Author(s)

Anton Poikolainen Rosén: Ph.D. student in Sustainable Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Informatics.

Maria Normark: Associate professor in Media Technology with a Ph.D. in HCI; research focuses on critical design and Design for Sustainability.

Mikael Wiberg: Full professor in Informatics with a Ph.D. in Informatics; research focuses on interactivity, materiality, and architecture.

Research Location/Institution

Södertörn University, Umeå University and Chalmers University of Technology.

Country

Based in Sweden. The study included visits to regenerative farms in Germany, Austria, France, Poland and the USA

Date

December 31, 2022

Writing Style

Academic and ethnographic style

Publication

International Journal of Design, Volume 16, Number 3

Context

• User centred design (UCD) often neglects non human actors, which has contributed to environmental destruction
• They propose more-than-human-centred design, a field that views design spaces as systems of mutual interdependence between humans and other organisms, such as plants, animals, and microbes – Interdependencies that allow all organisms to thrive
• Based on a 4 year ethnographic study of urban farming communities that practice permaculture
• They used participant observation and interviews urban farmers
• The concept of noticing. To notice is to give something worth, recognition and attention; Preconceptions: What we notice is shaped by our values, knowledge and culture. Situated Experience: Noticing is an embodied act involving all senses, smelling soil, looking at leaf colors or feeling the heat of a compost pile. Interpretation & Understanding: This involves moving from a single observation to understanding systemic patterns, such as how compact soil (indicated by the smell of certain bacteria) affects plant health.

Possible Biases

The research primarily focuses on urban farming communities in Europe and the USA

Terminology

More-Than-Human: to include non-human actors

Posthumanism: a philosophical field that critiques the "enlightenment ideal" of human dominance and seeks to understand humans as part of a non-anthropocentric web of life.

Anthropocentric: A human-centered perspective that views the world and its resources primarily in terms of human value.

Emerging Questions

If design agency is shared with non-humans, how do designers balance conflicting needs between species?

If a plant or microbe is affected by technology but cannot use it, what does a user experience look like for a non-human actor?