(Re)Searching the Digital Bauhaus (Human–Computer Interaction Series)

The intent of this chapter is to outline a distinctive way of thinking about issues of technology and society that has characterized many Nordic approaches to the topic. One of the characteristics of this approach has been the recognition of the worth of human labour. Technology is not seen as an alien force, but something which is itself a product of human labour, and it can be designed and utilized in ways which augment human skills and expertise, rather than degrading them. What is particularly striking, at least to this author, in this approach is that we are presented not simply with a vision of how things could be better in our society, but with concrete exemplars of how we can build such a better world. It is in recognition of this fact that I have chosen the title of this chapter, as it emphasizes that, while the tradition of Utopian literature is the - lineation of a supposedly idea world which exists no-place (u-topos, in Greek), these visions can be an inspiration for quite practical activities on the ground, as steps towards their realization. As Wilde notes (in the quote above) this is a never-ending quest, as with each achievement, we recognize that there are further bridges to cross and places to be visited.

Thomas Binder is a design researcher and educator working with design students and industry to develop novel approaches to collaborative design and participatory methods to the study of the changing everyday of potential users.

Jonas Lowgren is an interaction designer with twenty years of experience from academia and industry. His research at Malmo University is focused on cross-media products, interactive visualizations and the design theory of digital materials.

Lone Malmborg is currently an Associate Professor of interaction design at IT University of Copenhagen. She is a member of the Innovative Communication Group. She has been developing and heading an education program in interaction design at Malmo University, Arts and Communication, and has been establishing and heading the research group Creative Environment.