Enhancing social justice awareness through digital tools : a design science approach to the development and evaluation of the Privilege Walk app prototype

Abstract

This study evaluates the design and evaluation of the Privilege Walk app prototype, created as an educational tool to improve User experience (UX) and promote reflective learning on social justice issues among young adults. The app prototype includes features such as anonymity, storytelling, real-time visualizations, and emotional feedback to provide an engaging and inclusive digital environment for discussions about privilege and systemic inequalities. Guided by the Design Science Research (DSR) methodology and User-Centered Design (UCD) principles, the iterative design process was informed by workshop observations, questionnaire responses from young adults during workshop session, and benchmarking from the existing tools.

The evaluation involved usability assessments by experts using Nielsen’s Usability Heuristics, which identified strengths in navigation, design consistency, and error prevention, while illustrating areas for refinement to improve usability. Educators, who facilitate social justice workshops, provided critical feedback on UX and how the app supports participant engagement, ease of use, and reflective learning. Their observations illustrated the app’s potential to create safe spaces for critical discussions and to enhance educational experiences.

This research discusses how digital tools like the Privilege Walk app can bridge theoretical learning and practical application, offering digital tool for reflective learning for sensitive topics for educational settings. This research contributes to the fields of Human Computer Interaction (HCI) by presenting how user-centered approaches can be used to design educational technologies that promote meaningful engagement and reflective learning in the context of social justice education.