A transformational approach to interactive lighting system design

Light affects our behaviors and experiences. Research into this field mainly focuses on the effects of lighting conditions on people. The current paper focuses on human interaction with lighting systems, and the way this interaction transforms people’s behaviors and experiences. Technological developments, such as Solid State Lighting and increasingly powerful and economic sensing and control electronics, open up a myriad of possibilities for incorporating interactivity and intelligence in lighting systems design. How can we design an interactive lighting system that influences people’s behaviors and experiences in a positive way? This paper explores this area from an industrial design research point of view. It introduces a transformational approach to interactive lighting design, combining frameworks of Technological Mediation, Human Values and Kansei design. In a research-throughdesign process, a set of interactive lighting systems are designed based on this transformational approach and empirically evaluated. Results indicate that it is indeed possible to invite specific behaviors and experiences through interactive lighting system design