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Materializing More-than-Human Data through Mapping Wools
No full textThis paper explores how data, through design, can take the form of new materialities, by mapping wool and revealing its close relationship with humans, sheep, and the more-than-human world. Globalization is putting local wool realities, along with their broader ecological systems, increasingly at risk. Focusing on local wool, which is connected to the animals and their ecosystem, we explore how invisible data can be uncovered and reinterpreted to foster a deeper understanding of the entanglements of highly vital material and highlight opportunities for alternative narratives. Using participatory methods and design probes as primary methodologies, the research examines how these approaches can reveal insights into the relationships between human and non-human actors. Through this lens, the paper aims to contribute to the discourse on material-driven design practices and the potential for data to serve as a medium for engaging with complex interspecies networks. It addresses the exploration, Mapping Wools of South Tyrol and Beyond, as part of the design-led research project Feral Wool to answer how data can be gathered and materialized with a more-than-human perspective. The wool mapping invites the public to look at and sense the relational data that comes from wool, the perspective of the sheep, and their relationship with their human caretakers. Drawing on the outcome of the mapping intervention, we reflect on the role of design in finding new ways of generating and representing data that transcends anthropocentrism. Moreover, we explore how materiality can help missing and neglected datasets to be generated and shared collectively
Designing More-than-Data Walks: A Situated Approach to Understanding Place in a Data-Driven Society
No full textIn our increasingly data-driven world, reliance on quantitative data to understand place risks overlooking the unique, nuanced dynamics that contribute to a holistic understanding. This research introduces More-than-Data (MtD), a concept that emphasizes the integration of data, information, knowledge, wisdom and lived experience to cultivate situated, engaging and balanced understandings of place. This research explores walking as a research method to embed MtD into practice. Walking, as a situated and deliberate practice, facilitates contemplation, observation, and direct interaction with the environment. Drawing on five MtD walks conducted in various locations, this research demonstrates the potential of walking as a practice for gathering and re-using MtD. The walks revealed the values of engaging with local communities and lived experience; identifying areas that may be data abundant or ‘data deserts’; using digital and analogue tools to capture MtD and the importance of experiencing place through the senses. The research addresses the limitations of data-driven understandings of place through integrating diverse knowledge forms and engaging with place in a more inclusive manner. Furthermore, the research challenges claims that the objectivity and neutrality often ascribed to data are illusory. Relying solely on data-driven approaches can perpetuate existing biases and inequalities by failing to capture the diverse perspectives and experiences that shape understandings of place. The insights gathered from the MtD walks inform the development of design principles for MtD walks. These principles, categorised into situating, engaging, and balancing aspects, serves as heuristics to support the design and implementation of MtD walks and similar practices. The research contributes to the growing field of Critical Data Studies, offering a practical approach to understanding place in a data-driven society. By integrating More-than-Data into the practice of walking, the research offers a tangible method for cultivating richer, more balanced and embodied understandings of the places we inhabit
Body Maps as A Source of Women’s Embodied Experiences: A Diary Study into Visualising Personal Health Data
No full textThis paper explores the use of body maps as a visual methodology for capturing and representing women\u27s embodied health experiences. Through a diary study involving 25 participants and 325 drawings, we identified two key themes: working with the body map template and telling stories by adding elements to the body map. Our findings highlight the potential of body maps to provide rich, nuanced representations of women\u27s health data that transcend traditional numerical and text-based methods. A better understanding of experiences of health data can ultimately contribute to the development of more inclusive and empathetic health technologies. This research points out the importance of accurate data visualisations in (women\u27s) health. It also demonstrates the need for exploration of alternative forms of visualisation, to improve the design and effectiveness of health technologies to better connect with women\u27s lived experiences
Richness and Ambiguity: Mapping Artificial Intelligence Labels in Human-AI Collaboration Research
No full textArtificial intelligence has rapidly gained prominence across industries and academia. However, its swift diffusion, coupled with the interdisciplinary nature of related studies, has resulted in fragmented literature, making it challenging to align diverse perspectives under shared and identifiable research trajectories. This challenge became evident while working with data from a systematic literature review we previously conducted on artificial intelligence in human-AI collaboration studies within design-related fields. Building upon this dataset, we examined how researchers label artificial intelligence in their work, recognising terminology as a central factor contributing to this fragmentation. Through an exploratory study, we identified 79 unique labels, categorising them into primary and secondary keywords. Using this data, we developed a tripartite network visualisation to map the relationships between these labels, offering insights into their specificity and the perspectives they represent. To examine the network’s interpretive potential, we engaged three design researchers in a hands-on activity, analysing how they navigated the network in relation to their research work. The findings of this study highlight the value of labels as a positional tool capable of reflecting both the richness and ambiguity of the discourse. Our analysis suggests that the network can aid practical applications, such as clarifying terminology, situating research within the broader field, stimulating critical reflection, and fostering collective discussions. Our main contribution to knowledge lies in presenting a novel framework for addressing the fragmentation of artificial intelligence literature. By reflecting on how labels and their interconnections can uncover underlying research trajectories, this framework fosters alignment while valuing and clarifying the multiplicity of perspectives, moving away from pursuing a singular, unified view
Tangible Patterns in Material-based Data Visualizations for the Quantified-Self
