Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Addressing the Obsolescence of End-User Devices: Approaches from the Field of Sustainable HCI

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
ICT Innovations for Sustainability

Part of the book series: Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing ((AISC,volume 310))

Abstract

The progress of technological development and the resulting rapid replacement of end-user devices has brought increasing issues of electronics waste upon our society. Interaction designers and researchers within the field of human-computer interaction have begun to tackle issues of environmental sustainability in recent years, including the problem of obsolescence. By considering the experiential aspects of obsolescence and the ways in which interaction design could have an impact on experience, the field presents promising approaches with potential to contribute to and complement current materials-focused solutions. In this chapter, we report on a survey of sustainable human-computer interaction research that investigates or addresses issues of obsolescence, presenting challenges as well as opportunities for interaction designers to contribute to solving these issues.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 189.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 249.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. 1.

    http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/13/willcom-shows-off-customizable-wp004-handset/.

  2. 2.

    http://motorolaara.com/.

  3. 3.

    http://www.sigchi.org/conferences.

References

  1. Slade, G.: Made to Break: Technology and Obsolescence in America. Harvard University Press, Cambridge (2007)

    Google Scholar 

  2. Moore, G.E.: Cramming more components onto integrated circuits. Electronics 38, 114–117 (1965)

    Google Scholar 

  3. DiSalvo, C., Sengers, P., Brynjarsdóttir, H.: Mapping the landscape of sustainable HCI. In: Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference On Human Factors In Computing Systems, pp. 1975–1984, CHI ‘10. ACM, New York (2010)

    Google Scholar 

  4. Mankoff, J.C., Blevis, E., Borning, A., Friedman, B., Fussell, S.R., Hasbrouck, J., Woodruff, A., Sengers, P.: Environmental sustainability and interaction. In: CHI ‘07 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI EA ‘07, pp. 2121–2124. ACM, New York (2007)

    Google Scholar 

  5. Blevis, E.: Sustainable interaction design: invention and disposal, renewal and reuse. In: Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference On Human Factors In Computing Systems, CHI ‘07, pp. 503–512. ACM, New York (2007)

    Google Scholar 

  6. Dillahunt, T., Mankoff, J., Forlizzi, J.: A proposed framework for assessing environmental sustainability in the HCI community. In: Examining Appropriation, Re-use, and Maintenance of Sustainability Workshop at CHI 2010. CHI ‘10 Workshop (2010)

    Google Scholar 

  7. Huang, E.M., Truong, K.N.: Breaking the disposable technology paradigm: opportunities for sustainable interaction design for mobile phones. In: Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI ‘08, pp. 323–332. ACM, New York (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  8. Woolley, M.: Choreographing obsolescence—ecodesign: the pleasure/dissatisfaction cycle. In: Proceedings of the 2003 International Conference on Designing Pleasurable Products and Interfaces, DPPI ‘03, pp. 77–81. ACM, New York (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  9. Blevis, E., Makice, K., Odom, W., Roedl, D., Beck, C., Blevis, S., Ashok, A.: Luxury and new luxury, quality and equality. In: Proceedings of the 2007 Conference on Designing Pleasurable Products and Interfaces, DPPI ‘07, pp. 296–311. ACM, New York (2007)

    Google Scholar 

  10. Huh, J., Nam, K., Sharma, N.: Finding the lost treasure: understanding reuse of used computing devices. In: Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI ‘10, pp. 1875–1878. ACM, New York (2010)

    Google Scholar 

  11. Pierce, J., Odom, W., Blevis, E.: Energy aware dwelling: a critical survey of interaction design for eco-visualizations. In: Proceedings of the 20th Australasian Conference on Computer-Human Interaction: Designing for Habitus and Habitat, OZCHI ‘08, pp. 1–8. ACM, New York (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  12. Froehlich, J., Findlater, L., Landay, J.: The design of eco-feedback technology. In: Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI ‘10, pp. 1999–2008. ACM, New York (2010)

