Me, the Hill and My Browser – Investigating the Role of Time in Posthuman Interaction

Despite the growing concerns related to environmental disruptions, such as forest fires and floods, our interaction with nature has become increasingly distant. The belief is that this is due to human attunement to quick changes over short periods, while natural changes seem slow-paced over the long term. We argue that rather than the problem lying with the pace of time, humans should further attune to the various temporalities within nature. To unpack this topic, we follow a two-fold process: Research through Design and Autobiographical Design. The resulting prototype takes environmental sensor data and visualises the changes happening over a short time. We complement this IT-supported process with think-aloud walks, a practice that is embodied and devoid of technology, for a plural perspective on time. We offer insights into how noticing the various temporalities in nature was enabled, finally arguing for designs that support progressive adjustments that sustain human-nonhuman mutualism.