Humility in Design May Be Hubris in Science: Reflections on the Problem of Slodderwetenschap (Sloppy Science)

Abstract

Purpose, essence, and simplicity can provide a foundation for humility in the practice of human-centered design. While those qualities may assist in preparing narratives about the findings and applications of science, they also can be used to justify sloppy practices in the conduct of science itself. Slodderwetenschap (Dutch for “sloppy science”) is a form of carelessness characterized by the willingness to tolerate scientific shortcuts and the failure to question the assumptions that tolerance enables. Good science seldom comes from taking shortcuts or relying on “truthies”—assertions that feel true, regardless of their validity. Instead, good science demands that we continually ask what affords meaning to a given factoid, label, category, or narrative. Then, it requires that we base further inquiry on the assumptions, contexts, and constraints this inquiry reveals. This article opens a discussion into the dangers and practices of sloppy science.