Our Design Intentions

We want our target users, university students, to shift attention from smartphones to our design. Our design aims to solve risky smartphone usage while crossing road instead of smartphone addiction because our user research showed that people often use their phones at familiar intersections but avoid them in unfamiliar areas.

Stakeholders

• University students: Our primary target users, who will directly interact with the solution and benefit from its features.
• Other pedestrians: A secondary individuals who share the environment and could be directly impacted by the solution.
• Car drivers: Those behavior and interactions may be affected by the solution, particularly in relation to safety.
• City government: Policy makers who will play a critical role in approving and supporting the implementation of the solution, ensuring it aligns with public policies and regulations.
• Developers: The technical team responsible for building, maintaining, and improving the solution, ensuring it meets the functional requirements and operates effectively.

Ethical Risks:

1. Vulnerable Individuals: People who have physical or cognitive impairments such as broken limbs, mental problem, visual impairments may encounter difficulties when interacting with our solution. This will raise concern about fairness and inclusivity because our solution is intended for public use but have limitations for certain groups.
2. Over-Engaged Individuals: Users might become too absorbed in the game, losing track of time or surroundings, potentially leading to unsafe crossings.
3. Not Enough People Participate: Our gamified solution requires two participants, as the game is designed to encourage collaboration to complete tasks. However, if we encounter low participation or difficulty in pairing users, the collaborative element may be compromised, leading to reduced engagement and diminishing the effectiveness of the game.

Ethical Implications:

1. For vulnerable individuals, alternative gameplay methods can be incorporated into the system. For instance, the interface design should include larger font sizes and bright, high-contrast colors to accommodate visually impaired users. Additionally, a speech recognition system can be incorporated to support individuals with physical impairments, allowing them to use voice commands to control gameplay.
2. To prevent individuals from becoming overly engaged in the game, a reminder system should be implemented and synchronized with the traffic light. For instance, when the traffic light turns green, the game should automatically end, and an interface will appear reminding users that it’s time to cross the street. This ensures that users remain aware of their surroundings and prioritize safety while interacting with the game.
3. To address the issue of lacking participants, advertising signs can be designed with compelling calls to action, such as using appealing phrases like "Join to Play!"

Responsibility Boundaries:

1. Responsibilities Taken by the Designers:

   • Traffic Signal Awareness: The design will link to traffic light system and detect its changes. When it turns green, the game will automatically ending, and show up the reminder feedback "Time's Up. Look Up!".
   • Preventing Game Addiction: The system should regularly track users' gameplay activity and identify patterns of overuse. We need to pay attention to people's game addiction because it can lead to negative consequences, such as impaired focus and reduced safety awareness.
   • Safety: Designers should prioritize user safety when interacting with the game, particularly considering the location of installation. The game should be placed spacious place where users can easily and feel comfortable to interact.

2. Responsibilities Not Taken by the Designers:

   • User Misbehavior: Designers are not responsible for individuals who misuse the system including hacking into it, exploiting the game, maliciously damaging it.

Conclusion:

The ethical risks involved in this design focus on accessibility, over-engagement, and user misbehavior. The ethical responsibilities of the designers are focused on ensuring safety, limiting addiction, and catering to the majority of users. However, further measures could be taken to address accessibility concerns for all pedestrians.