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Designing future workspaces for cognitive aging
No full textThis paper reports on a speculative design project addressing the future workspace. Based on data extrapolation, we assume that by 2048 more people of advanced age will be working in office environments. Consequently, the share of employees suffering from cognitive deficits will significantly increase. Based on this future scenario, a speculative design object has been developed: A cognitive-stimulating desk lamp that could prevent further deterioration of office workers\u27 cognitive abilities through acoustic stimulation. We explore potential technical features of the lamp and address the avoidance of stigmatization and ageism at the workplace. The contribution of the study is twofold: First, the resulting ”behaves-like” prototype represents a possible solution of the problem of cognitive aging at the future workplace. Secondly, the developed artifact “from the future” allows an in-depth discussion of the possible future context and potentially arising problems. In addition, we critically discuss lessons-learned from the applied speculative design method
How to respond to change? Evidence of cultural organizations in times of COVID-19
No full textThe extensive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the cultural sector necessitated a paradigm shift, demanding organizational resilience and adaptability from organizations within this domain. In response, this study employs a mixed-methods approach to elucidate the innovative strategies implemented by Dutch cultural organizations amidst the constraints imposed by the pandemic. The study discerns three pivotal strategies: repurposing, the accelerated digitalization of cultural experiences, and the cultivation of a collaborative and experimental mindset. This research highlights the enduring implications of COVID-19-induced changes, illuminating the design strategies for sustaining organizational stability amid uncertain events posed by unprecedented external challenges
Research on the relationship between urban green spaces, perceptual dimensions, and psychological restoration among students: A case study of different landscape types
No full textWith the rapid development of society and the increasing pressure on education, campus psychological issues have become more prominent. Previous studies have demonstrated the positive effects of natural environments on mental health. However, research on campus landscape environments has primarily focused on the impact of campus facilities on student health, neglecting the degree of openness of natural land-scape spaces. This study utilized virtual reality technology to simulate campus green landscape spaces with different degrees of openness and explored the influence of these different spaces on individual psychological recovery. The results indicate that the degree of openness of campus green spaces significantly affects people\u27s prefer-ences and perceptions of psychological recovery. Additionally, people\u27s preferences are influenced by serene, species, and natural elements. Therefore, promoting psycho-logical recovery among students can be facilitated by creating scenic viewing and rest areas in campus environments, introducing beloved natural elements, and creating semi-open landscape spaces
Shanzhai as a Pluriversal Praxis: Challenging Western Design and Innovation Paradigm
No full textThis paper explores the concept of Shanzhai (\u27fake\u27 in Chinese), a Chinese practice often associated with imitation and design plagiarism, this study uses Shan-zhai to critique dominant forms of innovation, framed by a discussion of pluriversal design. Through a comprehensive literature review and empirical research, this study explores Shanzhai\u27s evolution from a response to globalisation and de-sign colonisation to a reflection of identity. Shanzhai\u27s unique approach challenges dominant design narratives, but in its own way emphasises inclusiveness and innovation. The study concludes that Shanzhai transcends its initial role as a design and manufacturing practice, evolving into a cultural phenomenon symbolising Chinese identity and resistance to Western dominance in design and innovation. Through its journey, Shanzhai raises essential questions about ethics, identity, and the dynamics of design paradigms. This research contributes to the discourse on pluriversal design by showcasing Shanzhai\u27s capacity to challenge pre-conceived notions and foster inclusivity
Queer Futures: Correlations between queer identity and imagination literacy
No full textFutures thinking, and doing, has been the domain of the privileged majority for centuries. The very idea of ‘the future’ (singular) was fundamental to the crea-tion and maintenance of imperial domination and technological modernity. To this day, mainstream media readily emits the narrow and repetitive science fic-tion tropes void of (realistic, fair) representation of a wider inclusive society, specifically absent of queerness. This paper builds on the work of Alexis Lothian’s ‘Old Futures: speculative fiction and queer possibility’ in which she explores the forces queer people (and other marginalised communities) invoke when they dream up alternative futures as a way of transforming the present. To do so, the author presents findings from an anonymized global study of the correlations be-tween queer identity and imagination literacy. Addressing the questions - how does identity inform our ability to imagine the future and the content of those imagined futures
Unleashing creative ideation through stakeholder-related learning: The ripple effect with stakeholder-nexus tool
