Designing Mindful Interaction: the Category of the Performative Object

Abstract

This research is concerned with design as a means for creating mindful interaction through the use of objects in social contexts. The assumption is that artifacts can stimulate the user’s behavior by means of their function, thus causing mindful reflection and interaction. At the core of the study was the identification of a new category of products with these qualities of interaction, termed “performative objects.” The paper presents part of a larger study.1 It presents a summary of the research problem and the concept development, testing, and considerations on the usefulness of the proposed concept for design.