    Google Scholar 

  13. Brynjarsdottir, H., Håkansson, M., Pierce, J., Baumer, E., DiSalvo, C., Sengers, P.: Sustainably unpersuaded: how persuasion narrows our vision of sustainability. In: Proceedings of the 2012 ACM Annual Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. CHI ‘12, pp. 947–956. ACM, New York (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  14. Rogers, Y., Preece, J., Sharp, H.: Interaction Design. Wiley, Chichester (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  15. Hanks, K., Odom, W., Roedl, D., Blevis, E.: Sustainable millennials: attitudes towards sustainability and the material effects of interactive technologies. In: Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI ‘08, pp. 333–342. ACM, New York (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  16. Jung, H., Bardzell, S., Blevis, E., Pierce, J., Stolterman, E.: How deep is your love: deep narratives of ensoulment and heirloom status. Int. J. Des. 5(1), 59–71 (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  17. Pan, Y., Roedl, D., Thomas, J.C., Blevis, E.: Re-conceptualizing fashion in sustainable HCI. In: Proceedings of the Designing Interactive Systems Conference, DIS ‘12, pp. 621–630. ACM, New York (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  18. Odom, W., Pierce, J., Stolterman, E., Blevis, E.: Understanding why we preserve some things and discard others in the context of interaction design. In: Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI ‘09, pp. 1053–1062. ACM, New York (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  19. Gegenbauer, S., Huang, E.M.: Inspiring the design of longer-lived electronics through an understanding of personal attachment. In: Proceedings of the Designing Interactive Systems Conference, DIS ‘12, pp. 635–644. ACM, New York (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  20. Gegenbauer, S., Huang, E.M.: iPods, ataris, and polaroids: a personal inventories study of out-of-use electronics in swiss households. In: Proceedings of the 2012 ACM Conference on Ubiquitous Computing, UbiComp ‘12, pp. 531–535. ACM, New York (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  21. Zhang, X., Wakkary, R.: Design analysis: understanding e-waste recycling by generation y. In: Proceedings of the 2011 Conference on Designing Pleasurable Products and Interfaces. DPPI ‘11, pp. 6:1–6:8. ACM, New York (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  22. Nelson, H.G., Stolterman, E.: The Design Way: Intentional Change in an Unpredictable World. The MIT Press, Cambridge (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  23. Blevis, E., Stolterman, E.: Ensoulment and sustainable interaction design. In: In Proceedings of International Association of Design Research Societies Conference. IASDR ‘07, Hong Kong (2007)

    Google Scholar 

  24. Norman, D.A.: Emotional Design Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things. Basic Books, New York (2004)

    Google Scholar 

  25. Hallnäs, L., Redström, J.: Slow Technology—Designing for Reflection. Personal Ubiquitous Comput. 5(3), 201–212 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Strauss, C.F., Fuad-Luke, A.: The slow design principles—a new interrogative and reflexive tool for design research and practice. In: Changing the Change. CtC ‘08, Torino (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  27. Grosse-Hering, B., Mason, J., Aliakseyeu, D., Bakker, C., Desmet, P.: Slow design for meaningful interactions. In: Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI ‘13, pp. 3431–3440. ACM, New York (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  28. Silverstein, M.J., Butman, J., Fiske, N.: Trading Up: The New American Luxury. Portfolio, New York (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  29. Blevis, E.: SUSTAINABLY OURS: two digital divides and four perspectives. Interactions 15(1), 61–66 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Huang, E.M., Yatani, K., Truong, K.N., Kientz, J.A., Patel, S.N.: Understanding mobile phone situated sustainability: the influence of local constraints and practices on transferability. IEEE Pervasive Comput. 8(1), 46–53 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Maestri, L., Wakkary, R.: Understanding repair as a creative process of everyday design. In: Proceedings of the 8th ACM Conference on Creativity and Cognition, C&C ‘11, pp. 81–90. ACM, New York (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  32. Wakkary, R., Desjardins, A., Hauser, S., Maestri, L.: A sustainable design fiction: green practices. Trans. Comput.-Human Interact. 20(4) (2013) 23:1—23:34

    Google Scholar 

  33. Kim, S., Paulos, E.: Practices in the creative reuse of e-waste. In: Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI ‘11, pp. 2395–2404. ACM, New York (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  34. Lomas, D., Kumar, A., Patel, K., Ching, D., Lakshmanan, M., Kam, M., Forlizzi, J.L.: The power of play: Design lessons for increasing the lifespan of outdated computers. In: Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI ‘13, pp. 2735–2744. ACM, New York (2013)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Informatics, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland

    Christian Remy & Elaine M. Huang

Authors
  1. Christian Remy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Elaine M. Huang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christian Remy .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Informatics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Lorenz M. Hilty

  2. Zurich, Switzerland

    Bernard Aebischer

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this paper

Cite this paper

Remy, C., Huang, E.M. (2015). Addressing the Obsolescence of End-User Devices: Approaches from the Field of Sustainable HCI. In: Hilty, L., Aebischer, B. (eds) ICT Innovations for Sustainability. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 310. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09228-7_15

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09228-7_15

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-09227-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-09228-7

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation