Research

 

Light switches are not usually thought to be beautiful because they are not particularly good-looking. However, the aesthetics of designed products can transcend appearance. Take for instance the Aware Puzzle Switch designed by Loove Broms and Karin Ehrnberger in the Interactive Institute of Sweden (picture below). Seen as an object on the wall, it might not seem very beautiful. But what if it were perceived in relation to its designers’ intention of encouraging people to save energy? This switch has been designed in such a way that its visual pattern is broken when the light is on, so that people are driven by their innate need for order to restore the pattern and thus turn the light off. The switch can be perceived to be very beautiful when seen as a means to attain its designers’ aim. Often, yet inadvertently, designed products are seen in this way. Press releases, marketing campaigns, critical reviews and guesswork, among other mechanisms, promote a perception of products that involves reflecting on designers’ intentions. With my doctoral research project, I explore the aesthetic appreciation of products in relation to designers’ intentions and thus contribute to Project UMA, a major research project funded by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO).

 

AwarePuzzleLightSwitch1-LooveBromsAndKarinEhrnberger