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From Exploration to End of Life: Unpacking Sustainability in Physicalization Practices

Luiz Morais, Georgia Panagiotidou, Sarah Hayes, Tatiana Losev, Rebecca Noonan, Uta Hinrichs

TL;DR

This work addresses the neglected environmental footprint of data physicalizations by framing Sustainable Data Physicalization (SDP) and introducing the Sustainable Physicalization Practices (SuPPra) Matrix. Through semi-structured interviews (N=8) and a broader online survey (N=12), the authors map sustainability considerations across the entire physicalization life cycle, from exploration to end-of-life, and identify ten SDP dimensions organized around intent and impact. They argue that sustainability is a contested, context-dependent concept and propose a reflective toolkit—SuPPra—to stimulate early integration, material choices, reuse, and end-of-life planning, while acknowledging ethical dimensions of data provenance. The practical impact lies in providing designers and researchers with a structured, community-driven framework to critically reflect on and improve the environmental aspects of data physicalizations, along with guidance for future work to broaden adoption and validity across domains.

Abstract

Data physicalizations have gained prominence across domains, but their environmental impact has been largely overlooked. This work addresses this gap by investigating the interplay between sustainability and physicalization practices. We conducted interviews with experts from diverse backgrounds, followed by a survey to gather insights into how they approach physicalization projects and reflect on sustainability. Our thematic analysis revealed sustainability considerations throughout the entire physicalization life cycle -- a framework that encompasses various stages in a physicalization's existence. Notably, we found no single agreed-upon definition for sustainable physicalizations, highlighting the complexity of integrating sustainability into physicalization practices. We outline sustainability challenges and strategies based on participants' experiences and propose the Sustainable Physicalization Practices (SuPPra) Matrix, providing a structured approach for designers to reflect on and enhance the environmental impact of their future physicalizations.

From Exploration to End of Life: Unpacking Sustainability in Physicalization Practices

TL;DR

This work addresses the neglected environmental footprint of data physicalizations by framing Sustainable Data Physicalization (SDP) and introducing the Sustainable Physicalization Practices (SuPPra) Matrix. Through semi-structured interviews (N=8) and a broader online survey (N=12), the authors map sustainability considerations across the entire physicalization life cycle, from exploration to end-of-life, and identify ten SDP dimensions organized around intent and impact. They argue that sustainability is a contested, context-dependent concept and propose a reflective toolkit—SuPPra—to stimulate early integration, material choices, reuse, and end-of-life planning, while acknowledging ethical dimensions of data provenance. The practical impact lies in providing designers and researchers with a structured, community-driven framework to critically reflect on and improve the environmental aspects of data physicalizations, along with guidance for future work to broaden adoption and validity across domains.

Abstract

Data physicalizations have gained prominence across domains, but their environmental impact has been largely overlooked. This work addresses this gap by investigating the interplay between sustainability and physicalization practices. We conducted interviews with experts from diverse backgrounds, followed by a survey to gather insights into how they approach physicalization projects and reflect on sustainability. Our thematic analysis revealed sustainability considerations throughout the entire physicalization life cycle -- a framework that encompasses various stages in a physicalization's existence. Notably, we found no single agreed-upon definition for sustainable physicalizations, highlighting the complexity of integrating sustainability into physicalization practices. We outline sustainability challenges and strategies based on participants' experiences and propose the Sustainable Physicalization Practices (SuPPra) Matrix, providing a structured approach for designers to reflect on and enhance the environmental impact of their future physicalizations.
Paper Structure (43 sections, 2 figures, 1 table)

This paper contains 43 sections, 2 figures, 1 table.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Background
  3. Sustainable HCI
  4. Data Physicalization Practices and Sustainability
  5. Sustainability Frameworks
  6. Study Design: Semi-Structured Interviews and Online Survey
  7. Instruments and Procedure
  8. Interviews
  9. Survey
  10. Participants
  11. Projects
  12. Data Analysis
  13. Reflexivity
  14. Findings
  15. The Physicalization Life Cycle
  16. ...and 28 more sections

Figures (2)

  • Figure 1: Projects from the interviews with physicalization experts. Credits: (1) Sarah Hayes; (2) Giorgia Panagiotidou; (3) Luiz Morais; (4) Tatiana Losev; (5) Sandy Claes; (6) Adien Segal / Photo: Mario Gallucci; (7) Samuel Huron; (8) Skye Moret, Liina Klauss, and Moritz Stefaner.
  • Figure 2: The SuPPra Matrix. The ten identified dimensions of SDP on the y-axis (as identified through our thematic analysis) mapped against the project lifecycle on the x-axis, with connections to the explored projects indicated. Note that the boundaries between these dimensions are often blurry and overlap or intersect with each other.