Questioning the Technological Panacea: Three Reflective Questions for Designers

Many papers in the field of human-computer interaction
begin by presenting a problem and then propose a
solution for that problem. Despite the varied natures of
the problems these papers address, the solutions
presented are often implemented through the use of
computing technologies. This paper argues that asking
whether or not a technological solution is appropriate
should be an explicit and exposed part of the design
process. It raises three questions that should be
addressed during the design process: Are there other,
possibly non-technological, solutions that could address
the problem equally well, if not better? Are designers
creating solutions to problems that users themselves do
not need to have? Are these technological solutions
treating a problem rather than its cause? This paper
uses examples from the literature to show how these
questions might be answered, cases in which they were
at least partially addressed, and cases that show some
of the possible results of not addressing these
questions.