«Tichajil» – The Good Life in Guatemala

In this project, DSI researchers explore the notion of «value sensitive social innovation» by investigating how the value sensitive design approach can facilitate novel technological breakthroughs in incorporating human and societal values in a «lab in the field».

Background

This project seeks to experiment how humanities, engineering and design disciplines can join forces in co-creating positive changes in social innovation contexts. It is a collaborative endeavour between research groups from Switzerland, and an indigenous community and local NGOs in Guatemala. The objective of the project is to examine how designers and engineers can develop technology that is sensitive to a socio-cultural system in which the prevailing value systems are atypical to the predominant Western ideology. The project is seed-funded by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI).