This thesis addresses the researcher’s experience of the disappearance of local culture in fashion and costume due to the Userist design principles prevalent in the fast-fashion industry. This work intends to construct an alternative interaction with fashion which allows for more diverse cultural expression. A theoretical framework that tests for Userist oppression was adapted to the tangible and performative nature of fashion and applied.
From this analysis the collected insights were translated into a metaphorical worldbuilding exercise in which one can immerse themselves through roleplaying. This exercise allows participants to express complex experiences through physical movements and interactions with the metaphorical world. This exercise stimulates reflection on normalized behaviours and speculation regarding alternatives in a less performative setting.

Both the worldbuilding exercise and insights from the Userism analysis were combined in the creation of a participatory design workshop. This workshop was designed to be held in communal social contexts, so that participants would feel comfortable to express their experiences and aspirations for interactions with fashion.

The final proposed design of the workshop, based on the collected feedback of the participants, facilitates an interaction with fashion is one of community-supported repair and alteration in which artistic expression is encouraged and inspired.

This proposed interaction is mean to inspire other designers to do more research into possible applications of this alternative interaction within their own or another’s social community contexts, encouraging the community to emancipate themselves from their consumptive interaction with the fast-fashion industry and reclaim their cultural agency through design. The project overall attests to the value of experimenting with artistic expression as complementary to reflection and speculation for academic interaction design.
https://delftdesignlabs.org/justice-by-design/grants_and_projects/emancipating-in-style-escaping-the-infinite-staircase-of-the-fast-fashion-industry-master-thesis/ ... Read more

In this thesis we explore how digital educational products can foster biodiversity positive attitudes in children aged 10-12. With it it aims to contribute to the broader societal transformation necessary for ecological sustainability. The project aligns the strategic goals of the main stakeholder, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, with a more than human design perspective. By doing so this thesis aims to contribute to the education department of Naturalis by providing meaningful insights for the development of educational products and a promising concept direction: the N=ZIEN platform. A platform and physical device meant for primary schools to learn about the ecology in the local area of the school. Through the narrative of citizen science, pupils are engaged to catalogue nonhuman encounters and identify them in a chat environment. Based on these sightings a final lesson ties all sightings together to build a web of life for the environment. On the other hand, the thesis makes a contribution to the design discourse by introducing the concept of a keystone citizen, a reframed user to fit more than human ambitions. The ideals behind the keystone citizen draw heavily from constructionist education theory and in particular a model for transformative learning (Head, Heart, Hand model). Based on the keystone citizen a design framework is presented on how to design for a biodiversity positive attitude. Finally, the conceptualisation of and reflection on the N=ZIEN platform is documented to serve as a case study on how to apply the framework in a real world context. Ultimately, this thesis advocates for the design of products, educational and other, that contribute to shaping a society that is desirable and sustainable. ... Read more

Currently in our payment system, the usage of cash is declining and our card payments are dependent on American payment companies. For these reasons, the ECB is researching to issue a Digital Euro, a European payment system offered by a public institution, often explained as digital cash. I argue that instead of distinguishing itself on increased convenience or usability, Digital Euro rather provides indirect benefits, which have to align with people's values.

As a scope, this project investigates how to communicate the value of privacy in the Digital Euro during in-store payments. As an approach, first various tensions around (the perception of) privacy are mapped out, namely:

1. Do users want to access Digital Euro through a public or private party?
2. Do users want to pay fully anonymously or identify towards a trusted intermediary?
3. Do users want to have complete choice over which data to share or have a determined standard of information sharing?

Then, these tensions were translated into speculative prototypes used for research. These are meant to present dilemmas around privacy and let participants relfect on their values.
User research was conducted through in-depth interviews and and in-context evaluation to enact payments. The user research showed that:

1. Familiarity is deemed more important in selecting an intermediary than that party being public or private.
2. Few users are interested in cash-like anonymity, especially when this would increase the risk of losing money.
3. All users appreciate having the choice beforehand of which data to share with which parties.

Other insights are communicated in the form of a vocabulary on the way participants reasoned about their values, personas that reason based on long term values or direct benefits, and detailed insights per prototype page. Finally, design recommendations are given for communicating privacy.
... Read more