A phenomenology of human-electricity relations

This paper investigates the philosophical question of how we can experience energy with the aim of informing the design of future ways of experiencing energy by means of technology. Four human-technology relations formulated by philosopher of technology Don Ihde are presented. Each is then developed in the context of electrical interactive technologies. In conclusion these human-electricity and human-technology relations are employed in order to interpret current work related to energy and sustainability within HCI and point to future work in these areas. Author Keywords Design theory, sustainability, phenomenology, energy ACM Classification Keywords H5.m. Information interfaces and presentation (e.g., HCI): Miscellaneous. General Terms Design, Theory

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2011
• Where: CHI
• Authors: James Pierce, Eric Paulos
• Keywords: CHI 2011, Don Ihde, Future Ways, Human Computer Interaction, Technology Relations