Designing Digital Spaces for Democratic Dialogue

Talking to each other is a prerequisite for a functioning democracy. This premise is the starting point of the master’s thesis Designing Digital Spaces for Democratic Dialogue. Communication is ubiquitous today: tweets, snaps, and voice messages are part of everyday life and social media or comment columns of online newspapers are important places of political exchange. But how does public space function in the digital realm? How can we talk to each other at eye level online? How does hardware influence our dialogs?

Tebeya Leicht, Lisa Kern, and Andrea Kufferath-Sieberin from the HfG in Schwäbisch Gmünd are convinced that due to the high impact of those who design digital spaces, their awareness of democracy and society is very important. Therefore, in a detailed theoretical part, they elaborated tools to stimulate reflection on the topic from a designer’s point of view.

The design approach is based on methods of critical and speculative design. In cooperation with the School of Critical Design in London, the master’s thesis not only provides initial insights into the design of digital spaces, but also creates three discursive artefacts that give viewers a glimpse of alternative futures and a new perspective on the status quo. Around questions such as “What if we could see the social dynamics in digital spaces?” or  “What if comment columns were round?,” the artefacts are directed at viewers and are an impulse to question, reflect, and discuss.

Designing Digital Spaces for Democratic Dialogue

Designing and authors: Tebeya Leicht, Lisa Kern, and Andrea Kufferath-Sieberin
Release: July 2021
Volume: 200 pages
Format: 18 × 30 cm
Language: German
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