Research as Care: A reflection on incorporating the ethics of care in design research with people living with dementia

When computing researchers design technologies for vulnerable populations and engage with them over extended periods, researchers may incorporate "care"—deliberate actions to build and maintain relationships with participants—to improve engagement and deepen their understanding of situated perspectives. However, when researchers choose to take actions involving care, these efforts are rarely made explicit. Reflecting on our three-year project of designing and testing a social robot with 31 participants living with dementia, we realized the benefit of intentional reflection on the ethics and practice of care during the research process. We offer "research as care" guidelines into computing design research: 1) viewing participants as individuals, 2) being intentional in the ongoing and dynamic engagement, 3) acknowledging the reciprocity inherent in care, 4) reporting care practices transparently, 5) tailoring care to the specific context, and 6) making an informed choice to incorporate care. By incorporating research as care, computing design researchers can provide a more productive experience for participants and enhance their designs' overall quality and validity.