I am a designer, researcher and consultant. Prior to my Phd research, I owned a design studio for almost a decade. At CMU, my research sought to understand the impact of cooperative platforms on contributing to the “new commons.” To accomplish this, I designed tools collectives use to "recommon" resources that are vital to their survival. A practice-based interpretation of my work is: "How might Elinor Ostrom's design principles of commoning serve as a foundation for new approaches to user experience on platforms?"
Recently, I am looking at Christopher Alexander's work on pattern languages by investigating how patterns may reveal emerging commoning relationships. Patterns allow us to explore “natural and cultural structures and processes” through organic and indescribable relationships. Supervisors: Molly Wright Steenson, Cameron Tonkinwise, and Lara Penin
Design embeds ideas in communication and artefacts in subtle and psychologically powerful ways. S... more Design embeds ideas in communication and artefacts in subtle and psychologically powerful ways. Sociologist Pierre Bourdieu coined the term ‘symbolic violence’ to describe how powerful ideologies, priorities, values and even sensibilities are constructed and reproduced through cultural institutions, processes and practices. Through symbolic violence, individuals learn to consider unjust conditions as natural and even come to value customs and ideas that are oppressive. Symbolic violence normalises structural violence and enables real violence to take place, often preceding it and later justifying it. Feminist, class, race and indigenous scholars and activists describe how oppressions (how patriarchy, racism, colonialism, etc.) exist within institutions and structures, and also within cultural practices that embed ideologies into everyday life. The theory of symbolic violence sheds light on how design can function to naturalise oppressions and then obfuscate power relations around th...
Cuadernos del Centro de Estudios de Diseño y Comunicación, 2019
Históricamente, la educación de diseño se estructuró alrededor de proyectos como soluciones en un... more Históricamente, la educación de diseño se estructuró alrededor de proyectos como soluciones en un futuro previsible y cognoscible. Sin embargo, los investigadores que operan en el paisaje del Diseño para la Transición deben lidiar con un terreno mucho menos cierto. Los desafíos quedan fuera del alcance de lo que comúnmente se ha entendido como el ámbito del diseñador. Los proyectos de transición no encajan dentro de los ritmos habituales de los sistemas políticos, económicos y gubernamentales; a menudo requieren una coordinación completa y compleja entre los actores en diferentes sistemas; están dirigidos al cambio social, cultural y psicológico; la ubicación de la práctica es un sistema vivo que no ofrece un conjunto confiable de puntos de inflexión. Teniendo en cuenta la investigación de Diseño para la Transición basada en la práctica, este artículo describe los enfoques adoptados, analiza los desafíos de la realización de investigaciones y propone consideraciones clave para abord...
Cuadernos del Centro de Estudios de Diseño y Comunicación
One of the areas of co-evolving knowledge and skill-sets in the Transition Design framework is vi... more One of the areas of co-evolving knowledge and skill-sets in the Transition Design framework is visioning. Through visioning, transition designers can set an ideal state –one to which they hope to transition.
Proceedings of the 1st ACM SIGCAS Conference on Computing and Sustainable Societies, 2018
Housing quality can impact quality of life factors such as physical health and finances. However,... more Housing quality can impact quality of life factors such as physical health and finances. However, prospective tenants lack critical information about things like utility costs and landlord quality. Our contribution is a series of three studies exploring the complexities of the information economy around rental housing, including information available to landlords but not tenants, as well as information tenants may not prioritize until after lease signing about their own desires. Our first mixed methods study demonstrates that tenants cannot easily predict factors impacting the quality of life when selecting a rental and need better information about rental housing and the overall rental system. Using speed dating, we explore scenarios premised on information sharing and quality of life to analyze risks and rewards of crowdsourced information collection and sharing within a multi-stakeholder peer-to-peer rental search system. Finally, we present eDigs, a rental search system we have ...
Emerging approaches to designing for societal transitions towards more sustainable futures (e.g. ... more Emerging approaches to designing for societal transitions towards more sustainable futures (e.g. Irwin et al, 2016; Mulder & Loorbach, 2016) involve a methodological commitment to mapping and engaging with complex sociotechnical systems—the value of a systemic design approach is being recognized, from the supraindividuality of social practice theory (Kuijer et al, 2013) to considerations of systems such as food (Barbero, 2015) and even business models (Upward & Jones, 2015). However, much work on systems mapping focuses mainly on representations of actors and relations, when just as important when considering transition is the dynamic nature of the relationships involved, and how to intervene within those relations.
Design embeds ideas in communication, artifacts, services and spaces in subtle and psychologicall... more Design embeds ideas in communication, artifacts, services and spaces in subtle and psychologically powerful ways. Feminist, class, race and indigenous scholars and activists describe how oppressions (how patriarchy, racism, colonialism, etc.) exist within institutions and also within cultural practices. The theory of symbolic violence sheds light on how design can function to naturalise oppressions and then obfuscate power relations around this process. Through symbolic violence, design enables the exploitation of certain groups of people and the environment they (and ultimately ʻweʼ) depend on to live. Design functions as symbolic violence when it is involved with the creation and reproduction of ideas, practices, processes and tools that result in structural and other types of violence (including ecocide).
The Intersectional Perspectives on Design, Politics, and Power Symposium, organized by
the Decol... more The Intersectional Perspectives on Design, Politics, and Power Symposium, organized by
the Decolonising Design Group and hosted by Malmö University School of Arts and Communication in 2016, explored colonial oppression through overlapping theories and practices in design relating to gender, race, language, culture, and ethnicity. Over two days, participants examined intersectionality theory and debated how a myriad of forces might influence calls for epistemic decolonization in design. This conference review highlights some of the presentations and debates through the lens of the role of allies in resisting cultural oppression in design.
Historically, design education was structured around projects as solvable within a foreseeable an... more Historically, design education was structured around projects as solvable within a foreseeable and knowable future. However, researchers operating in the landscape of transition design must contend with far less certain terrain. Challenges fall outside the scope of what has commonly been understood as the designer's purview. Transition projects do not fit within the customary rhythms of political, economic, and governmental systems; they often require replete and complex coordination between actors in different systems; they are directed towards social, cultural, and psychological change; the location of practice is a living system that offers no reliable set of inflection points. Considering practice-based transition design research, this article outlines approaches taken, discusses challenges of conducting research, and proposes key considerations to address in future work. [Abstracts in spanish and portuguese at pages 281-282] (*) Michael Arnold Mages is a researcher and PhD candidate at Carnegie Mellon University. He also runs a design consultancy specializing in strategically oriented design practice: research, communications analysis, and planning, and is a partner in a startup that helps organizations have difficult conversations facilitated using deliberative democracy practices. Clients include mid-sized regionally oriented businesses, startups, universities, and Fortune 100 companies. Michael has taught research‐informed design practice to students in business, computer science, and fine arts at the University of Colorado, The University of Denver, and now, Carnegie Mellon University. Michael's research includes designing for high-stakes and difficult conversations, sustainability, and designing for experience. michaelam@cmu.edu (**) Dimeji Onafuwa is a researcher and Ph.D. candidate at Carnegie Mellon University. His work seeks to understand the impact of platforms on contributing to the commons. A practicebased interpretation is how Ostrom's design principles might serve as a basis for user experience on platforms. Dimeji's work on a research project exploring multi-stake-holder interactions around tenant/landlord decision-making led to his work on tenancy as a contribution to the commons. Recently, he has begun investigating the emergence of patterns from commoning acts. Before joining CMU, Dimeji ran a design studio for eight years. He currently works as a UX consultant and serves on local government and corporate boards. dimeji@cmu.edu
Design embeds ideas in communication and artefacts in subtle and psychologically powerful ways. S... more Design embeds ideas in communication and artefacts in subtle and psychologically powerful ways. Sociologist Pierre Bourdieu coined the term ‘symbolic violence’ to describe how powerful ideologies, priorities, values and even sensibilities are constructed and reproduced through cultural institutions, processes and practices. Through symbolic violence, individuals learn to consider unjust conditions as natural and even come to value customs and ideas that are oppressive. Symbolic violence normalises structural violence and enables real violence to take place, often preceding it and later justifying it. Feminist, class, race and indigenous scholars and activists describe how oppressions (how patriarchy, racism, colonialism, etc.) exist within institutions and structures, and also within cultural practices that embed ideologies into everyday life. The theory of symbolic violence sheds light on how design can function to naturalise oppressions and then obfuscate power relations around th...
Cuadernos del Centro de Estudios de Diseño y Comunicación, 2019
Históricamente, la educación de diseño se estructuró alrededor de proyectos como soluciones en un... more Históricamente, la educación de diseño se estructuró alrededor de proyectos como soluciones en un futuro previsible y cognoscible. Sin embargo, los investigadores que operan en el paisaje del Diseño para la Transición deben lidiar con un terreno mucho menos cierto. Los desafíos quedan fuera del alcance de lo que comúnmente se ha entendido como el ámbito del diseñador. Los proyectos de transición no encajan dentro de los ritmos habituales de los sistemas políticos, económicos y gubernamentales; a menudo requieren una coordinación completa y compleja entre los actores en diferentes sistemas; están dirigidos al cambio social, cultural y psicológico; la ubicación de la práctica es un sistema vivo que no ofrece un conjunto confiable de puntos de inflexión. Teniendo en cuenta la investigación de Diseño para la Transición basada en la práctica, este artículo describe los enfoques adoptados, analiza los desafíos de la realización de investigaciones y propone consideraciones clave para abord...
Cuadernos del Centro de Estudios de Diseño y Comunicación
One of the areas of co-evolving knowledge and skill-sets in the Transition Design framework is vi... more One of the areas of co-evolving knowledge and skill-sets in the Transition Design framework is visioning. Through visioning, transition designers can set an ideal state –one to which they hope to transition.
Proceedings of the 1st ACM SIGCAS Conference on Computing and Sustainable Societies, 2018
Housing quality can impact quality of life factors such as physical health and finances. However,... more Housing quality can impact quality of life factors such as physical health and finances. However, prospective tenants lack critical information about things like utility costs and landlord quality. Our contribution is a series of three studies exploring the complexities of the information economy around rental housing, including information available to landlords but not tenants, as well as information tenants may not prioritize until after lease signing about their own desires. Our first mixed methods study demonstrates that tenants cannot easily predict factors impacting the quality of life when selecting a rental and need better information about rental housing and the overall rental system. Using speed dating, we explore scenarios premised on information sharing and quality of life to analyze risks and rewards of crowdsourced information collection and sharing within a multi-stakeholder peer-to-peer rental search system. Finally, we present eDigs, a rental search system we have ...
Emerging approaches to designing for societal transitions towards more sustainable futures (e.g. ... more Emerging approaches to designing for societal transitions towards more sustainable futures (e.g. Irwin et al, 2016; Mulder & Loorbach, 2016) involve a methodological commitment to mapping and engaging with complex sociotechnical systems—the value of a systemic design approach is being recognized, from the supraindividuality of social practice theory (Kuijer et al, 2013) to considerations of systems such as food (Barbero, 2015) and even business models (Upward & Jones, 2015). However, much work on systems mapping focuses mainly on representations of actors and relations, when just as important when considering transition is the dynamic nature of the relationships involved, and how to intervene within those relations.
