معرفی
Heather Wiltse is an Associate Professor in Design for the Data-Intensive Society at the Umeå Institute of Design (UID), part of Umeå universitet. Her research focuses on design philosophy at the intersection of critical design studies and technology ethics, addressing the evolving role of data-driven systems in society. She leads the project 'Design Philosophy for Things That Change,' exploring responsive technologies' societal implications. Wiltse holds a PhD in Informatics from Indiana University (2013), advised by Erik Stolterman. She has led major grants including the Marianne and Marcus Wallenberg Foundation project (2018–2021) and contributed to the Horizon 2020-funded DCODE network. She serves on executive boards of the Design Research Society and Society for Philosophy and Technology, and is an associate editor for the Journal of Human-Technology Relations.
Her research integrates interdisciplinary perspectives from science and technology studies (STS), human-computer interaction (HCI), and communication studies. Key themes include ethical design practices, digital mediation, and contestable systems in socioeconomic contexts. Recent books include Changing Things: The Future of Objects in a Digital World (2019) and Relating to Things: Design, Technology and the Artificial (2020). She actively engages with design museums as sites for rethinking design education and ethics.
Wiltse’s work critiques current design paradigms, advocating for frameworks that address socio-technical complexity. Her articles span topics such as posthumanist analysis of digital contracts, privacy in IoT, and reimagining design pedagogy through feminist methodologies. She collaborates internationally, contributing to conferences like Nordes and EASST4S.
