Towards Mindfulness
Yoko Akama, Ann Light · 2015
Motivated by a concern with mindlessness in living and designing and how it might lead to outcomes that are poorly considered in their broader ecology, we ask: what if we imagine technology conceived with mindfulness in mind? To develop this thought, we examine two 'found designs' that have a cultural significance and are deeply embedded in everyday practices -- the cigarette and the torii gate. These objects are seen as somewhere between a detour or a portal for the authors in practicing mindfulness. Using these examples, we discuss the subtle space between designing for mindfulness, which we believe is unachievable, and being aware as designers that the tools we make can have this further potential use.