U&S
User and Society
With the current climate crisis, it is more important than ever to change our relationship with nature. This means moving from an extractive relationship, exploiting natural resources for human benefit, to one where humans and nature are seen as equals [21]. One way of improving this relationship is through “noticing” [39]. Noticing is the act of active sensory engagement with the world around us, allowing us to see its intricacies and complexities [33]. Noticing can foster the human-nature relationship [29]. However, the influence of noticing is not limited to the connection to nature but also promotes a broader sense of connection to others and life as a whole [27], positively affecting mental well-being [26]. Through design, people can be stimulated to practice noticing.

This project explores how design can support noticing, leveraging playful interaction as a way to engage users in the act of noticing. More specifically, an interactive public installation will be designed that uses play qualities to engage people in constructing and executing noticing exercises in a food forest. The installation will be targeted at families visiting the food forest outside of guided activities, encouraging them to engage with the food forest and allowing them to practice the act of noticing.

By doing so, the project supports informal, playful learning in and from nature [35], where users learn through discovery and exploration [20], fostering their connection to nature.
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Maud Vermeulen

Connection

User and Society