Design for Personalisation

The principle of personalisation appears in a range of current debates among design professionals, healthcare providers, and educationalists about the implications of new technologies and approaches to consumer sovereignty for a "massa (TM) provision. The potential of new technologies implies systems of provision that offer bespoke support to their users, tailoring services and experiences to suit individual needs. The assumption that individual choice automatically increases wellbeing has underlain the re-design of public services. Ubiquitous personalisation in screen-based environments gives individuals the sense that their personality is reflected back at them. Advances in Artificial Intelligence mean our personal intelligent agents have begun to acquire personality. Given its prevalence, it is appropriate to identify the scope of this phenomenon that is altering our relationship to the a "non-humana (TM) world. This book presents its taxonomy, and its potential consequences for the design profession as well as its ethical and political dimensions through a collection of essays from a range of academic perspectives. The essays combine theoretical analysis and practical case studies to deepen our understanding of the consequences of personalisation for our professional and personal lives. The eleven thought-provoking chapters discuss personalisation from a range of perspectives including Design Practice, Design Theory, Medical Sociology, Fashion Theory, Artificial Intelligence, Futurology. Each essay presents a well-balanced mixture of in-depth literature review and practical examples, examining the complex relationship between the various human and technological agents involved. Collectively, this book points towards the implications of personalisation for design-led social innovation.