Further connecting sustainable interaction design with sustainable infrastructure
Co-authored with Dr. Eli Blevis (Indiana University), Chris Priest and Daniel Schien (University of Bristol)
In applying transdisciplinary design theory to sustainable design we are led from the present to the future by asking how we can reduce environmental harm now, alter practices to reduce environmental harm in the future, alter practices to promote a healthier society, and create new technology and practices to face future challenges. This is a completed interaction design project inspired by notions of work and life balance.
The project is inspired by various design research concepts, including disconnecting, flow (after Mihály Csíkszentmihályi [12]), and FOMO—fear of missing out, a phenomenon related to constant connectivity to social media and digital devices. The project is a digitally connected tea service, named “Steeped in Flow.” The designer, Priscilla Ho, states that the project is connected as a genre to disconnecting, maker culture, well-being, and performative objects. Ho [22] provides the following description: “Apropos of the concept of flow, we may be happier if we spend less time online and more time face-to-face with the people who matter most to us. This interactive tea set allows people to set limits on their online activities. The embedded lights are triggered when these limits are exceeded. The Chinese kowtow gesture is required to reset the tea set lights, a nod to how drinking tea is generally a social activity.”