ABSTRACT
The design of computationally and networked enhanced products requiring human interaction is commonly approached through methods that operate within the paradigm of Human Centered Design (HCD). The introduction of networked capability introduces new product-platform assemblages that are facilitated by the internet and have fundamentally altered our relationships with devices, manufacturers, service providers, regulators, and the interactions between them. One aspect of this change manifests through a disconnection between what products are actually doing as compared to how they present themselves for use. This decoupling of appearance and function reflects the complex assemblages created through networkification of human and non-human actants who simultaneously operate both independently, and interdependently. Reflecting on such a change demands that a plurality of perspectives be acknowledged within the design process. Such plurality is often incompatible with hubristic interpretations of HCD, which, in turn, has led a number of design researchers to challenge the primacy of HCD and propose More-Than-Human Design approaches. The More-Than-Human stance requires new perspectives and building blocks for how to consider Design and the Future; in this chapter it is those perspectives and building blocks which we explore, before concluding with examples of how such approaches might be enacted through Design Research practice.
