Using European Human Rights Jurisprudence for Incorporating Values into Design

Addressing human values in design has become an increasingly important consideration in the design of interactive systems. Within HCI, this trend is perhaps best emphasized by the increased volume of work that follows a Value Sensitive Design (VSD) approach. This trend is mirrored in human rights, especially in Europe, where individual values have been increasingly incorporated into the jurisprudence on the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). There are a number of striking similarities between VSD and recent ECHR jurisprudence. This paper explores those similarities and how ECHR jurisprudence may be used to help with Values in Design problems and vice versa, thereby enabling VSD and similar approaches to be considered from a human rights perspective, whilst contributing to debates about the future of Values in Design.