Conference Agenda

This paper investigates the prevalence of climate skepticism among 3rd year engineering students and seeks to understand how pedagogical interventions can be used to challenge climate skeptic views. This contribution follows a two-pronged approach to estimate the proportion of climate skeptic attitudes in the classroom, understand their root cause and, most importantly, develop pedagogical tools to challenge such views. The first part involved conducting two statement-based surveys to identify the prevalence of climate skepticism before and after pedagogical interventions. The second part discusses the effect of the use of interactive pedagogical methods to challenge climate skepticism and reduce potential conflict in the classroom. The goal of this research is to determine which pedagogical methods can contribute to changing attitudes towards climate skepticism among engineering students. Two surveys were given to 275 engineering students before and after several hours of lectures on sustainability theory and an interactive class exercise to challenge climate skeptical views. The results of the surveys showed that climate skepticism among our group of engineering students was higher than the Norwegian population average and that the chosen pedagogical intervention showed mixed results in changing these attitudes. The results of the study can be used to understand how engineers perceive the challenge of climate change and to what extent engineering students are skeptical of climate change science. The results will also be useful for educators in understanding how topics of climate change can be effectively taught and how climate skepticism can be dealt with in the classroom through effective pedagogical methods. 

The concepts of emotion, making and value, while not new or alien to the researchers in design, have been looked at mainly from the point of view of end user of the design. This paper aims to discover and understand these concepts and their relation with each other from the point of view of cultural anthropology and tries to compare and relate these two points of view to product design discipline. The understanding of the topic here is based on the review of papers published by various anthropology researchers and ethnographers on the work of studies in material culture and ethnographic studies as well as some papers from design researchers. In the review the authors discover and discuss the social aspects of emotions, making and value and the way they are connected to each other socially, through material creations. Authors go on to visually illustrate their understanding of the hierarchy of human-object relation and the activities and the value associated with the five states of this relation. This understanding is discussed through the lens of emotional product design, design research and business research to expose some significant areas of knowledge creation for the increasingly unsustainable world. These opportunities of knowledge creation, at the intersection of cultural anthropology and product design, are discussed for the benefit of product design practice and product design education.

Partly because of societal developments and partly because of a targeted recruitment strategy, social phenomena which are taboo-prone and in which self-conscious emotions such as shame, guilt and embarrassment play a role, are of increasing interest for students [1]. Such topics not only share a high level of complexity which is strongly affected by norms, culture and politics, but they also challenge students in their ability to deal with the more sensitive sides of society. Design education in general equips students with a toolbox that enable them to understand social phenomena, to raise good questions, map contexts by using interviews, surveys, focus groups, cultural probes and use of other ethnographic methods.

However, this toolbox becomes less straightforward to use when taking on topics where self-conscious emotions, addressing awkwardness, having to ask embarrassing questions, and identifying and highlighting dark spots play a prominent role. In connection to an ongoing PhD project focusing on the role of shame and taboo in design [2], for three years we have actively recruited master students to write their final master thesis on shame related topics. During this period, we have developed several tools dedicated to gaining user insights about these taboo-prone topics where shame, embarrassment, awkwardness, peer pressure, stigma and other nuances of shame obviously play an important role. The tools aim to help designers uncovering feelings, thoughts, opinions and insights which would likely not be shared through traditional methods of inquiry – of course while keeping the highest ethics standards doing so. This paper presents the toolbox which consists of

• a ‘shame-stretching’ tool, allowing for exploring boundaries in what is, for example, mainstream, odd, subculture, and illegal behaviour.

• inverse empathy mapping, focusing on what people do not say, hear, feel, think and do.

• a meme tool, exploring alternative expressions of feelings and opinions which are not necessarily easily put in words

• an inspiration card deck tool showing how shame and related feelings manifest themselves in social concepts.

The use of the toolbox is illustrated by sharing examples of its use in practical projects. The paper concludes with reflections by both students and supervisors on using these tools and how they complement the standard designers’ toolbox.

Portable Toilets, also referred to as porta potties, are movable toilets that are often placed outdoors for places with limited toilet access or with crowded areas, such as tourist sites, construction sites, large events, etc. However, as an independent toilet system with a lack of access to running water, hygiene is a significant factor contributing to unwilling usage, to the extent where some would refer to it as the “Portal into the death of hell”.

Primary research, in the form of interviews and surveys, were collected over a period of four weeks to gain understanding of Asians (Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China) perspectives towards portable toilets. The results show that over 89% of users avoid usage unless necessary, and over 82% of the users claim unsatisfying experiences due to hygiene concerns, such as physical contact or bad smells. The average rating of the current portable toilet is 1.6/5, where an interviewee exaggeratingly claimed that they developed “PTSD” due to their poor experience in using a portable toilet.

Additionally, despite numerous studies highlighting negative user experiences, there is a significant increase in demand for portable toilets globally. One key factor is how the COVID-19 pandemic changed the working environment, habits and behaviors of users, especially towards hygiene-related topics. To clarify, a recent study stated that the global portable toilet market is estimated to increase from $12.61 billion in 2021, to $20.43 billion by 2028 (Market Research Report, 2020). Due to this, it can be initially concluded that the current designs of portable toilets are catered for pre COVID-19 circumstances, hence a lack of design considerations for post pandemic user behaviors.

Therefore, with the current portable toilet problems identified and the significant increase in global demands, it provides considerable design opportunities that allows direct tackling of the current issues, further enhancing the user experience. This aim will be achieved through redesigning the interior and exterior features of portable toilets with comprehensive considerations, including manufacture, transportation, cleaning, and most importantly, the usage processes. Reaching the ultimate goal: “Everyone deserves to have a wonderful toilet experience”.

As this is a study of design consideration, the goal of this paper is to provide a set of considerations that others can refer to as academic purposes when designing toilet-related products.