Towards Sustainable Systemic Design of Interactive Systems: Methods and Tools

This thesis, co-supervised by ENAC, Equipe Informatique Interactive/ISAE-Supaéro, groupe Ingénierie Système and the UTT, proposes the research of multidisciplinary design methods and focuses on the issue of mobility with respect to planetary limits.

Today, it is imperative to provide designers of interactive systems with tools and methods that enable them to take account of the systemic aspects of ecological issues. Whether consciously or unconsciously, designers and users contribute to the establishment and growth of practices which, indirectly, undermine an equitable society while exceeding planetary limits.

This thesis will focus on finding methods and tools for anticipating the indirect effects of interactive systems. By way of example, we can cite the case of Vinted-type platforms, which generate major systemic effects. These effects include an increase in the purchase of new clothes, leading to a rise in the price of second-hand items, a decrease in clothing donations, and an increase in the purchase of superfluous second-hand clothes. The result is an accumulation of textile waste in low-resource countries. In addition, these platforms lead to multiple movements of goods, generating additional energy consumption and increased carbon dioxide emissions.

The scientific objective of the thesis is to assess the feasibility and relevance of adding a systemic dimension to the participatory prototyping of interactive systems.
In terms of methods, we propose to explore a new combination of 1) participatory design methods, to contextualise the design, and 2) systemic design methods, to take account of the complexity of the problems to be addressed.

On a technical level, the aim is to develop methods and tools to support this collaborative and concrete contextualisation. This will be done through the use of 'effect projections' based on speculative design, as well as through the use of visualisation tools, for example using mixed reality tools.

The issue of multimodal mobility (the use of different forms of transport to get from point A to point B, such as planes and trains) provides a highly suitable case study for the problem proposed here, as it requires several dimensions to be addressed (uses, tools, infrastructures, vehicles, journeys, territories), analysed through the prism of various disciplines (engineering, economics, sociology, design, geography), and these need to be understood by integrating different scales, whether temporal, spatial or organisational."

• Université de technologie de Troyes

Research unit LIST3N (Laboratoratory of Computer Science and Digital Society)

Team : Tech-CICO

Website LIST3N : https://recherche.utt.fr/list3n

• ENAC, Equipe Informatique Interactive/ISAE-Supaéro, groupe Ingénierie Système

https://www.enac.fr / www.isae-supaero.fr/

Academic background and expertise:

- Master's degree in design, engineering sciences, or related field.

Technical skills:

- Knowledge of participatory design methods or in systemic design methods.

Research skills:

- Ability to conduct interdisciplinary research and collaborate with experts from different disciplines.
- Ability to publish in leading scientific journals and to present research findings at international academic conferences.

Motivation and interest in the subject:

- Strong passion for sustainable design and the search for innovative solutions to contemporary ecological challenges.
- Commitment to the creation of interactive systems that promote a more equitable and environmentally friendly society.
- Intellectual curiosity and desire to explore new approaches and methodologies in the field of interactive and systems design.

Personal qualities :

- Ability to work independently
- Excellent communication and teamwork skills to collaborate with researchers from different disciplinary backgrounds.
- Open-mindedness and flexibility to adapt to complex and dynamic research environments.