Abstract
The sustainability challenges facing society today require approaches that look beyond single product-user interactions. Focusing on socially shared practices—e.g. cooking, laundering—has been identified as a promising direction. Building on a growing body of research in sustainable HCI that takes practices as unit of analysis, this article explores what it means to take practices as a unit of design. Drawing on theories of practice, it proposes that practice-oriented design approaches should: involve bodily performance, create crises of routine and generate a variety of performances. These guidelines were integrated into a Generative Improv Performances (GIP) approach, entailing a series of performances by improvisation actors with low-fidelity prototypes in a lab environment. The approach was implemented in an empirical study on bathing. Although the empirical example does not deal with common types of interactive technologies, the guidelines and GIP approach offer sustainable HCI a way to think beyond immediate interactions and to conceptualize change on a practice level.
- Bakker, C., Eijk, D. V., Silvester, S., Reitenbach, M., Jong, A. D., and Keyson, D. 2010. Understanding and modelling user behaviour in relation to sustainable innovations: the LIVING LAB method. In Proceedings of the International Symposium on Tools and Methods of Competitive Engineering. I. Horvath, F. Mardorli, and Z. Rusak, Eds., Delft University of Technology, Delft.Google Scholar
- Boucher, A., Cameron, D., and Jarvis, N. 2012. Power to the people: Dynamic energy management through communal cooperation. In Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Designing Interactive Systems. ACM, 612--620. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Bourdieu, P. 1977. Outline of a Theory of Practice. Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
- Brynjarsdottir, H., Hakansson, M., Pierce, J., Baumer, E., Disalvo, C., and Sengers, P. 2012. Sustainably unpersuaded: How persuasion narrows our vision of sustainability. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. ACM, 947--956. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Bushman, R. and Bushman, C. 1988. The early history of cleanliness in America. J. Amer. History 74, 1213--1238.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Dam Van, S. S., Bakker, C. A., and Van Hal, J. D. M. 2010. Home energy monitors: impact over the medium-term. Build. Res. Inf. 38, 458--469.Google ScholarCross Ref
- De Borja, J., Kuijer, L., and Aprile, W. 2010. Sustainable systems innovations in households' food acquisition activities: a practice oriented approach. In Proceedings of the ERSCP-EMSU. J. Q. R. Wever, A. Tukker, J. Woudstra, F. Boons, and N. Beute, Eds., Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering.Google Scholar
- Disalvo, C., Sengers, P., and Brynjarsdottir, H. 2010. Mapping the landscape of sustainable HCI. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. ACM. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Dourish, P. 2010. HCI and environmental sustainability: The politics of design and the design of politics. In Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Designing Interactive Systems. ACM, 1--10. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Dutch Open Air Museum. Collection, Personal Care, Zo Fris Als Een Hoentje, http://www.openluchtmuseum.nl/index.php?pid=372&sub=29.Google Scholar
- Featherstone, M. 1991. The Body: Social Process and Cultural Theory. Sage, London.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Foekema, H. and Thiel, L. V. 2011. Watergebruik thuis 2010 TNS NIPO, in opdracht van VEWIN, Amsterdam.Google Scholar
- Foverskov, M. and Binder, T. 2010. Design as everyday theatre. In Rehearsing the Future, J. Halse, E. Brandt, B. Clark, and T. Binder, Eds., Danish Design School Press, Copenhagen, 204--210.Google Scholar
- Foverskov, M. and Binder, T. 2009. Rehearsing the Future: in and out of Scenarios in a Reflective Practicum. In Proceedings of the Nordic Design Research Conference. Oslo School of Architecture and Design.Google Scholar
- Froehlich, J., Findlater, L., and Landay, J. 2010. The design of eco-feedback technology. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. 1999--2008. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Gaver, W. W., Dunne, T., and Pacenti, E. 1999. Design: Cultural Probes. ACM interactions 6, 21--29. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Giddens, A. 1984. The Constitution of Society: Outline of the Theory of Structuration. Polity Press, Cambridge.Google Scholar
- Gram-Hanssen, K. 2008. Consuming technologies - developing routines. J. Cleaner Prod. 16, 1181--1189.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Gram-Hanssen, K. 2009. Standby consumption in households analyzed with a practice theory approach. J. Ind. Ecol. 14, 150--165.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Gram-Hanssen, K. 2011. Understanding change and continuity in residential energy consumption. J. Consumer Culture 11, 61--78.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Hand, M., Shove, E., and Southerton, D. 2005. Explaining showering: A discussion of the material, conventional, and temporal dimensions of practice. Sociol. Res. Online 10.Google Scholar
