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Dear all, Following the conversation about design and funding and the discussed move towards the human-centred side of design, I was wondering how people feel about this so-called move? While I understand—and do appreciate—that it’s quite a relief to experience more technically oriented disciplines moving towards this human-centred side of design; as a design researcher living, thinking and working today I can’t help wonder if we might not hope and push for a little more movement towards designing in a more-than-human world—where the human-centred side of design is certainly attended to, but not as if it is some great innovation, independent of surrounding ecologies. Focusing on human needs and desires in isolation of the ecologies we are part of isn’t really working out very well for us as a species (as the many millions of people around the world currently grappling with storms, floods, fires, drought, war, mass migration, issues with food and water security, and more can attest) I would be interested to hear thoughts on how we might reorient major funding organisations towards more ecologically entangled design and technology research. I have seen some successes at the intersection of the social and natural sciences (e.g. Århus University Research on the Anthropocene: http://anthropocene.au.dk/profile/ <http://anthropocene.au.dk/profile/>). Such initiatives are oriented towards thinking. While such research is important, their processes and outcomes are not being enacted through design, or even translated into what I might consider design actions. As I’m sure everyone on this list agrees, design can contribute enormously to the challenges we are facing, and yet the large funding organisations seem caught in a very 20th Century view, where a move towards the human-centred side of design seems like quite a big step. Do others have examples of where they see shifts in major funding and resources being put towards leveraging design and technology research towards ecologically entangled ends? Or thoughts about how we might better achieve such an outcome, or indeed, if such an outcome is even considered a worthy pursuit (perhaps I presume too much?) All the best Danielle — Danielle Wilde Associate Professor, Embodied Design Wearable Futures, Design+Diversity Director, SDU Body Bio Lab SDU Design • Department of Design and Communication University of Southern Denmark, Kolding Universitetsparken 1, DK-6000 Kolding DENMARK [log in to unmask] www.daniellewilde.com — ----------------------------------------------------------------- PhD-Design mailing list <[log in to unmask]> Discussion of PhD studies and related research in Design Subscribe or Unsubscribe at https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/phd-design -----------------------------------------------------------------