Agenda

On December 7, 2022 Francesca Dolcetti will presents 'Values-Led Design Theory and Praxis: A Critical Framework for Archaeology and Heritage'. The seminar is part of the seminars series organized by the Venice Centre for Digital and Public Humanities (VeDPH), in collaboration with Centro Studi Archeologia Venezia (CeSAV), Department of Humanities, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice. It will be held in person and online.

Archaeology and heritage are increasingly foregrounding their impact and relevance to contemporary society and potential in delivering public benefits. Thus, the adoption of values-led co-design theory and practices engendering wider inclusion and active participation have become even more crucial. My research is premised on the notion that design – as a process of conceptual making – is an integral part of how archaeologists and heritage practitioners develop and share their work and engage with their audiences. As such, integrating values-led design practices into the normative methodologies and everyday workflows of heritage organisations and archaeological projects is a necessary step to realising the goal of making visible the values underpinning the archaeological work and heritage interpretation, and translating these into socially-engaged practices in these fields.

Translating values-led design approaches into concrete terms can be challenging as they require shifts in practice and tools to actualise change. In this presentation I will discuss the creation of a values-led design toolkit - comprised of design cards and a methodology to engage with them -  developed to help archaeologists and heritage professionals unfamiliar with the design process in creating digital resources for practitioners and wider audiences. By customising values-led and participatory design methods to the needs of our sector, this toolkit aims to support the development of archaeological projects and heritage experiences that are ethically aware and accountable to the wider social, cultural, political and environmental impacts of their potential designs.

Francesca Dolcetti is a Digital Archaeologist with User Experience Design and Participatory Design experience and the current Research Fellow in Digital and Public Archaeology at the VeDPH. Her research interests focus on investigating the benefits and impact of Values-led Participatory Design approaches on archaeology and heritage sectors normative methodologies and everyday practice. Francesca has also worked on the design and development of interactive 3D models and museum experiences via the Erimi Archaeological Project and in collaboration with Musei Reali (Turin, Italy). In 2021, she completed her PhD in Archaeology at the University of York.

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