Andrea Benedetti

At the intersection of ubiquitous technology in society, the amassing of personal data, and the responsibility of the design practice, a misalignment between big tech companies and the population becomes apparent. In this opaque system where value is created from data produced online (Hankey & Tuszynski, 2017), a rising concern among the population regards what kind of data is collected and for what purposes. “Is my phone listening to me?” is a peculiar question that probably we heard or asked ourselves (Kröger & Raschke, 2019), and synthesize these levels of opacity: an uncertainty about the hardware, the software, and the backed services. These doubts and behaviors reveal an underlying need to retake control of the digital traces we leave behind on digital platforms.

This misalignment – and how to act on it – is worth exploring: while design and technology are usually valued when efficient and smooth in enabling actions (Hallnäs & Redström, 2001) also when designing , efforts have been made instead in repositioning design as a critical practice to make commentary. The central research hypothesis is that “slowing down” design products that employ technology in their fruition could be a relevant, if little, part of the solution. In juxtaposition to efficiency in design, the term “friction” is hypothesized from the surfacing of this term in the design community.