Architecture

Interaction designers who wish to design in the space of pervasive computing should pay close attention to lessons from architecture on place and social infrastructure.

Many standard processes in architecture actively shut out the forces of time, change, and use, transforming the work into a more manipulable abstraction. But this move has a negative effect on the architect’s ability to see the social and political dimensions of their work.

Any work of design or architecture is inherently concerned with social ethics, whether you acknowledge it or not—which is probably why you should acknowledge it.

Lo-fi architecture is shorthand for an approach to architecture that embraces everyday life, with all of its complexity and contingency, as the context of design and looks to create the space for it to unfold.

Phenomenology has some useful philosophical ideas for design, but some can also come off as confusing and alienating. So, take the parts that are useful (the focus on lived, human experience of the world as starting point) and drop the rest of the baggage that comes with it.

The role of the architect can be seen less as an expert problem solver, and more as a citizen sense-maker who brings together conflicting voices into a coherent, responsible design.