Designing Change by Living Change

Kakee Scott, Jaco Quist, and C.A. Bakker

Scott, Quist, and Bakker discuss about how to act on one’s “interest… [in] applying theories of social practice to design processes in order to address the socio-technical dynamics behind consumption.” I paid particular attention to this paper because of its description of social practice theory, especially that of Elizabeth Shove and her conception of “a bundle of three elements: ‘material artifacts, conventions and competences’ (Shove et al., 2008: 9), or ‘stuff-image-skill’”.

Shove’s three elements provide me with a framework to consider when designing an experience. This is especially relevant for me, because every aspect of a relationship is so deeply integrated into different practices. Take for example, the practice of marriage, there is social meaning, personal meaning, procedures, structures, and artifacts involved in a marriage. To design something that is able to successfully integrate itself into such a practice, I will need to understand the different practices “inextricably linked” to marriage. This way I can see how what I design could possibly break existing links, create new links, and deepen existing links that I hope to build. For user needs are “malleable… tied to norms of existing practice, which design can influence, and indeed already does”, understanding just what those practices are made up of, will allow me to see what aspects to target to influence that practice.