a reminder of it being on or off.”
The Element’s aesthetic form
and engaging interactions do
not directly reward sustainable
behavior, but rather they entice
the user to explore and interact with it, stimulating critical
reflection. As inspiration for their
design, the designers acknowledge Verbeek and Kockelkoren’s
concept of engaging objects,
which “move underlying operations of objects to a visible level
and make users part of the functional processes.” The Element
encourages active engagement
from users and makes its inner
workings transparent [ 7]. In
doing so it may encourage sustainable usage and prompt the
individual to think more deeply
about the relationship between
energy and use. In spite of its
useful feedback and aesthetic
appeal, it is unlikely to be used
as a functional product. Still,
the Element is a valuable source
of knowledge for designers and
the public—offering a critique of
dominant approaches to design
and suggesting new directions
for the design of more pleasurable, meaningful, and sustainable everyday products.
As described by its designers,
“the Energy Curtain is a window
shade woven from a combination of textile, solar-collection
and light-emitting materials
[ 8].” Traditionally, the primary
function of curtains is to regulate light. The Energy Curtain
does not provide any additional
usefulness or usability, nor
does it provide any persuasive
information. It does provide
aesthetic value: “During the day,
the shade can be drawn … and,
during the evening, the collected
The Energy Curtain
Image courtesy of Interactive Institute. Used with permission.
