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Generosity in More-than-human Design
No full textGenerosity in more-than-human design suggests an openness to change in grappling with human exceptionalism and nonhuman entanglements. Yet the risks of generosity in design practice are largely unarticulated, and it is unclear how designers might practically encounter and navigate them. In response, I first position generosity within feminist theory as an open dispossession and material exchange that is pre-reflective and asymmetrical. This articulation accounts for nonhuman organisms, objects, and agencies as inseparable from what it means to be a person. I then present three design cases that situate generosity in design practice. This includes specifying the relations explored, presence of openness, risks encountered, and applied findings. From these, I discuss the deliberate centering of the human designer and how practically engaging with generosity problematizes some more-than-human relations as more more-than-human than others
Activating key principles of systemic design through exploratory prototyping
No full textWorking towards sustainable futures demands competencies and methodologies that support system thinking and action. While prototyping has been designated as a promising method to facilitate complex systemic design processes, studies proving this potential are scarce, and scholars call for a shift in the definition and use of traditional prototyping when applied in design processes targeting complex systems. This paper describes the observed contributions of exploratory prototyping in the emergence of systemic design principles. Results from three systemic design workshops illustrate the role that exploratory prototyping played in the understanding and framing stages of design processes targeting complex systems, particularly in the appreciation of the systems\u27 complexity, the recognition of interdependence relationships among its elements, and the framing of the system\u27s boundaries to set the systems\u27 new vision. Our findings contribute to envisioning new definitions and uses of prototyping to respond to the demands of the systemic design practice
Pluriversal Design as a Paradigm
No full textThe concept of the Pluriverse refers to a world where many worlds fit. But what is pluriversal design? While it has been used as a synonym for initiatives around diversity, equity, and inclusion, this track argues that pluriversal frameworks represent a distinct paradigm — in contrast with the universal design paradigm. These two paradigms, while important in their own right, deal with diversity and plurality in fundamentally different ways. The term ‘universal’ is grounded in the belief that we all live in one single world, with one right (or “developed”) way to live, with a dominant narrative in which the main characters have been affluent white men from the Global North. The universal paradigm is about convergence, normalization – and sometimes assimilation, othering, exotification, or tokenism. Within this paradigm, designers strive to cater to multiple cultures and diverse users, reduce deficits, increase access, and include marginalized perspectives – e.g., making people of color play significant roles in the dominant world narrative without transforming the underlying plot. The term ‘pluriversal’ recognizes there are many possible ways of being and world-making — multiple worlds and alternative narratives exist, and people from diverse cultures and geographies are struggling to enable alternative plots to flourish. Therefore, a pluriversal design paradigm is grounded in divergence. Pluriversal designers focus on, for instance, societal transformation, self-determination of local communities, alternative ways of world-building, and the interdependence of all beings. This track welcomes papers that explore this conversation/argument or how pluriversal frameworks can be manifested/nourished/encouraged in design practice
Systemic citizens: Equity, power, and relational autonomy
No full textCitizen-led design approaches enable spaces for communities to explore and negotiate their priorities into actionable strategies. Digital technologies have played a paramount role in encouraging them to have a stronger voice in public services, local democracy and their wellbeing. However, these approaches might exacerbate barriers to equity and just participation. Moreover, in some domains (e.g., education, healthcare or urban planning), those stakeholders that hold the power are reluctant to partake in genuine participatory approaches. Given this situation, systemic design can transform citizen engagement practices to strengthen the connectedness among citizens and create awareness of the relational attributes of societal issues. This systemic lens could then help in the transition towards responsible communities that recognise themselves as part of the wider (problematic) system, be able to identify leverage points to face existing societal complex crises. This track aims to explore and reflect on the following questions: How to enable citizens to recognise themselves as interrelated actors that have an impact on collective wellbeing and flourishing? How can collective agency and relational autonomy be creatively and fairly embedded in individual decisions? How could systemic design be used to empower vulnerable groups to map out their future wellbeing in their local community? How can systemic inequalities become design principles to break perpetuated harming structures? How to explore efficient systemic design strategies to understand the complexity of social systems in an interdisciplinary research environment? How do we nurture societies to learn and strengthen bonds after negative consequences of a ‘failure’ community initiative
Designing 3D Printed Ceramics from a Clay with Tunable Shrinkage
