We live in a world where digital data, material objects and social practices are increasingly connected and interdependent. What are the challenges in designing for this new ecology of materials, artefacts and interactions?
Four international speakers addressed this question from a rich set of perspectives, from ubiquitous computing to the Internet of Things. In addition, two interactive exhibitions in the main hall showcased material experiences and interactive environments for connectedness, illustrating how these design challenges are being explored in research and education at the faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, TU Delft.
In the afternoon, Elisa Giaccardi gave her inaugural lecture on “Connected Everyday” in the TU Delft Auditorium. She is concerned with weaving digital technology in everyday life and allowing people to participate in the invention of our world (for example, social software, web 2.0 and localized manufacturing). Her current design explorations of the Connected Everyday expand this vision, and break new ground in how to meaningfully weave digital networks in our lives and allow people to bring data and networks in flow with everyday objects and social practices in the physical world.
Speakers
Paul Dourish
Considering Everyday
Paul Dournish is a Professor of Informatics at the University of California, Irvine and co-director of the Intel Science and Technology Center for Social Computing. His research lies at the intersection of computer science and social science, with a particular interest in ubiquitous and mobile computing and the cultural practices surrounding new media.
Chris Speed
Fast Algorithms, Slow Things
Chris Speed is Chair of Design Informatics at the University of Edinburgh. Chris works on funded projects that engage with the flow of food across cities, an internet of cars, turning printers into clocks and a persistent argument that chickens are actually robots. He is a co-organiser for the Edinburgh This Happened events and co-editor of the journal Ubiquity.
Ron Wakkary
The Everyday Relationships among Things
Ron Wakkary is a Professor School of Interactive Arts and Technology at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver. His research investigates the changing nature of interaction design in response to everyday design practices like home life and DIY, and creates new interaction design prototypes for emergent practices that help shape both design and its relations to technologies. He is an Editor-in-Chief of ACM Interactions.
Jack Schulze
Pixels, Plastics, and Little Printers
Jack Schulze is co-founder and Head of Product at BERG, London. He leads many of the partnership projects, including previous engagements with Google, Intel, and the BBC among others. Jack has been designing physical products connected to the web and new behaviours for mobile phones for over a decade.
Elisa Giaccardi
Connected Everyday
Elisa Giaccardi is Chair of Interactive Media Design at the faculty of Industrial Design Engineering and a TU Delft Technology Fellow. Her research investigates how to meaningfully weave technology in our lives and bring digital networks in flow with everyday objects and social practices in the physical world. She is editor of the pioneering book “Heritage and Social Media” (Routledge).
Prof. Ena Voûte
Dean at the faculty of IDE, TU Delft
Ena Voûte worked for Unilever, where she developed launching, branding and marketing strategies. She was involved in the establishment of the comparison site Independer, and worked at Philips. Ena Voûte returned to her alma mater as dean in September 2012.
Elvin Karana
Elvin Karana is an Associate Professor at the faculty of IDE, researching emerging material experiences and material-driven design. She is the main editor of the book “Materials Experience: Fundamentals of Materials and Design”
Aadjan van der Helm
Aadjan van der Helm is a Lecturer and Researcher at the faculty of IDE, teaching how to involve computer technology in the design process.
Marco Rozendaal
Marco Rozendaal is an Assistant Professor at the faculty of IDE, researching on interaction design. His work explores styles and paradigms of future interactions made possible by emerging technologies.