by ellen.dressler -

08 | Exploring Sustainability Awareness: Insights from an In-Depth Interview

In my ongoing exploration of sustainability, I recently conducted a semi-structured guided interview with a friend deeply involved in environmental activism, particularly in the context of Fridays for Future. Studying Psychology with a focus on environmental psychology, she brought a wealth of knowledge and diverse perspectives to the conversation.

In my previous blog posts, I delved into defining sustainability and examining international agreements aimed at addressing its challenges. Recognizing the need for individual contributions alongside governmental efforts, I aimed to understand the current level of awareness and explore interactive educational approaches that could inspire sustainable action.

The interview aimed to provide insights into my friend’s experiences, perceptions, and recommendations regarding sustainability awareness. Structured as a guided conversation in German, the questions were designed to offer flexibility while maintaining the framework.

Insights from the Interview

Existing educational Efforts

My friend acknowledged the importance of education but expressed concerns about its effectiveness in promoting general sustainability awareness. She emphasized the need for clearer communication and a focus on positive future scenarios to counteract false balance in media representation.

Challenges in Communication

Addressing challenges in communication across age groups, she highlighted the prevalence of false balance in media, where a climate scientist might be juxtaposed with a climate denier, giving a misleading impression of a 50:50 debate. She stressed the importance of clearly stating the scientific consensus.

Role of Social Media

While recognizing the influence of social media, she also pointed out the trend towards superficiality and rapid content turnover. The success of influencers showcasing luxurious lifestyles might perpetuate a perception that sustainability means sacrifice.

Interactive Approaches

Regarding effective communication, she suggested exploring interactive approaches such as workshops, events, and campaigns that provide tangible experiences. She believed that the cool factor of sustainable living needed to be emphasized.

Governmental Role

Highlighting the importance of government involvement, she expressed concern about the perceived lack of effectiveness and social justice in current sustainability measures. She believed that well-executed, socially just initiatives could significantly increase public support.

Tailored Approaches

Recognizing the diversity of lifestyles and professions, she emphasized the potential effectiveness of individualized approaches. By addressing specific challenges related to mobility, food choices, and energy consumption, tailored solutions could resonate more deeply.

Motivations for Engagement

In terms of incentives, she highlighted intrinsic motivations tied to biospheric values, such as the desire for a better environment for future generations. The potential impact on one’s immediate surroundings, avoidance of negative consequences like flooding or water scarcity, and hedonistic enjoyment of sustainable practices were also mentioned.

This insightful interview offered valuable perspectives on sustainability awareness. It underscored the need for clearer communication, engaging and tailored educational approaches, and the pivotal role of governments in driving effective change. These insights will undoubtedly shape the direction of my research on this topic.

by leonie.dunke -

10 | Theatre in the digital time

In recent weeks, I have drawn inspiration from captivating articles, podcasts, conversations, and theatre performances, gaining numerous fascinating insights into the context of digitisation in the theatre. As I began my research without a clear direction, I formulated three guiding questions to systematically delve into the subject. With the aim of providing an overview of the gathered information and my research process, this blog post will summarise and refine the essential contents.

My initial guiding questions covered various aspects, including the future potentials of digital technologies for productions, accessibility in the theatre, and digital tools for more efficient communication and organisation within the theatre and across different departments.

My research commenced with the digital enhancement of theatre productions, uncovering numerous projects. The theatre realm is a creative sphere where experimentation with newly developed digital techniques is constant. This ranges from projections on the stage to specially crafted VR experiences, the integration of sensors, motion capturing, AI, smartphones, and interactive audience involvement.

The abundance of projects led to occasional uncertainty about my focus, as explored possibilities were already implemented in various theatre productions.

In a phase of uncertainty about my further research, I dedicated myself to the digitalisation of work processes in the theatre. Conversations with theatre professionals sparked my interest, particularly regarding the intricate organisation of stage designs and costumes. Sustainability in the theatre, gaining significance, especially concerning meticulously planned and produced stage designs and costumes, became a central focus. This prompted me to question whether digitisation could not only enhance processes but also contribute to a more sustainable theatre environment. The attached infographic aided in understanding the interconnection of various theatre departments and served as an ideal starting point for comprehending production processes and discussing potential improvements.

MOOI: Information graphic – Hinter den Kulissen

In my third blog post, I delved intensively into the „Green Book,“ providing suggestions for a sustainable theatre production process. Particularly fascinating were the tips and potential changes for a more sustainable material management and internal communication and organisation. Examples include detailed organisation of storage spaces, notes on environmentally friendly materials, and digital communication with international theatre professionals, reducing travel, saving time, and still ensuring effective collaboration.

After gaining a broad overview of theatre areas with potential for change, I focused in subsequent blog posts on the field of stage design. At that time, this area seemed to offer the greatest potential for digital transformation, encompassing the design process, production, and, most importantly, the stage rehearsal.

