Design Probes for More-Than-Human Design

More-than-human-centered design is a growing approach that accounts for non-human actors in design. However, the considerations, frameworks, and theories of this approach are not widely spread and concretely accessible in design processes. I propose a set of design probes that targets this gap. The probes are based on findings from four years of ethnographic design work with an urban farming community. The development of the design probes included iterative tests with designers, researchers, students, and urban farmers. The two first probes focus on worldviews, definitions, and characteristics, and show how the understanding of several phenomena must be expanded as plural, non-binary and even unknown. The third probe focuses on the analytical process of selecting which parts of a system to focus on in a design process. The fourth probe focuses on finding rational and sensible points for intervention in such systems.

Download the design probes version 3.1.

The design probes are continuously updated and refined as they are used in workshops and education. Any feedback is appreciated. Send a mail here.

The probes spur discussions on more-than-human concepts.

A more-than-human research participant?