Designing for the Self
Faculty
This project investigates the value of product attachment theory, which describes how people develop relationships with and learn to love their possessions. In attempting to operationalize this theory, we cast products and services as intentional companions that explicitly attempt to help people become the person they desire to be. Example systems we have designed include an alarm clock that keeps small children in bed and helps parents feel like better parents, a mobile phone application that helps people become a better Buddhist, a socially aware photoframe that in a divorced family makes sure the "right" grandmother is always on display, and a smart athletic bag that supports parents in passing responsibility for preparing for activities to their children.
Researchers
John Zimmerman
Research Areas
Design Research