Living with Bats: Designing an Interactive Space for Human-Wildlife Cohabitation

An estimated 1 million plant and animal species are threatened with extinction. While opportunities for conservation occur in human-dominated landscapes, negative perceptions of wildlife reshape these possibilities into conflicts. To imagine how technology can help, we held co-design workshops to identify features users wanted in a digital system for learning about and appreciating bats living in a suburban park building. The interactive system was designed to be used by park visitors, employees, and interested others. Participants co-designed features that promoted engaging and entertaining content, such as live streams and activity profiles of individual bats. Participants also expressed desire for accessible opportunities for interaction with a community of users and experts in order to counter misconceptions about bats and highlight their roles in our communities. However, when critiqued from a cohabitation perspective, these features prioritize the needs of human users and neglect those of bats. Elaborating cohabitation as a generative theory for the design of co-living systems and spaces, we outline design implications for shared habitats, co-adaptation, and mutual benefit. Digital systems can facilitate cohabitation between humans and wildlife, however, explicit concern for shared habitats, co-adaptation, and mutual benefit must be incorporated within co-design processes that involve human and animal participation.