Unmaking electronic waste

Abstract

The proliferation of new technologies has led to a proliferation of unwanted electronic devices. E-waste is the largest-growing consumer waste-stream worldwide, but also an issue often ignored. In fact, HCI primarily focuses on designing and understanding device interactions during one segment of their lifecycles—while users use them. Researchers overlook a significant space—when devices are no longer “useful” to the user such as after breakdown or obsolescence. We argue that HCI can learn from experts who upcycle e-waste and give it second lives in electronics projects, art projects, educational workshops, and more. To acquire and translate this knowledge to HCI, we interviewed experts who unmake e-waste. We explore their practices through the lens of unmaking both when devices are physically unmade and when the perception of e-waste is unmade once waste becomes, once again, useful. Last, we synthesize findings into takeaways for how HCI can engage with the issue of e-waste.