Abstract
Mindfulness technology in Human–Computer Interaction research predominantly remains grounded in behaviourist and cognitivist paradigms. Such instrumental design logic emphasises goal achievement and behavioural compliance, conflicting with the core ideals of mindfulness—non-striving, non-judging, and acceptance. Drawing on phenomenological, pragmatist, and embodied perspectives, this paper proposes a non-instrumental approach to mindfulness technology grounded in aesthetic experience. It also introduces a theoretical framework consisting of four experiential dimensions: somatic, temporal, atmospheric and material to reposition mindfulness technology as a medium of experience rather than a means to an end. Through design practice, this paper explores two early interaction prototypes to generate insights about designing for a non-instrumental approach in mindfulness technology. In doing so, it aims to foster an experiential shift in mindfulness technology from doing to being and provides perspectives that may guide researchers in moving beyond instrumental paradigms in this emerging field.
Keywords
mindfulness technology, non-instrumental approach, interaction design
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.1059
Citation
Gao, X., Hood, B., and Petrova, D. (2026) Designing for being mindful: A non-instrumental turn to mindfulness technology, in Simeone, L., Gray, C. M., Verhoeven, A., de Götzen, A., Bakırlıoğlu, Y., Zohar, H., Stead, M., and Buwert, P. (eds.), DRS2026: Edinburgh, 8–12 June, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.1059
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Included in
Designing for being mindful: A non-instrumental turn to mindfulness technology
Mindfulness technology in Human–Computer Interaction research predominantly remains grounded in behaviourist and cognitivist paradigms. Such instrumental design logic emphasises goal achievement and behavioural compliance, conflicting with the core ideals of mindfulness—non-striving, non-judging, and acceptance. Drawing on phenomenological, pragmatist, and embodied perspectives, this paper proposes a non-instrumental approach to mindfulness technology grounded in aesthetic experience. It also introduces a theoretical framework consisting of four experiential dimensions: somatic, temporal, atmospheric and material to reposition mindfulness technology as a medium of experience rather than a means to an end. Through design practice, this paper explores two early interaction prototypes to generate insights about designing for a non-instrumental approach in mindfulness technology. In doing so, it aims to foster an experiential shift in mindfulness technology from doing to being and provides perspectives that may guide researchers in moving beyond instrumental paradigms in this emerging field.