing solutions in one area which have detrimental affects in others. Of the 17 sustainable development goals, solutions can be tailored to have positive benefits in multiple areas of development, ultimately leaving no one behind. Tools such as the SDG Impact Assessment Tool (https://sdgimpactassessmenttool.org/instructions), or the Social Value Bank Calculator https://www.hact.org.uk/social-value-bank will help give some structure to the assessment of outcomes.
Additionally many tools and much guidance exists around the circular economy, and ensuring that the full lifetime of the product or solution is taken into account at the start of the design process, to include manufacturing, maintenance, decommissioning and re-use considerations.
Safety and Cyber Security
Working in a safe way is something that engineers are trained to prioritise, and safety is rightly part of any technological development and workplace behaviour, but the additional long term implications from a cyber security perspective are often not considered at the start of a project, and a failure to consider these could put the solution at serious harm from attack, and endanger lives.
For example, it is worth considering whether technology could be used in malicious ways that you had not intended, for example, to subvert the truth and spread disinformation and propaganda to undermine trust; could it become addictive and create unhealthy societies; could it lead to economic inequality due to accessibility discrepancies; does it create an asset that allows only certain groups to profit from; could it fall into the wrong hands and be used to increase surveillance or impinge upon the rights of citizens; could it be used for theft, fraud or other illegal activity?
The Ethical OS Framework is a tool that will help identify these risks in more detail https://ethicalos.org/.
The Natural Environment
Increasingly, the natural environment is becoming more important in our understanding of the need for balance with nature and a sustainable future, and aspects of the natural environment which are often not considered in engineering include the burden we place on the soil, vegetation, air, water and wider ecosystem. As we wake up to the realisation that we need to live in symbiosis with our environment, it is worth considering how our engineering solutions encourage the restoration of natural ecosystems.
Dawn Bonfield
Towards Vision©