The crucial steps where digital tools can contribute to more sustainability and smoother processes are during the design phase, model building for various concepts, and the stage rehearsal. Digital technologies like VR and AR support by providing precise visualisation in actual size, movement in space, and direct adjustments to stage designs. Virtual models promote efficient conceptualisation, improved teamwork, resource efficiency by avoiding physical models, sustainability through eco-friendly software, adaptability, light simulation, and effect optimisation. Additionally, digital models can be archived and reused for future productions, offering ecological and economic advantages.

A fascinating project by DTHG, focusing on the use of VR and AR in the design process of stage designs, captured my attention. The project centered on developing a design process where digital tools were judiciously employed. This included 3D programs for model creation, Mozilla Hubs for digital meetings discussing 3D models in large groups, and VR-Sketch, enabling discussions and construction rehearsals through VR headsets, with the unique feature of live editing of the virtual 3D model during discussions.

Lastly, through this project, I explored additional possibilities for VR and AR, such as enhancing the theatre experience in a museum format, on stage, and as a supportive learning tool in construction training.

Looking back, the comprehensive research into various areas where digitisation is more prevalent has helped me gain a broad overview of the current state of affairs. Returning to the initial question:

Where can a designer improve theatre processes and effectively implement digital technologies?

  • In fostering sustainable theatre productions, addressing both material usage and the redesign of work processes.
    -> The challenge lies in striking a balance between the creative expression of set and costume designers, the desire to create something unique, and concurrently ensuring the sustainability of the production without solely relying on existing resources
  • Enhancing the network between theatres at the regional level and individual artists
  • Improving the orientation of apprentices in areas where a thorough introduction is challenging due to time constraints, such as in the field of stage construction
  • Promoting appreciation for craftsmanship and conveying theatre processes
by mert.altinoez -

06 | World Wide Waste: Webwaste 🌱

Unfortunately, I have found that many digital designers and developers ignore ordinary people living on ordinary wages. Not because designers and developers are bad people. No. It’s because most digital professionals live in a high-tech, large-screen, high-resolution, unlimited high-speed bandwidth bubble. Get some fresh air out in the real world. Get out of the bubble.

(McGovern 2020, p. 105)

Today, I want to shortly summarize the chapter Webwaste from Gerry McGoverns book, World Wide Waste1. This chapter mainly deals with the correlation between web design and sustainable user experience on the web. It covers topics like: page size, image and video use, overall content implementation as well as coding.

The Web is obese

It is worth noting that the number of websites on the  internet has increased significantly over the years, from around 3,000 in 1994 to approximately 1.7 billion in 2019. Additionally, webpages have grown in size, from about 100 KB to roughly 4 MB between 2003 and 2019. It is interesting to observe that the average load time for webpages has also increased, from approximately 4.3 seconds on mobile phones in 2013 to about 10.3 seconds on computers and 27.3 seconds on mobile devices by October 2019. It is widely acknowledged that slow websites are not well-received by users. In 2018, a study conducted by Google revealed that more than half of mobile users would leave a webpage if it took longer than three seconds to load.

Third-Party Services

The implemented third-party services (cookies) mostly function like a Trojan Horse. You think you’re accessing one website or app, but then all these other third-parties start accessing you and start tracking your web activities. This does not only raise privacy concerns but also consumes more energy than necessary, because you want to enter one website but it is filled with 22 third-party services, so you ultimately enter or get entered by 23 websites or services. 

Images

The use of certain images on the Web has been identified as a potential source of digital pollution. Some of these images, such as clichéd and stock images, may not add any value, interest or use to the content. They may also contribute to page bloat, which can slow down page loading times and generate unnecessary pollution. Additionally, they may occupy valuable space on the page, which could otherwise be used for more useful content, leading to unnecessary scrolling. It is worth noting that high-resolution images can have a considerable impact on the environment. As an example, moving from 4K to 8K resolution triples the file size. A 4K image, which has a size of 6.9 MB, increases to 18 MB at 8K. Furthermore, text-only solutions tend to perform better. This is exemplified by a UK government initiative to encourage people to sign up as potential organ donors, which tested eight different approaches. Interestingly, those that used images were found to be the least effective.

Videos

Every time you see a video, imagine seeing a little diesel truck belching fumes as it trundles across the web, because that’s the impact videso have on the environment. One second of video has as much impact on the environment as 50.000 words of text, which is enough text for a pretty hefty book. Scientist Rabih Bashroush calculated that the music video for “Despacito” consumed as much electricity as Chad, Guinea-Bissau, Somalia, Sierra Leone and the Central African Republic would use in a year. So please, only use video when you know it makes a real difference. 

