In this paper we report on an exploration of how to apply the theory of
Slow Design to mass produced products to establish more mindful usage of
products; the intention behind this is to promote product attachment
and the associated sustainable benefits of long term use. Slow Design is
a design philosophy that focuses on promoting well-being for
individuals, society, and the natural environment. It encourages people
to do things at the right time and at the right speed which helps them
to understand and reflect on their actions. Several authors have
proposed Slow Design principles and cases have been reported in which
these principles were applied in cultural design projects. These
applications indicated that Slow Design can indeed have a positive
impact on wellbeing. Although promising, this philosophy has not yet
been used in the design of mass consumer products. In this paper we
present a design case study in which we explored how the Slow Design
principles can be applied in the design of an electric fruit juicer. Two
studies are reported on where the conditions for implementing Slow
Design are explored. The results led to a revision of the principles for
use by product designers. The main finding from the case study is that
the Slow Design principles can be used to create more 'mindful'
interactions that stimulate positive user involvement. This is not from
designing interactions that require more time per se, but by stimulating
the user to use more time for those parts of the interaction that are
meaningful and less for those that are not meaningful.
CHI '13 Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
