TY - GEN
T1 - Gut-Tracking as Cultivation
AU - Boer, Laurens
AU - Bewley, Harvey
AU - Jenkins, Tom
AU - Homewood, Sarah
AU - Almeida, Teresa
AU - Vallgårda, Anna
PY - 2020/7/6
Y1 - 2020/7/6
N2 - Contemporary self-tracking devices take forms that reflect particular cultures of self-tracking that emphasize clinical perspectives and numerical precision. In this pictorial, we explore alternative forms to speculate on other possible self-tracking cultures. We present how we involved experts on the relationship between the gut and the brain to inspire a design brief for an alternative gut tracking device. This led to the design of Loupe and Lightbox, which together operate to externalize gut biota for closer examination, aesthetic appreciation, and reflection on the self. The device represents an example of self-tracking as cultivation—building a longer-term relationship with the self as something to be nurtured, tended to, and cared about.
AB - Contemporary self-tracking devices take forms that reflect particular cultures of self-tracking that emphasize clinical perspectives and numerical precision. In this pictorial, we explore alternative forms to speculate on other possible self-tracking cultures. We present how we involved experts on the relationship between the gut and the brain to inspire a design brief for an alternative gut tracking device. This led to the design of Loupe and Lightbox, which together operate to externalize gut biota for closer examination, aesthetic appreciation, and reflection on the self. The device represents an example of self-tracking as cultivation—building a longer-term relationship with the self as something to be nurtured, tended to, and cared about.
KW - Self-Tracking Devices
KW - Gut-Health
KW - Gut-Brain Axis
KW - Probes
KW - Research through design
U2 - 10.1145/3357236.3395588
DO - 10.1145/3357236.3395588
M3 - Article in proceedings
SP - 561
EP - 574
BT - DIS '20: Proceedings of the 2020 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference
PB - ACM
ER -