Annapaola Vacanti

The paper introduces the User Integration Funnel, a theoretical model for enhancing user participation in the design process, within the framework of Human-Centered Design (HCD) and Human-Technology Interaction (HTI). As the integration of data into design becomes increasingly prevalent, the model responds to the challenges of balancing quantitative insights from big data with the nuanced, contextual understanding provided by thick data. This dual approach emphasizes inclusivity and adaptability, fostering designs that not only function effectively but also resonate with diverse user experiences. The model conceptualizes user engagement through three concentric levels: sporadic involvement, sustained observation, and active collaboration. Each level explores a distinct interaction type, knowledge accessibility, and output, ranging from user opinions to behavioral insights and co-created ideas. These levels align with mixed-method research paradigms, blending qualitative and quantitative methods to address the complexities of HTI projects. According to a systemic perspective, users are situated within interconnected human, technological, and ecological networks. HCD theory must acknowledge practical challenges, such as power dynamics, resource constraints, and varying levels of user literacy, advocating for progressive engagement to ensure meaningful participation. While the framework promotes inclusive, adaptive technologies, it raises critical questions about the implications of hyper-adaptivity. By minimizing friction and resistance in human experiences, design risks undermining the critical thinking, creativity, and resilience that emerge from overcoming challenges. It is thus urgent for designers to balance the benefits of seamless interaction with the preservation of human autonomy, creativity, and growth, through a holistic, humane approach to the co-evolution of humans and technology.

This paper explores Life-Centred Design (LCD), an emerging concept aiming to overcome anthropocentric approaches by addressingall forms of life in the design process. Through a bottom-up analysis of case studies, it identifies the distinctive traits of LCD compared to other post-human approaches. The findings highlight the strong integration of foundational LCD principles, such as sustainability and systemic thinking, while revealing challenges in implementing co-design practices, non-human agency, and prioritising non-human interests. Addressing these complexities is essential for advancing LCD into a practical framework capable of tackling Anthropocene challenges.

The rapid advancement and adoption of generative AI in creative and professional domains mark a significant evolution in technological interaction, raising pivotal discussions on its integration, usability and broader societal impact. This paper delves into the multifaceted challenges and opportunities presented by generative AI, focusing in particular on text-to-image tools and their integration into daily work practices of artists, designers, architects and researchers. As these creators increasingly incorporate AI's inherent unpredictability and ambiguity into their work, a critical examination of the ethical, legislative and environmental implications becomes imperative. We highlight how the User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) aspects of these groundbreaking technologies remain mostly underexplored. UX pioneer Jakob Nielsen has recently warned that professionals in the field must adapt to the fast-paced advancements in AI or become obsolete for an industry that is becoming pivotal in the contemporary creative field. He draws a parallel between the current AI era and the dot-com boom of the 1990s, highlighting how UX professionals were slow to adapt to the Internet, which led to missed opportunities and a lack of user-centred design. Consequently, the usability of generative AI tools is a paramount concern, especially as non-expert users increasingly engage with these systems. This paper explores the usability challenges, specifically the articulation barrier where users struggle to effectively communicate prompts to AI, and the consequent need for more intuitive and accessible interfaces. Through comparative analysis and a heuristic evaluation of four leading models, i.e. Midjourney, Dall.E, Stable Diffusion and Adobe Firefly, which presents a unique case study for comparison due to their divergent UI and UX elements, we aim to provide insights into the current state of AI tools and propose pathways for their responsible and effective use.

The implications of contemporary technological and environmental changes are driving a transition in human practices toward approaches that widen and shift the focus beyond human needs. These approaches leverage new ideas and concepts coming from the posthumanist perspective, which has been gaining momentum across several disciplines, including the design field. As several researchers have started to take interest in those themes, experimental methods and practices have been growing along with different definitions, which may accentuate the complexity of producing consistent advances in the discipline. The objective of the article is to review the existing literature on design practices and approaches that, during the last decade, have evolved beyond the focus of a single user and are thus defined with terms such as More-Than-Human Centered Design, Ecosystemic Design, Posthuman Design, etc. The outputs of the integrative literature review offer a clearer picture of the phenomenon.

According to latest reports, the market for smart home products in Italy appears to be growing quicker than in other European countries. Continuous technological advances have lowered the price for entry products, allowing more families to acquire smart solutions. Meanwhile, after the pandemic situation of 2020, the importance of the domestic environment as a hybrid space where to conduct different activities that require smart and connected appliances has significantly grown. Ultimately, economic, and social instability has produced a higher awareness of energy consumption, bringing many users to question their lifestyle choices and look for smarter and greener solutions. The evolution of living conditions through the growth of smart technology in houses and apartments must be explored by interaction designers, to provide effective user experiences of smart artifacts, that need to seamlessly connect with one another and function together, within a complex, multimodal environment. Considering this, the paper presents the results of a quantitative study carried out at the end of 2021, through an online survey that was completed by 135 families. The data paint a picture of the network of interconnected products and appliances that cohabit the domestic environment together with human users and their animal companions. Through different analysis and visualizations, it is highlighted which rooms are “smarter”, how the ownership of a smart product leads to the acquisition of other products – thus building the network of non-human players –, and whether a difference in buying preferences may be found among single people and family units.

The paper describes the development of Living Hub: a laboratory for research, experimentation and training based on the Living Lab model, integrated with the use of the Simulation technique, to optimise the study of the interaction between people, environments, and technology. The lab aims to support the design of capacitating technologies and responsive environments that can adapt to the needs of their users, with reference to the home context. Located in Liguria, a region with the highest rate of ageing in the world, Living Hub focuses experimentation on innovative models for the care of the frail through different levels of scalar/modular integration of enabling technologies in the built environment.