- Hielscher, S., Fischer, T., and Cooper, T. 2008. The return of the beehives, Brylcreem and botanical&excle; An historical review of hair care practices with a view to opportunities for sustainable design. In Proceedings of the Undisciplined! Design Research Society Conference. Design Research Society.Google Scholar
- Hutchinson, H., Wend, M., et al. 2003. Technology probes: inspiring design for and with families. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. ACM, 17--24. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Iacucci, G. and Kuutti, K. 2002. Everyday life as a stage in creating and performing scenarios for wireless devices. Personal Ubiq. Comput. 6, 299--306. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Ingram, J., Shove, E., and Watson, M. 2007. Products and practices: Selected concepts from science and technology studies and from social theories of consumption and practice. Design Issues 23, 3--16.Google ScholarCross Ref
- ISH. 2009, 2011. The world's leading trade fair. The Bathroom Experience, Building, Energy, Air-conditioning Technology, Renewable Energies, Frankfurt, Germany.Google Scholar
- Julier, G. 2007. Design practice within a theory of practice. Design Principles Pract: Int. J. 1.Google Scholar
- Kappel, K. and Grechenig, T. 2009. “Show-me”: WATER consumption at a glance to promote water conservation in the shower. In Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Persuasive Technology. ACM, 1--6. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Karakat, H. 2009. Designing for alternative (sustainable) bathing practices. In Industrial Design Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft.Google Scholar
- Knupfer, L. 2011. An alternative bathing practice for sustainable renovation. In Industrial Design Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft.Google Scholar
- Korkman, O. 2006. Customer Value Formation In Practice: A Practice-Theoretical Approach. Department of Marketing and Corporate Geography, Swedish School of Economics and Business Administration, Helsinki, 196.Google Scholar
- Kuijer, L. and De Jong, A. M. 2011. Practice theory and human-centered design: A sustainable bathing example. In Proceedings of the Nordic Design Research Conference. T. H. Ilpo Koskinen, R. Mazé, B. Matthews, and J.-J. Lee, Eds., School of Art and Design, Aalto University, Helsinki, Finland, 221--227.Google Scholar
- Kuijer, L. and De Jong, A. 2012. Identifying design opportunities for reduced household resource consumption: Exploring practices of thermal comfort. J. Design Res. 10, 67--85.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Laschke, M., Hassenzahl, M., Diefenbach, S., and Tippkamper, M. 2011. With a little help from a friend: A shower calendar to save water. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. ACM, 633--646. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Latour, B. 1992. Where are the missing masses? The sociology of a few mundane artifacts. In Shaping Technology/Building Society: Studies in Sociotechnical Change. W. E. Bijker and J. Law, Eds., MIT Press, Cambridge, 225--258.Google Scholar
- Latour, B. 1993. We Have Never Been Modern. Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
- Manzini, E. 2009. Viewpoint: new design knowledge. Design Studies 30, 4--12.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Matsuhashi, N., Kuijer, L., and Jong, A. D. 2009. A Culture-Inspired Approach to Gaining Insights for Designing Sustainable Practices. In Proceedings of the 6th International Symposium on Environmentally Conscious Design and Inverse Manufacturing. Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers, 547--552.Google Scholar
- Medler, B. and Magerko, B. 2010. The implications of improvisational acting and role-playing on design methodologies. In Proceedings of the 28th International Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. ACM, 483--492. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Merriam-Webster online dictionary. Definition of ‘bath’. http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/bathing (Last accessed 11/9/12).Google Scholar
- Munnecke, M. 2007. Future practices: Coshaping everyday life. In Proceedings of the ICSID & IDSA World Design Congress.Google Scholar
- Odom, W., Zimmerman, J., Davidoff, S., Forlizzi, J., Dey, A. K., and Lee, M. K. 2012. A fieldwork of the future with user enactments. In Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Designing Interactive Systems. ACM, 338--347. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Overbeeke, P. V. 2001. Kachels, Geisers en Fornhuizen; Keuzeprocessen en energieverbruik In Nederlandse huishoudens 1920--1975. Uitgeverij Verloren, Hilversum.Google Scholar
- Pettersen, I. N. 2009. Framing the role of technology in transformation of consumption practices: Beyond user-product interaction. In Proceedings of the Conference on Joint Actions on Climate Change.Google Scholar
