What Comes After Noticing?: Reflections on Noticing Solar Energy and What Came Next

Research Background and Issues

• What problems or challenges did the authors identify?
  The authors highlight that the current field of design research is attempting to shift toward "more-than-human" design approaches. However, this transition faces significant psychological and practical barriers. For instance, how can designers achieve this shift within predominantly human-centered frameworks, and how can such a transformation be sustained?

• Why is this issue important?
  Human-centered design paradigms have long perpetuated anthropocentrism, neglecting the interactions and interdependencies between human and non-human ecologies. This neglect not only negatively impacts ecosystems but also exacerbates individual psychological stress and societal feelings of isolation. Furthermore, this transition involves an ethical shift in design practices, encouraging people to view design in a more ecological and relational manner.

• Research Motivation and Related Work
  Related research has explored concepts such as "symbiotic survival," "cohabitation," and "interdependence" as foundations for more-than-human design. Methodologies have introduced tools like soil sensors, wildlife cameras, and observations of plants, microorganisms, and light. However, researchers have noted that these attempts are often constrained by designers' own anthropocentric biases. Anna Tsing's concept of the "art of noticing" emerges as a critical technique, helping designers deliberately redirect their attention to the non-human world. This paper further examines the transformative potential of "noticing" as a tool for designers.

Solutions

• What methods or solutions did the authors propose?
  The authors explore the application of attention techniques in design practices through two case studies. Using an autoethnographic approach, the first author documented her interactions with solar energy and the internal transformations that resulted. "Noticing" is employed as a means to awaken the "exiled capacities" within designers.

• What are the innovative aspects of this solution?

  1. The concept of activating suppressed perceptual capacities in designers through "noticing," focusing on the non-human world to awaken latent sensory abilities.
  2. Emphasis on a sense-fullness approach to design, which transcends traditional logic- and tool-oriented design paradigms by prioritizing direct bodily and sensory engagement in the design process.
  3. The use of an autoethnographic research method, combined with a shift toward "more-than-human" design thinking, to deeply reflect on the conflicts between designers' mindsets and their work environments.

• What are the implementation steps and key technologies used?
  The research unfolds through two case studies:

  1. Case 1: Attentive reliance on solar energy
     Over the course of a year, the researcher relied on a solar panel to charge her phone and used a solar-powered sound device to observe changes in light intensity. The designer had to adapt to the rhythm changes caused by solar energy fluctuations.
  2. Case 2: Shared experiences of attention
     The solar-powered sound device was transformed into a wearable form ("solar ears"), and workshops were organized to share experiences. This allowed multiple participants to explore how attention activities influence their perception of solar energy.
     Key technologies included the design and development of photovoltaic devices (solar-powered sound installations), which helped researchers perceive light variations and their relationship with solar energy.

Research Outcomes

• What specific outcomes were achieved?

  1. Autoethnographic research revealed that "noticing" can gradually dissolve the boundaries between researchers and their observed subjects, leading to profound bodily and psychological transformations.
  2. During the study, designers developed new abilities to regulate their energy levels through cycles of solar energy and bodily interaction (e.g., adapting to solar rhythms).
  3. The research demonstrated that the process of noticing expanded people's understanding of solar energy—not just as a resource but as part of an interactive and contextualized ecological system.

• What advantages does this solution have compared to existing approaches?

  1. It emphasizes dynamic, long-term perceptual experiences rather than merely short-term knowledge acquisition.
  2. It delves deeply into the transformative effects of the noticing process on designers' bodily cognition, rather than analyzing solely from theoretical or technological perspectives.
  3. It offers a sensory-oriented methodology that helps explore more balanced and sustainable design practices.

• What were the experimental or evaluation results?

  1. In Case 1, prolonged attention led the designer to lose a sense of "boundaries," entering a state of cohabitation with solar energy—described as "becoming the sun."
  2. The social experiments in Case 2 (including sound walks and workshops) demonstrated how multiple participants redefined their relationship with solar energy through the device. For example, some participants discovered that solar energy persists even in the rain, which strongly contradicted their prior understanding.

• What are the limitations and future directions?
  Limitations:

  1. Prolonged attention risks being interrupted by external factors (e.g., work and family pressures), making it difficult to sustain the "exiled capacities."
  2. The current research outcomes remain largely individual and lack deeper collective systemic implementation and broader value discussions.

  Future directions:

  1. Explore how to integrate sense-fullness practices into the busy environments of modern society, including potential interventions in design education and social policies.
  2. Expand the scope of "noticing" through interdisciplinary collaboration or understanding across different cultural contexts, investigating mechanisms that genuinely enable "more-than-human" design.

Through in-depth practice and reflection on noticing, this paper explores a pathway to transcend the limitations of modern design. Such a transformation requires not only a change in designers themselves but also societal support and the integration of diverse ecological perspectives.