Ben Kraal

This site is my research blog, in the broadest sense.

I’m interested in so many things, most of which come under the broad headings of “technology” and “people” but particularly the intersection of the two and then even more particularly “how people use technology”. As the technologies that people use are designed objects and services, I’m interested in Design (and in design).

To be more specific, first, I’m interested in how people make things useful. That is, how people take designed things and integrate them into parts of their lives. This is a very ordinary, everyday, process but it is also very interesting (and not just because it is so ordinary!).

Second, giving an account of how that everyday process happens is pretty important. Figuring out what people know and do means making an act accountable. Making that account count, getting it right and true, is one thing. Making the account affordable, understandable, is something else again.

Finally, I believe that in showing how people take objects and services and gracefully integrate them into their lives reveals that the overlooked and unacknowledged processes through which that integration happens are truly beautiful.

This blog is about making the ordinary useful, affordable and beautiful.