Technology-Facilitated Intimate Partner Abuse: Addressing the Issue through Codesign with Survivors and Support Workers

This PhD work aimed to better understand how 1) existing and near-future digital technologies are used as tools for abuse and surveillance within the context of intimate partner abuse (IPA), and 2) to design support solutions for survivors.

In order to do so, a codesign methodology was adopted alongside IPA survivors and NGO support workers.

The first phase of the work aimed to extend existing knowledge of the landscape and problem context through interviews with survivors and support workers, as well as an analysis of online forum data where survivors engage in peer-to-peer support. The results allowed for a better understanding of the different ways in which technology-facilitated abuse is perpetrated, how victims make use of technology within the bounds of an abusive relationship, as well as the gaps in professional and peer advice given to victims regarding digital privacy and security.

The second phase consisted of several codesign workshops with survivors and support workers, which focussed on smart home devices and IPA. In the workshops, we collaboratively understood the threats posed by novel smart-home devices, how these devices are used for surveillance and abuse, the support currently available to victims, and, as before, survivors’ and support workers’ gaps in digital privacy and security knowledge. We also codesigned a series of ideas for improving the support available to victims regarding digital privacy and security management, alongside a series of ideas for improving the interpersonal privacy afforded by smart home devices.

The final stage involved developing a support service — in this case, a chatbot — to address the issue of technology-facilitated IPA alongside participants, as well as a co-evaluation of the outcome. The codesigned chatbot is now entirely owned and maintained by one of the largest UK-based charities supporting victims of IPA.

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