Characterizing the Technology Needs of Vulnerable Populations for Participation in Research and Design by Adopting Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

While various frameworks and heuristics exist within the HCI community to guide research and design for vulnerable populations, most are centered on the researcher’s involvement. In this work, we developed a conceptual framework for supporting the participation of vulnerable populations in the research and design of technologies. Building upon Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, we synthesized 84 research articles that focus on vulnerable populations and technology to develop our framework. This framework conceptualizes both the barriers, such as lack of technology access and digital literacy, and assets, like social relationships, that impact effective participation in research and design. Using our framework can guide researchers in identifying and fulfilling the technology-related needs of vulnerable populations, leading to more empowering research participation for these groups. The framework’s guiding questions offer researchers the opportunity to reflect on their approach prior to and during their collaboration with vulnerable populations in technology research and design.