skip to main content
10.1145/3025453.3026031acmconferencesArticle/Chapter ViewAbstractPublication PageschiConference Proceedingsconference-collections
research-article
Public Access

Pause: A Multi-lifespan Design Mechanism

Published: 02 May 2017 Publication History

Abstract

At times, inaction may be a wise course of action. This insight lies at the heart of the design mechanism of pause. In this note, we explore the construct of pause, its rhythms, and nuances of enacting pause. Throughout, we draw on our experience engaging with pause in the multi-lifespan design of information systems for transitional justice. Five rhythms are identified: periodic hiatus, pending future event, responding to the socio-political climate, (temporary) closure, and laying fallow. In addition, we provide heuristics for managing pause and then restarting the design process. We then explore the scalability of pause from longer (e.g., multi-lifespan design) to shorter timeframes. We conclude with reflections on the potential benefits and open questions about pause as a design mechanism.

References

[1]
Eric P. S. Baumer and M. Six Silberman. 2011. When the implication is not to design (technology). In Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '11), 2271--2274. http://doi.acm.org/ 10.1145/1978942.1979275
[2]
Batya Friedman and Lisa P. Nathan. 2010. Multilifespan information system design: a research initiative for the HCI community. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '10), 2242--2246. http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1753326.1753665
[3]
Batya Friedman,.Lisa P. Nathan, and Daisy Yoo. 2016. Multi-lifespan information system design in support of transitional justice: evolving situated design principles for the long(er) term. Interacting with Computers, iwv045. http://doi.org/10.1093/iwc/iwv045
[4]
Barbara Grosse-Hering, Jon Mason, Dzmitry Aliakseyeu, Conny Bakker, and Pieter Desmet. 2013. Slow design for meaningful interactions. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '13), 3431--3440. http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/2470654.2466472
[5]
Lars Hallnäs and Johan Redstörm. 2001. Slow technology -- designing for reflection. Personal and Ubiquitous Computing 5: 201--212.
[6]
Lisa P. Nathan, Nell Carden Grey, Milli Lake, Trond Nilsen, Elizabeth Utter, Robert F. Utter, Mark Ring, Zoe Kahn, and Batya Friedman. 2011. Multi-lifespan information system design: investigating a new design approach in Rwanda. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '11), 591--597. http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1753326.1753665
[7]
Never Again Rwanda website. 2016. Retrieved September 19, 2016 from http://neveragainrwanda.org
[8]
William Odom. 2015. Understanding long-term interactions with a slow technology: an investigation of experiences with FutureMe. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '15), 575--584. http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/2702123.2702221
[9]
Carolyn F. Strause and Alastair Fuad-Luke. 2008. The slow design principles: a new interrogative and reflexive tool for design research and practice. In Proceedings of Changing the Change (2008).
[10]
Voices from the Rwanda Tribunal website. 2016. Retrieved September 19, 2016 from http://www.tribunalvoices.org
[11]
Daisy Yoo, Milli Lake, Trond Nilsen, Molly E. Utter, Robert Alsdorf, Theoneste Bizimana, Lisa P. Nathan, Mark Ring, Elizabeth J. Utter, Robert F. Utter, and Batya Friedman. 2013. Envisioning Across Generations: A Multi-lifespan Information System for International Justice in Rwanda. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2013), 2527--2536. http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/2470654.2481349
[12]
Daisy Yoo, Katie Derthick, K., Shaghayegh Ghassemian, Jean Hakizimana, Brian Gill, and Batya Friedman. 2016. Multi-lifespan design thinking: two methods and a case study with the Rwandan diaspora. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '16), 4423--4434. http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/2858036.2858366

Cited By

View all
  • (2024)A temporal vocabulary of Design Events for Research through DesignProceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3613904.3642560(1-12)Online publication date: 11-May-2024
  • (2024)Aligned Co-Design: An Interdependent, Multi-Modal Method for People with Motor and Communication DisabilitiesInternational Journal of Human–Computer Interaction10.1080/10447318.2024.2436038(1-19)Online publication date: 10-Dec-2024
  • (2023)Temporal Tensions in Digital Story Mapping for Housing Justice: Rethinking Time and Technology in Community-Based DesignProceedings of the 2023 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference10.1145/3563657.3596088(2469-2488)Online publication date: 10-Jul-2023
  • Show More Cited By

