By: Eva van der Born, Anna Merl
Part of State of Responsible Tech 2025, Generative Things
Born, E. van der, Merl, A. (2025). Embracing More-Than-Human Perspectives in a Transforming World. In RIOT 2025, State of Responsible Tech – Generative Things (pp. 111-116). Stichting ThingsCon Amsterdam
https://thingscon.org/publications/riot-2025/riot-2025-embracing-more-than-human-perspectives-in-a-transforming-world/
Abstact (generated):
This contribution explores how design practice can move beyond human-centered paradigms to embrace more-than-human (MTH) perspectives in response to the social, ecological, and technological complexities of contemporary life. Drawing from systems thinking and posthuman design theory, van der Born and Merl reflect on their transition from academic exploration to practical application through the development of the MTH Card Deck. This tool, designed as a playful and structured game, facilitates designers in identifying and mapping relationships between human and non-human entities in situated contexts. Through a series of workshops—including one at ThingsCon 2024—the authors demonstrate how the card deck enables participants to “notice” subtle interdependencies, construct relational ecosystems, and prototype speculative, ethical futures. By decentralizing human agency and fostering co-performance among intelligent and non-intelligent actors, the approach supports a relational understanding of technology and design. The paper contributes practical strategies for scaling MTH design in client-facing projects, while critically addressing the tension between ecological ethics and commercial design imperatives. Ultimately, it positions MTH design as a necessary shift toward responsible systems architecture for shared, more-than-human futures.