Soma design allows us to “examine” and improve on connections among sensation, feeling, emotion, and subjective understanding and values. It has to do with movements and bodies, but addresses the whole self, body and mind as one.
Research method
Soma Design represents a qualitative shift from a predominantly symbolic, language-oriented stance, to an experiential, felt, aesthetic stance permeating the whole design and use cycle
Results
Soma Design toolkit
Applications with IKEA: Soma Mat & Breathing Light
MIT Press book: Designing with the Body by Höök
During 2019: four papers receiving honourable mention paper award
Responsible Design
Responsible design encompassing feminism, ethics, politics, activism and advocacy.
Research method
Designing with taboo topics such as menstruation or menopause, building applications, exploring humor and ambiguity as a design resource
Results
Applications for female health: Labella – a tool to learn more about your vagina
“Curious Cycles”: probes for curiosity in menstrual cycles
’Smart’ seed library – a library of seeds for the local community engaging in urban gardening
Implicit Interactions
Implicit interactions stay in the background, thriving on data analysis of speech, movements, and other contextual data, avoiding unnecessarily disturbing us or grabbing our attention.
Research method
Research through Design engaging with “data as a material”, using machine learning
Results
Applications engaging with intimate data: peeing – recently awarded honourable mention paper award
Designing for the outdoors: turning off
Collaboration with Samsung: creating their AI UX
Energy Design
Through making energy into a core material in design processes, designers can minimize consumption in the applications as such as well as empowering end-users with effective tools to handle energy consumption.
Research method
Research through Design engaging with “energy as a material” – dividing necessary energy consumption (exergy) from losses (anergy) arising from sources such as servers on stand-by or frequent checking of bluetooth connectivity
Results
Application for electric vehicles: redesigning the interface to help drivers save and consume battery.
