Research Theme

Design for Increased Energy Awareness
STATIC! investigates interaction design as a means of increasing our awareness of how energy is used and for stimulating changes in energy behavior. Revisiting the design of everyday things with a focus on issues related to energy use, we are developing a palette of critical design examples - prototypes, conceptual design proposals, and use scenarios. These will be used a basis for communication and discussion with users and designers, for developing a more profound understanding of energy is design, and to support awareness of design issues related to energy use early in the product development process.

STATIC! explores design of meaningful presence for energy in daily life by:
+ making energy visible and tangible to all senses
+ expressing the relations among different forms of energy used
+ supporting reflection on the energy behaviors over time

STATIC! explores design that might empower users by
+ increasing and articulating individual choices with regards to energy use
+ supporting recognition, comprehension and a sustainable perspective
+ enabling people to understand and take control in their home environment

Additional research themes include 'Experiencing Energy', 'Everyday Life-cycles', and 'Community Power'.

Approach
STATIC! begins with the intention of empowering people in their use of products by increasing the visibility of choices available.   Taking an approach based on design research and interaction design, STATIC! aims to investigate the design of how we use things and the potential for incorporating increased representation of, and interaction with, energy in products - thereby promoting reflection upon how energy is used in everyday life.

As a basis for working with energy in design , we propose the notion of energy as a design material - a material alongside others such as plastics, wood and textile that can be used to craft objects. In this way, we shift away form considering energy merely in terms of technology - something that, through engineering, is always available without us having to think about it - towards treating it as an expressive material in its own right.

In our approach , we consider energy as as expressive material for design , where visibility and use are brought to the forefront in products, enabling people to have   an increased awareness of, and control over, the energy in the things they use. Moving beyond awareness promoted in information campaigns, this approach focuses on energy as a core aesthetic and functional issue in early stages of product design.

Future STATIC!
Our research approach takes parallel paths, one involves creating a series of design examples to involve users, the other involves evaluation and innovation processes. Outcomes will include scientific papers, prototypes, exhibits, user and commercial studies, with the intention that results are valuable for a wide spectrum of stakeholders in technology, academia, design, enterprise, society and the general public.