Short answer
When designing any system or product, consider its potential to foster enduring positive impacts on users and society, rather than just immediate utility or satisfaction.
- Field
- Classic Design
- Source
- Library trends (2020)
- Method
- Conceptual analysis and theoretical framework development.
- Evidence
- Moderate effect
Designers and institutions should consider how their creations and operations foster long-term, life-supporting impacts rather than transient ones. This classic design research insight is drawn from a 2020 study published in Library trends. Using Conceptual analysis and theoretical framework development., researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: When designing any system or product, consider its potential to foster enduring positive impacts on users and society, rather than just immediate utility or satisfaction.
Libraries as 'Liferaries': Shifting Design Focus to Sustainable Affects
Designers and institutions should consider how their creations and operations foster long-term, life-supporting impacts rather than transient ones.
Library trends · 2020
Key Findings
- 01Institutions like libraries can be powerful agents in shaping individual and collective affects.
- 02A critical examination of how these institutions direct and modulate social and epistemic forces is necessary.
- 03The goal should be to foster 'longer-lasting and more sustainable affects that support life'.
Application
Design takeaway
When designing any system or product, consider its potential to foster enduring positive impacts on users and society, rather than just immediate utility or satisfaction.
How to apply
When developing a new product or service, ask: 'What long-term emotional and social impacts will this have, and how can we ensure they are life-supporting?'
Project actions
- 01Consider the emotional journey a user takes with your product over its lifespan.
- 02Explore how your design might influence user behaviour and societal norms in the long run.
Method & Evidence
Variables
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- +Highlights the ethical dimension of design beyond immediate utility.
- +Encourages a forward-thinking approach to design impact.
Limitations
Measuring long-term affective impact can be difficult and may require longitudinal studies.
Reliability & validity
The validity of findings relies heavily on the theoretical interpretation of 'affect' and its influence, which can be subjective. Reliability would depend on consistent application of the conceptual framework across different design contexts.
Think critically
How can the abstract concept of 'affect' be operationalized and measured within the context of a specific design project?
Design Principles
"Design for sustained positive affect and life affirmation."
This perspective challenges traditional design thinking by emphasizing the enduring influence of designed objects and systems. It encourages a move beyond immediate function or aesthetics to consider the sustained emotional, social, and environmental consequences of design choices.
What This Means for Your Design
Think about how your designs make people feel over a long time, not just right away. Can your design help people and the planet in a lasting way?
How to use in your project
- 1.Reference this research when discussing the long-term impact and ethical considerations of your design choices, particularly in relation to user well-being and societal benefit.
Add to My Project
Quick Cite
Paragraph starter
This design project aims to move beyond immediate functional requirements to consider the long-term affective impact on users and society, aligning with the concept of designing for 'sustainable affects' as proposed by Day (2020). The goal is to create a design that fosters enduring positive emotional and social outcomes, contributing to a more life-affirming experience.
Source
Library trends
Redirecting Library and Documentary Affects: From Libraries to “Liferaries”
journal · 2020
View sourceQuestions About This Research
- What does the research say about libraries as 'liferaries': shifting design focus to sustainable affects?
- When designing any system or product, consider its potential to foster enduring positive impacts on users and society, rather than just immediate utility or satisfaction. Evidence: Library trends (2020).
- Why does "Libraries as 'Liferaries': Shifting Design Focus to Sustainable Affects" matter for design?
- This perspective challenges traditional design thinking by emphasizing the enduring influence of designed objects and systems. It encourages a move beyond immediate function or aesthetics to consider the sustained emotional, social, and environmental consequences of design choices.
- How can designers apply this research?
- When designing any system or product, consider its potential to foster enduring positive impacts on users and society, rather than just immediate utility or satisfaction.
- What were the main findings?
- Institutions like libraries can be powerful agents in shaping individual and collective affects.. A critical examination of how these institutions direct and modulate social and epistemic forces is necessary.. The goal should be to foster 'longer-lasting and more sustainable affects that support life'.
- What research method was used?
- Conceptual analysis and theoretical framework development..
- How strong is the evidence?
- Evidence strength is rated Moderate effect, based on a 2020 journal from Library trends.
- What should I do differently in my next project?
- When developing a new product or service, ask: 'What long-term emotional and social impacts will this have, and how can we ensure they are life-supporting?'
- What are the limitations?
- The concept of 'affects' is abstract and can be challenging to quantify or measure directly in design outcomes.