Abstract
If sensitive and fraught aspects of human experience are to be brought into design, an alternative design space is needed to build human-technology relations beyond problem-solving approaches. This paper describes a series of research through design projects embracing vulnerable human nature, arriving at an articulation of what poetic engagements with technology can be like. Through unfolding a more than decade-long design experimentation, this work aims at reimagining our current technologies and how we engage with them. Each design exploration mediates poetic interaction possibilities through expressiveness, feltness, and mediativeness in designing technology. These poetic qualities encourage people to rediscover their humanity, reconnect to their authentic selves, and reopen social connections.
Keywords
Poetic Engagements with Technology; Experimental Making; Research Through Design
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/nordes.2025.17
Citation
Lee, Y.S.(2025) Poetic engagements with technology: An alternative design space for embracing vulnerable human nature, in Brandt, E., Markussen, T., Berglund, E., Julier, G., Linde, P. (eds.), Nordes 2025: Relational Design, 6-8 August, Oslo, Norway. https://doi.org/10.21606/nordes.2025.17
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Poetic engagements with technology: An alternative design space for embracing vulnerable human nature
If sensitive and fraught aspects of human experience are to be brought into design, an alternative design space is needed to build human-technology relations beyond problem-solving approaches. This paper describes a series of research through design projects embracing vulnerable human nature, arriving at an articulation of what poetic engagements with technology can be like. Through unfolding a more than decade-long design experimentation, this work aims at reimagining our current technologies and how we engage with them. Each design exploration mediates poetic interaction possibilities through expressiveness, feltness, and mediativeness in designing technology. These poetic qualities encourage people to rediscover their humanity, reconnect to their authentic selves, and reopen social connections.