Design embeds ideas in communication, artifacts, services and spaces in subtle and psychologicall... more Design embeds ideas in communication, artifacts, services and spaces in subtle and psychologically powerful ways. Feminist, class, race and indigenous scholars and activists describe how oppressions (how patriarchy, racism, colonialism, etc.) exist within institutions and also within cultural practices. The theory of symbolic violence sheds light on how design can function to naturalise oppressions and then obfuscate power relations around this process. Through symbolic violence, design enables the exploitation of certain groups of people and the environment they (and ultimately ʻweʼ) depend on to live. Design functions as symbolic violence when it is involved with the creation and reproduction of ideas, practices, processes and tools that result in structural and other types of violence (including ecocide).
The Intersectional Perspectives on Design, Politics, and Power Symposium, organized by
the Decol... more The Intersectional Perspectives on Design, Politics, and Power Symposium, organized by
the Decolonising Design Group and hosted by Malmö University School of Arts and Communication in 2016, explored colonial oppression through overlapping theories and practices in design relating to gender, race, language, culture, and ethnicity. Over two days, participants examined intersectionality theory and debated how a myriad of forces might influence calls for epistemic decolonization in design. This conference review highlights some of the presentations and debates through the lens of the role of allies in resisting cultural oppression in design.
Historically, design education was structured around projects as solvable within a foreseeable an... more Historically, design education was structured around projects as solvable within a foreseeable and knowable future. However, researchers operating in the landscape of transition design must contend with far less certain terrain. Challenges fall outside the scope of what has commonly been understood as the designer's purview. Transition projects do not fit within the customary rhythms of political, economic, and governmental systems; they often require replete and complex coordination between actors in different systems; they are directed towards social, cultural, and psychological change; the location of practice is a living system that offers no reliable set of inflection points. Considering practice-based transition design research, this article outlines approaches taken, discusses challenges of conducting research, and proposes key considerations to address in future work. [Abstracts in spanish and portuguese at pages 281-282] (*) Michael Arnold Mages is a researcher and PhD candidate at Carnegie Mellon University. He also runs a design consultancy specializing in strategically oriented design practice: research, communications analysis, and planning, and is a partner in a startup that helps organizations have difficult conversations facilitated using deliberative democracy practices. Clients include mid-sized regionally oriented businesses, startups, universities, and Fortune 100 companies. Michael has taught research‐informed design practice to students in business, computer science, and fine arts at the University of Colorado, The University of Denver, and now, Carnegie Mellon University. Michael's research includes designing for high-stakes and difficult conversations, sustainability, and designing for experience. michaelam@cmu.edu (**) Dimeji Onafuwa is a researcher and Ph.D. candidate at Carnegie Mellon University. His work seeks to understand the impact of platforms on contributing to the commons. A practicebased interpretation is how Ostrom's design principles might serve as a basis for user experience on platforms. Dimeji's work on a research project exploring multi-stake-holder interactions around tenant/landlord decision-making led to his work on tenancy as a contribution to the commons. Recently, he has begun investigating the emergence of patterns from commoning acts. Before joining CMU, Dimeji ran a design studio for eight years. He currently works as a UX consultant and serves on local government and corporate boards. dimeji@cmu.edu
Uploads
Conference proceedings by Dimeji Onafuwa
Papers by Dimeji Onafuwa
the Decolonising Design Group and hosted by Malmö University School of Arts and Communication in 2016, explored colonial oppression through overlapping theories and practices in design relating to gender, race, language, culture, and ethnicity. Over two days, participants examined intersectionality theory and debated how a myriad of forces might influence calls for epistemic decolonization in design. This conference review highlights some of the presentations and debates through the lens of the role of allies in resisting cultural oppression in design.
the Decolonising Design Group and hosted by Malmö University School of Arts and Communication in 2016, explored colonial oppression through overlapping theories and practices in design relating to gender, race, language, culture, and ethnicity. Over two days, participants examined intersectionality theory and debated how a myriad of forces might influence calls for epistemic decolonization in design. This conference review highlights some of the presentations and debates through the lens of the role of allies in resisting cultural oppression in design.