research-article

Designing for Cohabitation: Naturecultures, Hybrids, and Decentering the Human in Design

Authors:

Shaowen Bardzell,

Jeffrey BardzellAuthors Info & Claims

CHI '17: Proceedings of the 2017 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

Pages 1714 - 1725

https://doi.org/10.1145/3025453.3025948

Published: 02 May 2017 Publication History

Abstract

Recent research in urban informatics has presented the city as both a complex technological center and a diverse cultural, social, and political entity. However, there has been little research into the changing role that nature plays in urban space, particularly when it comes to understanding how animals have adapted to life in technological and networked cities. In the wake of urbanization, new kinds of cohabitation, including increased interactions between humans and animals, has resulted in new challenges for those working in urban informatics. We leverage key concepts in the Anthropocene-naturecultures, hybrids, and decentering the human in design-to unpack the entanglements of animal-human-computer interaction in two design cases: The Big Cat Behavioral Tracking Initiative and The Phenology Clock. We contribute to urban informatics and HCI research by reflecting on ways in which design can promote new forms of cohabitation and support a broader conception of the city that sees animals as an essential part of the urban landscape.

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Index Terms

Designing for Cohabitation: Naturecultures, Hybrids, and Decentering the Human in Design
1. Human-centered computing

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cover image ACM Conferences

CHI '17: Proceedings of the 2017 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

May 2017

7138 pages

ISBN:9781450346559

DOI:10.1145/3025453

General Chairs:
Gloria Mark
University of California Irvine
,
Susan Fussell
Cornell University
,
Program Chairs:
Cliff Lampe
University of Michigan
,
m.c. schraefel
University of Southampton
,
Juan Pablo Hourcade
University of Iowa
,
Caroline Appert
Université Paris-Sud
,
Daniel Wigdor
University of Toronto

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Published: 02 May 2017

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Cited By

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https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3686169.3686200
Bell FBuechley L(2024)Directions for Degradation: Multispecies Entanglements with 3D Printed BiomaterialsProceedings of the Halfway to the Future Symposium10.1145/3686169.3686181(1-10)Online publication date: 21-Oct-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3686169.3686181
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Ciobanu PFernaeus Y(2024)Material Deconstructions of Time: Posthumanist Interventions Through Media ArtACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction10.1145/368526731:6(1-47)Online publication date: 6-Sep-2024
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Dörrenbächer JKneile MHassenzahl MLaschke M(2024)Navigating the Paradox: Challenges of Designing Technology for NonhumansProceedings of the 13th Nordic Conference on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/3679318.3685363(1-14)Online publication date: 13-Oct-2024
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