- Pierce, J. and Paulos, E. 2010. Materializing Energy. In Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Designing Interactive Systems. ACM. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Pierce, J. and Paulos, E. 2011. Second-hand interactions: investigating reacquisition and dispossession practices around domestic objects. In Proceedings of the Annual Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. ACM, 2385--2394. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Pierce, J. and Paulos, E. 2012. The local energy indicator: designing for wind and solar energy systems in the home. In Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Designing Interactive Systems. ACM, 631--634 Google ScholarDigital Library
- Ravandi, M., Mok, J., and Chignell, M. 2009. Development of an Emotional Interface for Sustainable Water Consumption in the Home. In Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction. Part III: Ubiquitous and Intelligent Interaction. Springer, 660--669. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Reckwitz, A. 2002. Toward a theory of social practices: A development in culturalist theorizing. Eur. J. Social Theory 5, 243--263.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Røpke, I. 2009. Theories of practice: New inspiration for ecological economic studies on consumption. Ecol. Econ. 68, 2490--2497.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Routarinne, S. 2007. Domestication as a design intervention. In Proceedings of the 2nd Nordic Design Research Conference.Google Scholar
- Schatzki, T. R. 1996. Social Practices: A Wittgensteinian Approach to Human Activity and the Social. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Schatzki, T. R., Cetina, C. K., and Savigny, E. V. 2001. The Practice Turn in Contemporary Theory. Routledge, London.Google Scholar
- Scott, K., Bakker, C., and Quist, J. 2011. Designing change by living change. Design Studies 33, 279--297.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Scott, K., Quist, J., and Bakker, C. 2009. Co-design, social practices and sustainable innovation: Involving users in a living lab exploratory study on bathing. In Proceedings of the Conference on Joint Actions on Climate Change.Google Scholar
- Shove, E., Pantzar, M., and Watson, M. 2012. The Dynamics of Social Practice: Everyday Life and How It Changes. Sage, London.Google Scholar
- Shove, E. and Pantzar, M. 2005. Consumers, Producers and Practices: Understanding the invention and reinvention of Nordic Walking. J. Consumer Culture 5, 34--64.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Shove, E., Watson, M., Hand, M., and Ingram, J. 2007. The Design of Everyday Life. Berg.Google Scholar
- Shove, E. 2003. Comfort Cleanliness and Convenience: the Social Organisation of Normality. Berg, Oxford, UK.Google Scholar
- Strengers, Y. A. A. 2011. Designing eco-feedback systems for everyday life. In Proceedings of the Annual Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. ACM. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Vera, D. and Crossan, M. 2004. Theatrical improvisation: Lessons for organizations. Organiz. Studies 25, 727--749.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Wangel, J. 2012. Making Future: On Targets, Measures & Governance in Backcasting and Planning. KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm.Google Scholar
- Warde, A. 2005. Consumption and theories of practice. J. Consumer Culture 5, 131--153.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Woodruff, A., Hasbrouck, J., and Augustin, S. 2008. A bright green perspective on sustainable choices. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. ACM, 313--322. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Zimmerman, J., Stolterman, E., and Forlizzi, J. 2010. An Analysis and Critique of Research through Design: towards a formalization of a research approach. In Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Designing Interactive Systems. ACM, 310--319. Google ScholarDigital Library
Index Terms
- Practices as a unit of design: An exploration of theoretical guidelines in a study on bathing
Recommendations
A sustainable design fiction: Green practices
Special issue on practice-oriented approaches to sustainable HCIIn this article, we argue that an approach informed by practice theory coupled with design fiction provides useful insights into the role of interaction design with respect to environmental sustainability. We argue that a practice-oriented approach can ...
Applying the lens of sensory ethnography to sustainable HCI
Special issue on practice-oriented approaches to sustainable HCISociological appropriations of practice theory as applied to sustainable design have successfully problematized overly simplistic and individualistic models of consumer choice and behavior change. By taking everyday practices as the principal units of ...
Sociomateriality: Infrastructuring and Appropriation of Artifacts
TEI '18: Proceedings of the Twelfth International Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied InteractionThis Studio offers researchers and designers an opportunity to investigate and discuss prototypes and in-process projects from a perspective that expands beyond material aspects, to also cover social and cultural ones. Participants will bring a project, ...
Comments