The More-Than-Human Trend in Design Research: A Literature Review

Abstract

The implications of contemporary technological and environmental changes are driving a transition in human practices toward approaches that widen and shift the focus beyond human needs. These approaches leverage new ideas and concepts coming from the posthumanist perspective, which has been gaining momentum across several disciplines, including the design field. As several researchers have started to take interest in those themes, experimental methods and practices have been growing along with different definitions, which may accentuate the complexity of producing consistent advances in the discipline. The objective of the article is to review the existing literature on design practices and approaches that, during the last decade, have evolved beyond the focus of a single user and are thus defined with terms such as More-Than-Human Centered Design, Ecosystemic Design, Posthuman Design, etc. The outputs of the integrative literature review offer a clearer picture of the phenomenon.