No full textExtensive learning and comprehensive consideration of the dynamic connections between stakeholders are the keys to tapping into novel insights, especially in service design. However, due to their lack of professional experience, novice designers usually struggle with the complicated network of stakeholders which results in incomplete design solutions. We created the Stakeholder-Nexus, a knowledge graph-based heuristic teaching tool based on reliable service design examples, to address this problem. By conducting pre-post comparison experiments, we revealed that using the tool significantly increased the effectiveness of stakeholder learning and ideation of design solutions yielded heightened creativity with increased appeal and improved feasibility. Furthermore, we discuss the impact of stimulus distance on the tool\u27s effectiveness and the range of reflecting effects for future stakeholder-related service design education
More-Than-Human Design in Practice
No full textThe field of design is currently undergoing a more-than-human turn. This shift is driven by pressing global challenges such as the climate crisis, alongside the increased agency of technologies in everyday life and a growing interest in advancing inclusive and sustainable agendas. This track invited submissions reporting on practical experiments within this emerging space. The contributions highlight diverse ways in which more-than-human thinking can be enacted across various contexts and emphasize the importance of forging new alliances –between humans and nonhumans, theory and practice, and research and industry. This editorial unpacks the track’s motivation and summarizes the contributions received, examining them through the concept of designing-with. Our discussion expands this concept to include a wide array of more-than-human engagements across three themes: making-with care, thinking-with technologies, and becoming-with multispecies. These themes move the field beyond mere participation of nonhumans in design processes, and towards novel practices of making, thinking, and becoming within human-nonhuman relations
Designing resilient food futures: Food commons, transitions, and sovereignty
No full textDesign researchers and practitioners, please join us to explore the transformative potential of design in shaping sustainable and equitable food futures! In the face of pressing challenges within our current food systems, including waste, resource depletion, inequitable access, and cultural erosion, conventional and commodified food models have demonstrated their inadequacy. However, the rise of food-based movements like food commons, food transitions, and food sovereignty has sparked a renaissance in the design community, inspiring a collective commitment to co-creating resilient and regenerative global food landscapes. Food commons, transitions, and sovereignty encompass community and cultural-based knowledge of food resources, production, management, systematic design, distribution, and consumption. Concepts behind these food movements have permeated various areas of design research and practices, ranging from the design of gardens and farms involving the spatial layout of plants and crops; to co-design workshops that employ meals as ways to gather the users and generate social innovation; and to the latest stages of product design seen in the development of recyclable food packaging. Amidst this burgeoning interest, gaps remain in the integration of food systems and design practices. This theme track aims to bridge these gaps by exploring innovative approaches that leverage design to foster resilient, inclusive, and culturally enriched food systems. We invite you to contribute with your work that embraces the potential of circular food systems, community-driven food commons, strategies for systemic food transitions, empowerment through food sovereignty, and the importance of resilient policy and governance
Questioning empathy as care in human-computer interaction design
No full textThis paper considers the semantic function and rhetorical roles the terms “empathy” and “care” carry through the context of user experience design. By considering feminist formulations of the ethics of care, we situate a compassionate moral orientation of “care” to better interrogate implementations of the concept of “empathy” in the design of information systems. We suggest the latter term borrows on the emotive connotations of the former, while not elucidating the same moral commitment to individual contexts, relationality, and personal well-being. Empathy thus is granted a more quantifiable legitimacy than care in professional design contexts, while simultaneously reducing agency of and potential benefits to product end-users. This ideological distinction highlights the ardent need for purposeful value sensitive design processes, and focuses on the seductive illusion that simple evocation of empathy means information systems can align with the interests of human beings
Metaphor Gardening: Experiential engagements for designing AI interactions
No full textDesigners deploy metaphors in various constructive ways but there is a challenge in noticing and selecting helpful metaphors to describe AI systems. Metaphors serve to highlight certain aspects of AI but their influence can be so potent that envisioning or discussing AI in alternative ways becomes challenging, with unwanted expectations, lazy tropes and hidden biases. Alternative metaphors help designers grasp distinctive qualities of AI and move past hidden assumptions. Hence, it is key to support designers in precise, plural and intentional metaphor use to grasp unique qualities of AI and explore its relationalities. We illustrate this through a selection of prototyping journeys in which metaphors directly shaped students’ design trajectories and allowed them to explore the relational, entangled complexities of AI systems. Finally, ‘metaphor gardening,\u27 provides a series of recommendations for designers when designing AI with metaphors, which we hope can ultimately support a generative and responsible approach to AI technologies