In our daily lives we are constantly interacting with products that support us in fulfilling our needs. The way these products mediate this relation can have significant influence on our social behaviour. Imagine for instance the use of the microwave. Isn’t it so that many households take fewer dinners together because it’s so easy to heat up individual meals?
Within my research I aim to gain the knowledge to
a) understand the implicit influence of design on human behaviour, and to
b) design this implicit influence from a social perspective.
In answering these two questions I build design theory and add to design methodology. Although social design and behavioural change are the key components of my work, the main phenomenon under study is the inherent yet often implicit influence of products and services on behaviour. When we fail to understand this phenomenon and fail to control it, we will never able to consistently build a better future.
