The Ways of Water: A Guiding Metaphor for Designing Calm Technologies

This paper explores "The Ways of Water: Embody, Encalm, and Enliven" as a guiding metaphor for designing technologies that emphasize embodiment, mindfulness, and ecological awareness. By adapting Ursula K. Le Guin’s “the way of water” essay, Astrida Neimanis’s "Bodies of Water" feminist post-human phenomenology, Paul Dourish’s Embodied Interaction principles, and Weiser and Brown’s Calm Technology signs, we develop a framework for describing technologies that emphasize these qualities. Aligning with Astrida Neimanis’s notion of embodied experiences to think as a body of water, this paper advocates for a more reflective approach to design, recognizing the sensibility, fluidity, and interconnectedness of humans and those of others. Through the creation of three technologically mediated water containers driven from the metaphor—a Water Tank Display, an Interactive Dish for Tea Tasting, and a Water Plant Terrarium—and their corresponding narratives, we speculate on the potential of these interfaces to engage users in rich sensory experiences, encouraging contemplation on the embodied meanings of the materials with which they interact with. This paper aims to inspire HCI researchers and designers to incorporate the principles of "The Ways of Water" into their work and leverage new technologies in service of enhancing embodiment, mindfulness, and ecological responsibility to ultimately contribute to a more harmonious and sustainable future.