No full textThis paper explores the intersection of materiality and data visualization, focusing on how tangible representations balance data precision with emotional engagement. Using a Research through Design (RtD) methodology, the study examines self-tracked data through the Delicious Data experiment, where unconventional materials were used to create tactile, multisensory visualizations. By analyzing iterative experimentation, reflective journaling, and participatory gallery interactions, five critical attributes of material-driven data patterns emerge: multisensory engagement, spatial and temporal dimensions, symbolic and metaphorical qualities, constructive interactivity, and interpretative flexibility. These findings highlight how material properties influence data interpretation, evoke emotional connections, and foster personal reflection. Reframing patterns as embodied constructs, this research demonstrates how material-based visualizations can deepen cognitive and emotional connections with data. The study bridges abstract metrics with lived experiences, offering new design directions for Quantified-Self tools and personal data narratives. By integrating materiality and sensory interaction, this work advances the discourse on data physicalization as an experiential process, crafting human-centered, multisensory narratives that transform data into meaningful, lived experiences
Memories as Materialized Data for Designing Emotionally Durable Handbags
No full textWe live in a world where consumption often exceeds actual human needs, with consequences reflected in both negative environmental impacts and shifts in cultural values. This article examines how the use of memory-based datasets in the design process can help create meaningful and emotionally durable objects that encourage the development of speculative future visions. Drawing on the theories of emotional and sustainable design, the study focuses on how data that reflects personal narratives and cultural identities can shape new design principles and expand creative methods. The article introduces a project held in the Estonian Academy of Arts by Jaana Päeva, Kadri Kruus and Merle Visak and funded by the Estonian Ministry of Culture Artistic Research Support Program. In the project a handbag collection was created to analyse the influence of memories and associated emotions on the creation of product meaning. It describes a process in which three handbag designers collected and then explored memories by describing bags that played significant roles in respondents’ lives. Working within the frameworks of emotional design (Norman, 2004) and product semiotics (Vihma, 1995), they identified contemporary equivalents to the described features and collaboratively designed a collection of nine handbags. User feedback on the prototypes was collected to understand how memories, associations and personal emotions shape the cultural and emotional meaning of products. The article demonstrates how integrating memories and emotions into the design process can foster product attachment and support the creation of sustainable, long-lasting products. It highlights how memories can serve as data that connects past experiences and emotions with potential future scenarios. In doing so, memories act as not only a source of inspiration but also a tool for speculative narratives, thus helping to shape a product’s role in future cultures and social relationships
Exploring the entanglement of relational design, spatiality and places
No full textOver the last two decades, we have witnessed a relational turn in design research, embracing the entanglements of human and non-human elements in socio-material arrangements. Despite the foregrounding of relations in these entanglements, little attention has been given to what role spatiality and places may have in relational design. This workshop explores the entanglement of relational design, spatiality and places based on design case studies from participants. Using a design charette methodology, participants will collaboratively (1) map how relational entanglements shape and are shaped by design research and practice; (2) identify and unpack cross-disciplinary tensions and opportunities; and (3) co-create a vision and action plan for bridging silos and fostering collaboration across disciplines. The aim is to build an interdisciplinary understanding of the intimate entanglement of human and non-human elements, spatiality and places in the complex social-material arrangements we engage with in relational design
Designing Relational Space: Towards Adaptive and Interactive Learning Environments
No full textThis paper investigates relational and interactive principles in spatial design. Drawing from Relational Theory of Space, Actor-Network Theory, and embodied interactivity, it examines space as a dynamic and interactive system rather than a static framework. Using the New Practice Co-Lab as a case study, the paper examines modular architectural frameworks, technological integrations, and participatory design processes that create flexible, multifunctional environments for learning and collaboration. It further explores the ambiguities of relational spatial design, highlighting its challenges and opportunities. Rather than proposing a universal blueprint, this research presents scalable principles for designing situated spaces as emergent, user-driven systems
Unveiling Ecosystems of Sustainable Fashion Initiatives: A Visual Network Analysis Approach
No full textThis work employs data from previous research to inquire into sustainable initiatives of fashion retail and their providers using Visual Network Analysis. The technique is employed to highlight relationships and similarities among the offerings of these initiatives and to propose 12 clusters of interconnected services that address different aspects of clothes distribution, from pragmatic aspects of circular economy (e.g., repair, resell), to technological innovations (e.g., Digital Product Passports) and cultural and educational contributions (e.g., workshops and events). Additionally, it reflects on providers, discovering a number of stakeholders that do not correspond to fashion brands or fashion retailers but that play important roles in the innovation of garments distribution in a sustainable key. In conclusion it reflects on possible future scenarios in which retailers collaborate with other actors to implement sustainability practices at urban and systemic levels
Designing Retail Development Spaces – The Case of the Future Retail Store
No full textThis paper addresses innovation challenges faced by small and medium-sized retailers by introducing the concept of a Retail Development Space (RDS) to drive business model innovation. Using a narrative case study approach, we examine the Future Retail Store (FRS) initiative, tracing its evolution and impact on participating retailers. As active participants in the project, we draw on our firsthand experiences to provide a detailed account of the RDS\u27s development and its implications for retail innovation. Through critical reflection, nine foundational design principles for future RDS projects are derived. These principles underscore the importance of dedicated spaces to handle complex retail innovation, tailored methodologies, careful integration of user participation, external incentives for SME retailers, and the use of retail-specific metrics for evaluation. The study contributes to both practice and research by providing practice-infused implications for designing and implementing RDS