poster

Conducting Participatory Design to Improve Algorithms in Public Services: Lessons and Challenges

Authors:

Devansh Saxena,

Shion GuhaAuthors Info & Claims

CSCW '20 Companion: Companion Publication of the 2020 Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing

Pages 383 - 388

https://doi.org/10.1145/3406865.3418331

Published: 17 October 2020 Publication History

Abstract

Government agencies are increasingly looking towards algorithmic decision-making systems as a means to reduce costs and optimize processes. However, these algorithms are being constructed in an opaque and isolated manner with calls to adopt a more participatory approach such that stakeholders become co-designers in the process. We share our experiences from conducting participatory design to improve algorithms in the Child-Welfare System. We discuss a policy-mandated algorithm and an agency-level theory-driven algorithm to show how tensions arise when the values of workers are not embedded in the design of an algorithm.

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Devansh Saxena, Karla Badillo-Urquiola, Pamela Wisniewski, and Shion Guha. 2020 a. Child Welfare System: Interaction of Policy, Practice and Algorithms. In Companion of the 2020 ACM International Conference on Supporting Group Work . 119--122.

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Cited By

Datey IZytko D(2024)"Just Like, Risking Your Life Here": Participatory Design of User Interactions with Risk Detection AI to Prevent Online-to-Offline Harm Through Dating AppsProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/36869068:CSCW2(1-41)Online publication date: 8-Nov-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3686906
Sistrunk ASelf NBiswas SLuther KVerdezoto NRamakrishnan N(2024)Redistrict: Online Public Deliberation Support that Connects and Rebuilds Inclusive CommunitiesProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/36373938:CSCW1(1-23)Online publication date: 26-Apr-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3637393
Yoo DWoo HPendse SLu NBirnbaum MAbowd GDe Choudhury M(2024)Missed Opportunities for Human-Centered AI Research: Understanding Stakeholder Collaboration in Mental Health AI ResearchProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/36373728:CSCW1(1-24)Online publication date: 26-Apr-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3637372
Show More Cited By

Index Terms

Conducting Participatory Design to Improve Algorithms in Public Services: Lessons and Challenges
1. Applied computing
  1. Computers in other domains
    1. Computing in government
2. Human-centered computing
  1. Interaction design
    1. Interaction design process and methods
      1. Participatory design

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Published In

cover image ACM Conferences

CSCW '20 Companion: Companion Publication of the 2020 Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing

October 2020

559 pages

ISBN:9781450380591

DOI:10.1145/3406865

General Chairs:
Matthew Bietz
University of California, Irvine
,
Andrea Wiggins

Copyright © 2020 Owner/Author.

Permission to make digital or hard copies of part or all of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for third-party components of this work must be honored. For all other uses, contact the Owner/Author.

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SIGCHI: ACM Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction

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Association for Computing Machinery

New York, NY, United States

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Published: 17 October 2020

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Facebook Computational Social Science Methodology Research Award

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CSCW '20: Computer Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing

October 17 - 21, 2020

Virtual Event, USA

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Overall Acceptance Rate 2,235 of 8,521 submissions, 26%

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October 18 - 22, 2025

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Cited By

Datey IZytko D(2024)"Just Like, Risking Your Life Here": Participatory Design of User Interactions with Risk Detection AI to Prevent Online-to-Offline Harm Through Dating AppsProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/36869068:CSCW2(1-41)Online publication date: 8-Nov-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3686906
Sistrunk ASelf NBiswas SLuther KVerdezoto NRamakrishnan N(2024)Redistrict: Online Public Deliberation Support that Connects and Rebuilds Inclusive CommunitiesProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/36373938:CSCW1(1-23)Online publication date: 26-Apr-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3637393
Yoo DWoo HPendse SLu NBirnbaum MAbowd GDe Choudhury M(2024)Missed Opportunities for Human-Centered AI Research: Understanding Stakeholder Collaboration in Mental Health AI ResearchProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/36373728:CSCW1(1-24)Online publication date: 26-Apr-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3637372
Haque MSaxena DWeathington KChudzik JGuha S(2024)Are We Asking the Right Questions?: Designing for Community Stakeholders’ Interactions with AI in PolicingProceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3613904.3642738(1-20)Online publication date: 11-May-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3613904.3642738
Ahrweiler PGilbert NBicket MColl ACapellas BWurster DSiqueiros JSpäth E(2024)Gamification and Simulation for InnovationAdvances in Social Simulation10.1007/978-3-031-57785-7_11(121-135)Online publication date: 21-Jul-2024
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-57785-7_11
Delgado FYang SMadaio MYang Q(2023)The Participatory Turn in AI Design: Theoretical Foundations and the Current State of PracticeProceedings of the 3rd ACM Conference on Equity and Access in Algorithms, Mechanisms, and Optimization10.1145/3617694.3623261(1-23)Online publication date: 30-Oct-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3617694.3623261
Saxena DGuha S(2023)Algorithmic Harms in Child Welfare: Uncertainties in Practice, Organization, and Street-level Decision-MakingACM Journal on Responsible Computing10.1145/3616473Online publication date: 1-Sep-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3616473
Saxena DMoon EChaurasia AGuan YGuha S(2023)Rethinking "Risk" in Algorithmic Systems Through A Computational Narrative Analysis of Casenotes in Child-WelfareProceedings of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3544548.3581308(1-19)Online publication date: 19-Apr-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3544548.3581308
Cheng LChouldechova A(2023)Overcoming Algorithm Aversion: A Comparison between Process and Outcome ControlProceedings of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3544548.3581253(1-27)Online publication date: 19-Apr-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3544548.3581253
Robertson SNguyen THu CAlbiston CNikzad ASalehi N(2023)Expressiveness, Cost, and Collectivism: How the Design of Preference Languages Shapes Participation in Algorithmic Decision-MakingProceedings of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3544548.3580996(1-16)Online publication date: 19-Apr-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3544548.3580996
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