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and keys.^1 They identified that it wasn’t only the object itself that is
important to people, it is the social identity it provides that people value.
The phone is more than an object—it is a lifeline, a gateway through
which people connect with their family, friends, livelihood, and com-
munity. This is even truer now with the prevalence of smartphones
with always-on Internet access. The smartphone has become one of the
current embodiments of the networked world; more than its function,
more than its form, it is a social safety net that allows people to travel or
live further away from their home and still feel connected.
The smartphone is still a tangible object, one that we can understand
through our hands and eyes, and it has connections to the network that
we can see and feel. A greater shift is occurring now through objects
that connect in less visible ways—objects that act on our behalf, or
against us, without our explicit knowledge. The ethical implications
and choices made by algorithms that determine the flow of traffic, our
food supply chain, market pricing, and how you measure your fitness
are present in our lives but are largely below the surface. As connected
systems spring up around the world, often bypassing the more out-
dated infrastructure we are dealing with here in North America, we
need to begin considering the biases and implications of our choices
when designing these systems, objects, and networks. For example,
the current sensors used to trigger traffic lights often rely on induc-
tion pads embedded in the road. These sensors only detect cars and
other large vehicles, and are unable to sense bicycles and pedestrians.
There’s an implicit decision made about the relative importance of dif-
ferent modes of transportation. A traffic system built on an inductive
sensor network will always prioritize car and truck traffic over cyclists,
for example, making the city a less hospitable place to ride a bike. This
can in turn impact population density, pollution, congestion, parking,
employment, injury rates, and more.
As we move even further into a networked world, we as designers of
these new devices and services need to understand all aspects of our
new environment. The complexity of design and architecture will only
continue to grow and require a new definition of design foundations,
practice, and theory.
1 Cui, Yanqing, Jan Chipchase, and Fumiko Ichikawa. 2007. “A Cross Culture Study on
Phone Carrying and Physical Personalization.” Nokia Research, https://research.nokia.
com/files/45590483.pdf.
nandana
(Nandana)
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