Fostering IoT Repair Through Care: Learning from Emotional Durable Gaming Practices and Communities
I was delighted to be awarded a plaque for Best Paper in the Provocations and Work in Progress track at the ACM Designing Interactive Systems (DIS) Conference 2024 in Copenhagen. The paper, was co-authored with Michael Stead and Paul Coulton as part of the EPSRC-funded Fixing the Future project.
The Paper
Electronic waste (e-waste) has become the fastest growing waste stream in the world. Internet of Things (IoT) devices, now common in many households, are contributing heavily to this problem due to their lack of repairability and the influence of consumer cycles shaped by planned obsolescence. In contrast, other electronic devices, such as gaming consoles, are often used and cared for by their owners for far longer. Gaming practices and communities reveal different kinds of relationships between people and their devices, ones shaped by care, emotional durability, and shared knowledge of repair.
Our paper argues that by understanding the ways gamers care for and maintain their devices, design practitioners and researchers can learn valuable lessons for the design of next-generation IoT products. By fostering emotional durability and community-driven repair practices, IoT devices could become more sustainable, with longer lifespans that help reduce the growing e-waste crisis.
The Experience
Presenting this work at DIS was a fantastic opportunity to connect with researchers from across the world who are exploring sustainability, repair, and the future of technology. The conversations around our poster presentation offered new perspectives and exciting directions for the project, showing the importance of cross-disciplinary dialogue in addressing such a complex challenge.
Looking Ahead
This recognition for our work is not only an honour but also a motivation to continue exploring how we might design IoT systems that embody care, emotional connection, and sustainability. Through ongoing collaboration, we hope to contribute to shaping IoT devices that are not only technically innovative but also environmentally responsible and socially meaningful.
