Cultural
Usability
What we feel is lacking in much design work is critical evaluation of
the design process itself. In order to design for sustainability, we must
look carefully at what it means to design. In our upcoming Design for
Sustainment Guide, we focus particularly on the effects our design has
on the use phase of a product and how this use phase often determines
the overall impacts of a product. The Cultural Usability website asks
the same kinds of questions about design with the aim of encouraging a
more reflexive and critical practice within design for new media. It offers
interesting design work to peruse and some useful bibliographies including
such diverse themes as the Philosophy of Technology and Local and Global
Economies.
Doors
of Perception
Established by the Netherlands Design Institute,
Doors is an international conference and knowledge network which sets
new agendas for design - in particular, the design agenda for information
and communication technologies. Directed by John Thackara and Kristi van
Riet. An extraordinary site.
Eternally
Yours
Eternally Yours is an organisation with broad design affiliations that
focuses on how the relationships between people and the products we buy
and use designs the value, durability and quality of products. This is
a key insight with much communicative potential as it begins with and
is grounded in what is literal and material. The only real criticism we
have is that there is a bit of a sense that they have hit upon 'the' solution
with 'eternal' products. But what is lost in the perhaps too narrow focus
on made things is made up for by following through the consequences of
an idea with some rigour, which is a bit of an anomaly on environmental
sites, let alone the net in general. The hard to get Eternally Yours book
is now available in full text for download (Go to About Eternally Yours/Archives)
Design
Philosophy Papers
The most rigorous Design philosophy available, from EDF founders, Tony
Fry and Anne-Marie Willis.
Journal
of Design Research
Volume One is dedicated to Design for Sustainability research methodology
with a run-down on the excellent SusHouse project (link to web link review)
(primarily clothing care and methodology)
