How to create sustainable artefacts? Towards a user-centered design guide for low-techs/appropriate technologies

Technocene is a proposed phenomenon that draws attention to the negative impacts of our technological culture. Low-techs (also known as appropriate technologies) are a possible avenue for transforming this technological culture. The low-tech approach indeed calls for renewing mainstream design practices (e.g., by questioning needs to keep only the essentials, by reducing the complexity of artefacts, by maintaining rather than replacing). Unfortunately, there is a lack of guidance regarding the design process to follow in order to produce low-techs. In order to fill this gap, the present article proposes the first version of a design guide expanding on seven principles (Needs and Satisfiers Negotiation; Autonomy-Assistance Arbitration; Discoverability; Operative Transparency; Non-Functional Aspects; Information, Education and Training; Compensation) taken from previous research. Next steps necessary for the improvement and validation of the guide are also discussed.