Trust is a major issue in the digital media. It has led to ambitious research programs to detect fake news. But how do we convert the improvement of reliability into a gain of trust by the readers ? Digitization of heritage has made content more accessible and allowed new interactions. But can these heritages engage with a larger audience? Innovation is now mostly tech driven. We think disruption and performance. But what about the user experience ? What do we understand about the factors of acceptance ? The EPFL+ECAL Lab, the design research center of the EPFL established in partnership with the ECAL (Ecole d’art et de design de Lausanne), investigates these questions. Its approach combines three dimensions : the creation of experimental solutions through design and art practices, the integration of emerging technologies, and the observation of user perception. This perception is highly related to the users and the context. It requires to leave the lab and experiment in real life condition. With some surprising results : the Resoli project, for instance, shows that digital innovation should be developed with elderly people rather than millennials to be more successful ! Design research is a natural partner of digital humanities to transform data in impactful propositions for citizens.

 Digital Humanities Institute (private)

12 April 2021, Kathleen Sarah Collins