This field-based research project will collect information on the variety of ways in which software design decisions are associated with values of consequence to designers, the design organization, the user organization, employees and the public. It will document the extent to which designers themselves give explicit consideration to values trade- offs in making design decisions. The goal is to enhance understanding of the influences on and of software design, and to create a set of descriptive cases, with analyses, that educators can use to help designers become more aware of the value-related dimensions of their work. As designers and users attend to the value implications of their decisions, the positive effects of new technologies can be enhanced. This project will make a unique contribution to professional and public understanding of values issues and trade-offs associated with computer software design. The investigative team and consultants are very well qualified to undertake the research and develop the case studies. The team has very good institutional support and access to the organizations in which the field studies will be done. The research design is very appropriate for this exploratory phase; costs are very reasonable; and results are likely to be widely distributed and useful. Total support in the amount of $75,000 is recommended, with $36,363 to be awarded now and $38,637 in the next fiscal year.
