Socio-Technical Trustworthiness (SoTechTrust): A Framework to Ensure the Trustworthiness of Socio-Technical Systems

The swift advancement of technology intensifies the complexity and opacity of socio-technical systems (STS). This tendency complicates STS risk evaluation, leading to possible trust issues. Current approaches to designing for trustworthiness often neglect the socio-technical perspective, ignoring user perceptions and the multifaceted nature of trust. The study aims to identify and conceptualise factors that influence perceptions of the trustworthiness of STS and contribute to designing trustworthy technologies. We implemented a mixed-method study with a qualitative emphasis. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 31 participants over two iterations, supplemented by observation and a survey featuring psychometric scales and open questions. Employing grounded theory techniques, including iterative coding, writing memos, and a research journal, we propose the ‘Socio-Technical Trustworthiness’ (SoTechTrust) framework, which includes requirements to understand trust issues and a list of factors perceived as trustworthy by individuals, which we conceptualised in design recommendations to be used in socio-technical context to ensure trustworthiness.