The data hungry home: A post-anthropocentric and generative design framework

Contemporary advances in technology and information processing have created technological “things” that astound and perplex us all. Responding to this progress has united and resonated with posthuman thinking (notably post-anthropocentrism) to create new lenses and concepts. Within this is a growing focus on considering the world from the perspective of technological “things”. This shift enables researchers and practitioners to look beyond human-centredness in disciplines such as design, and science and technology studies. However, moving beyond humans, and even beyond organic beings, is still a niche and radical area within these disciplines, with a lack of academic research detailing how uninitiated individuals experience engagement with these concepts and the nature of the discourse it generates. Through six workshops, 22 participants engaged with the “Data Hungry Home”, a prototype post-anthropocentric design framework that facilitates the design of anthropocentrically purposeless data-dependent technological beings. Analysis of the participants’ experience demonstrates that the Data Hungry Home is an effective design framework for exploring alternative manifestations of technology. However, it also exposes issues with embracing postanthropocentric approaches, notably when designing (for) technological beings. These include adopting a nonhuman perspective and utilising design/technology for non-commercial and nonproblem-solving ends. These findings then underpin a discussion on how applying a postanthropocentric design framework can reveal the participants’ structuring, understanding, and acceptability of the limits of design and technology.