Index Terms

  1. Pause: A Multi-lifespan Design Mechanism

    Recommendations

    Comments

    Information & Contributors

    Information

    Published In

    cover image ACM Conferences
    CHI '17: Proceedings of the 2017 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
    May 2017
    7138 pages
    ISBN:9781450346559
    DOI:10.1145/3025453
    Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for components of this work owned by others than ACM must be honored. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. Request permissions from [email protected]

    Sponsors

    Publisher

    Association for Computing Machinery

    New York, NY, United States

    Publication History

    Published: 02 May 2017

    Permissions

    Request permissions for this article.

    Check for updates

    Author Tags

    1. design mechanism
    2. multi-lifespan design
    3. pause

    Qualifiers

    • Research-article

    Funding Sources

    Conference

    CHI '17
    Sponsor:

    Acceptance Rates

    CHI '17 Paper Acceptance Rate 600 of 2,400 submissions, 25%;
    Overall Acceptance Rate 6,199 of 26,314 submissions, 24%

    Upcoming Conference

    CHI 2025
    ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
    April 26 - May 1, 2025
    Yokohama , Japan

    Contributors

    Other Metrics

    Bibliometrics & Citations

    Bibliometrics

    Article Metrics

    • Downloads (Last 12 months)105
    • Downloads (Last 6 weeks)21
    Reflects downloads up to 13 Feb 2025

    Other Metrics

    Citations

    Cited By

    View all
    • (2024)A temporal vocabulary of Design Events for Research through DesignProceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3613904.3642560(1-12)Online publication date: 11-May-2024
    • (2024)Aligned Co-Design: An Interdependent, Multi-Modal Method for People with Motor and Communication DisabilitiesInternational Journal of Human–Computer Interaction10.1080/10447318.2024.2436038(1-19)Online publication date: 10-Dec-2024
    • (2023)Temporal Tensions in Digital Story Mapping for Housing Justice: Rethinking Time and Technology in Community-Based DesignProceedings of the 2023 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference10.1145/3563657.3596088(2469-2488)Online publication date: 10-Jul-2023
    • (2023)PhotoClock: Reliving Memories in Digital Photos as the Clock Ticks in the Present MomentProceedings of the 2023 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference10.1145/3563657.3596020(1015-1031)Online publication date: 10-Jul-2023
    • (2023)Miracle Machine in the Making: Soulful Speculation with KabbalahProceedings of the 2023 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference10.1145/3563657.3595990(1740-1756)Online publication date: 10-Jul-2023
    • (2023)Transmediating Sky Blanket: tensions with a digital jacquard loomProceedings of the 2023 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference10.1145/3563657.3595965(371-386)Online publication date: 10-Jul-2023
    • (2023)Futuring from an indigenous community stance: projecting temporal duality from the past into the futureExtended Abstracts of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3544549.3585761(1-7)Online publication date: 19-Apr-2023
    • (2023)Autospeculation: Reflecting on the Intimate and Imaginative Capacities of Data AnalysisProceedings of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3544548.3580902(1-10)Online publication date: 19-Apr-2023
    • (2023)Rhythm Research in Interactive System Design: A Literature ReviewInternational Journal of Human–Computer Interaction10.1080/10447318.2023.229462841:1(31-50)Online publication date: 27-Dec-2023
    • (2023)Decentering Through Design: Bridging Posthuman Theory with More-than-Human Design PracticesHuman–Computer Interaction10.1080/07370024.2023.228353540:1-4(195-220)Online publication date: 27-Nov-2023
    • Show More Cited By

    View Options

    View options

    PDF

    View or Download as a PDF file.

    PDF

    eReader

    View online with eReader.

    eReader

    Login options

    Figures

    Tables

    Media

    Share

    Share

    Share this Publication link

    Share on social media