On the role of ethics in Persuasive Design

In this paper, a selection of the current primary approaches to Persuasive Design are analysed and discussed in relation to two ongoing research projects. Based on experiences gained when applying persuasive design to more established research areas, it is suggested that current research within the field of Persuasive Design may benefit from a more nuanced and context oriented perspective. Persuasive Design researchers commonly acknowledge that successful persuasion is dependent on acting within an opportune moment, often referred to as the rhetorical notion of Kairos. Kairos constitutes the link between the opportune moment and the appropriate action and does as such also signify an ethical perspective. As a result this paper argues that a recurring ethical perspective throughout a design process may be a central to constituting the unique claim of persuasive design in relation to more established research areas such as learning and digital mediation of cultural heritage.