Value Sensitive Design

A design methodology that accounts for human values in a principled and systematic way throughout the technology design process. Value Sensitive Design integrates three types of investigation: conceptual (identifying stakeholders and their values), empirical (studying how people interact with technology in context), and technical (examining how system features support or hinder values). In accessibility, VSD is particularly relevant because it goes beyond functional requirements to consider values like independence, trust, social connection, freedom of expression, and dignity. For example, when designing an accessible shopping assistant, VSD reveals that clothes shopping is not just about finding products but about expressing personal identity and creativity — insights that shape what features the system should offer. VSD was developed by Batya Friedman and colleagues and has been widely adopted in human-computer interaction research.