No full textClay 3D printing is a rapidly growing hybrid craft practice in which physical ceramic artifacts are designed and fabricated with digital technologies. In this work, we bring attention to the material element of this hybrid practice by presenting a collection of 3D printable clay materials with tunable shrinkage called clay-dough. Clay-dough materials are made up of varying ratios of stoneware clay to bio-based dough. As we fire these materials in a kiln, the dough burns away, resulting in the remaining clay shrinking dramatically as it chemically transitions into a ceramic. We leverage our ability to control the shrinkage properties of clay-dough materials to design a collection of 3D-printed ceramic artifacts in which the form and size are determined by shrinkage. Through this, we reflect on how human and machine work in correspondence with clay-dough to drive the creation of ceramics; ultimately, calling for material-oriented design approaches in hybrid craft practices
Rethinking \u27Terms of Service\u27 through programmatic time travel
No full textThe contexts of design are constantly changing, sometimes to the extent that once a ‘good’ designerly response to an issue, over time becomes increasingly problematic. Therefore, there is often a need to rethink design and its concepts. Programmatic design research may provide an exploratory space for inquiry through specific examples in relation to certain theoretical and conceptual framings. In this paper, we explore [dis/re]orientations towards design histories for creating alternative programmatic research spaces. We work through an everyday challenge, ‘Terms of Service’ (ToS), a regulatory mechanism amplifying power asymmetries in relating to data-intensive things. Disorienting design by making an odd association between today’s ToS and the ‘ornament’ in early industrial design, we explore resulting reorientations to rethink designing in this domain. Finally, we outline how [dis/re]orientations could be considered a speculative method for making a kind of ‘Programmatic Time Travel’, using reflections of pasts to reimagine designing for just futures
A tangible toolkit to uncover clinician\u27s ethical values about AI clinical decision support systems
No full textMachine Learning (ML) has the potential to revolutionize healthcare by enhancing risk prediction and reducing clinical workloads. However, as it impacts risk assessment, integration of ML into clinical practice presents several ethical challenges. This study focuses on enabling clinicians to express their ethical values about ML-powered clinical decision support systems, to facilitate their consideration during the design phase. Grounded in human-centered AI and value-sensitive design, we introduce a tangible toolkit that assists clinicians in visualizing interaction stages with an AI decision support system in their daily practice, and in articulating ethical values and concerns emerging in each step. Preliminary tests with four clinicians for a cardiac risk prediction ML model case-study showcase the toolkit\u27s potential to foster discussion on situated ethical considerations. This research provides a practical tool for designers and clinicians to influence ethical development of AI-driven healthcare solutions and demonstrates its potential for meaningful contributions to such processes
Towards active aging: Investigating innovations within intelligent communities
No full textIntelligent communities can nurture environments conducive to fostering positive and meaningful relationships among the elderly. This systematic literature review examines the role of these communities in the aging population’s social relations. Through the review of studies and interventions via the Scopus database, we investigate how some innovative approaches are positively impacting the quality of life for the elderly. We identified examples of initiatives, technological solutions, and a social project successfully implemented in communities to strengthen older adult support networks. The contributions of this article lie in providing a comprehensive view of how smart technologies are shaping support for the senior population with a potential to enhance their emotional health. Additionally, it reflects on potential approaches to promote the well-being of the elderly through design. This article offers insights for professionals and researchers interested in innovating to promote active aging
Unlocking innovation through enhanced collaboration between universities and industry
No full textSmall and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) play a crucial role in local economic growth, representing 99.5% of all businesses in Australia. However, product development poses a challenge for SMEs due to their limited resources and barriers to readily invest in Research and Development (R&D). To overcome these constraints SMEs often outsource R&D activities to higher education institutions, emerging as vital partners. While university-industry collaboration offers mutual benefits to industry and academia, Australia is underperforming compared to other OECD countries. This research delves into the dynamics of Australian SMEs\u27 micro-level interactions with universities, uncovering the barriers and enablers in their collaborative New Product Development (NPD) efforts. The findings offer valuable insights for universities seeking to enhance their partnerships with local SMEs, ultimately contributing to innovation-driven growth for the Australian economy
Embodied prototyping in VR: Ideation and bodystorming within a custom VR sandbox
No full textSocial virtual reality platforms present new opportunities for embodied design processes. This paper illustrates a range of embodied design techniques made possible through social engagement with VR/XR technology. Drawing from a case study involving the prototyping of a conversation visualization system for VR meetings, we present several novel embodied design methods in VR (also applicable to XR). These include: new techniques for supporting embodied ideation; new ways of acting out and improvising scenarios together; and new opportunities for preparing and manipulating assets, environments, and lo fi interactions for embodied design processes. These novel techniques and approaches point to exciting new opportunities for expanding the repertoire of embodied design practice more broadly