Reflective Design

What is Reflective Design?

The Reflective Design project is based on examining the interrelationship between people and technology. It uses cultural analysis as a starting point for technology design. Further, it and questions many assumptions in the traditional technology design process looking at complicated socio-technological feedback loops. Through brainstorming sessions and mapping of concepts related to the human-technology relationship we have created a set of user studies, this interactive website and are moving toward a display which addresses technology through switches. This project is meant to help people, including you as a user, reflect on their own experiences. Feel free to critique our ideas and develop your own in the process. We hope we can provide a tool, which shows how pervasive and ingrained technology is in society, and help you understand complex societal views and implications, in which it is based.

Using This Site

Our main concepts and project designs are shown on the side of each webpage. They are connected to each other through arrows, which show the relationship between concepts and designs and often pose a question that was useful in our thinking about how technology plays a role, both passive and active, in our lives. Projects are only connected to concepts and concepts are connected to both project designs and to other concepts. Many of the project designs are simply conceptual. That is to say, that they are useful for thinking about certain themes but are not meant to be implemented.

Concepts

Commodification Thumbnail

Context

Control Thumbnail

Efficiency Thumbnail

Irrationality Thumbnail

Predictability Thumbnail

Quantifiability Thumbnail

Projects

Clocks Thumbnail

Communication Aid Thumbnail

Kitchen Appliances Thumbnail

Switches Thumbnail

Water Jug Thumbnail