JavaScript, CSS and HTML

It has been observed that 1 KB of JavaScript causes more pollution than 1 KB of text due to the energy-intensive processes it sets in motion. In fact, processing 370 KB of JavaScript on an average smartphone used in 2019 could take up to 12 seconds, which can be particularly challenging for older, slower phones, causing them to slow down or even freeze.  Minimizing JavaScript size is an important consideration for web pages, as it can often have a significant impact on loading times. CSS and HTML control the layout and presentation of content on a webpage. HTML can easily become bloated and needs to be carefully maintained and minimized. In using CSS, it has become convenient to apply frameworks. These are all-in-one packages that contain all the CSS you might need to use and much, much more. These frameworks might load about 100 KB of CSS but usually most sites don’t need any more than 10 KB of the 100 KB downloaded. So 90 % is waste.

What can you take away today?

Every image, every sentence, every line of code creates pollution because it needs energy. While not creating anything is one way to be environmentally friendly, reusing is often a better option. Sharing something that is lean and useful that you have created can also help to reduce pollution, as it means that someone else will not need to create it. Additionally, deleting something that is no longer needed can help to reduce pollution, as storing and transmitting data also contributes to pollution.

Every day decide on at least one thing you won’t do, one thing you’ll reuse, one thing you’ll share, one thing you’ll remove. It’s not that difficult to create or to add something. To remove what needs to be removed, to see what is unnecessary, what is getting in the way, that is such an unappreciated and deep skill. Not just that, to remove requires bravery.

  1. McGovern, Gerry (2020): World Wide Waste. How digital is killing our planet – and what we can do about it.  ↩︎
by dragana.maksimovic -

Can EEG technology shape the future of education?

From the early days of childhood to the challenges of formal education, the brain undergoes dynamic changes. Scientists and educators at Synapse School and Stanford University are joining forces to study how schooling influences brain development, aiming to gain insights that can revolutionize the learning experience. The Brainwave Learning Center, equipped with an EEG laboratory, plays a pivotal role in this journey, providing a unique tool for students to actively engage with the science of learning.

At the Synapse School in Menlo Park, California, students have the opportunity to visit the Brainwave Learning Center—a hub where neuroscience and education converge. Equipped with stretchy caps featuring over a hundred sensors, students engage in educational games and guided meditation while their brain waves are measured in real-time. This interactive experience not only allows children to witness their brain activity but also fosters a sense of ownership and understanding of their own learning process.

Recent advances in neuroimaging technologies, such as MRI and wearable brain-wave sensors, provide unprecedented insights into the developing brain circuits of reading, math, and attention. Large-scale studies, involving thousands of schoolchildren, offer a comprehensive understanding of neurodiversity and how it correlates with educational achievements, home environments, and extracurricular activities.

EEG technology has enabled researchers to explore how specific learning experiences drive changes in brain function and structure. Studies, including MRI imaging of struggling readers undergoing intensive tutoring, have demonstrated the remarkable plasticity of the brain in response to targeted educational interventions. These findings challenge traditional notions of learning disabilities and emphasize the crucial role of tailored educational support in shaping both the mind and brain. Teachers play a central role in guiding students‘ learning experiences. A study involving artificial symbol learning revealed that teachers‘ instructional choices can influence the brain circuits associated with word recognition. This emphasizes the significance of effective teaching methods in directing learning and impacting the changing landscape of brain circuits.

“Kids come to us ready to learn. The question is do we feed that desire to learn by nurturing curiosity and giving them experiences that encourage them to see the value and the power of learning? That’s what we should be doing. That’s what we should be focused on.” – Pedro Noguera, professor of education at UCLA

Synapse School’s partnership with Stanford University extends beyond traditional academic subjects, delving into social-emotional learning, mindfulness practices, empathy, creativity, self-control, and problem-solving. The continuity between the neuroscience lab and the school environment allows researchers to explore how these factors influence brain circuits involved in human development.

As students progress from kindergarten to middle school, the BLC continues to trace their brain circuits‘ development through repeated EEG measurements. The combination of brain measures with behavioral assessments aims to provide insights into individual strengths and vulnerabilities, guiding the development of targeted instructional approaches.

References and relevant links:

https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/trend/archive/spring-2020/putting-neuroscience-in-the-classroom-how-the-brain-changes-as-we-learn

https://www.synapseschool.org/innovation/blc

https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2019/11/01/the-future-of-learning-the-evolving-classroom

by dragana.maksimovic -

Assistive technology for ADHD

Living with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can present challenges, particularly when it comes to staying focused and organized. Fortunately, the digital age has brought forth a plethora of assistive technologies aimed at helping individuals with ADHD manage their tasks and improve concentration. In this guide, we explore a variety of apps, gadgets, and tools designed to enhance the learning experience and boost productivity for ADHD students, both in the classroom and at home.

1. Apps for Focus and Organization

In the world of assistive technology, there truly is an app for almost everything. Whether it’s creating to-do lists, setting reminders, or engaging in exercises to control ADHD symptoms, apps can be powerful tools. Friendship Circle, Understood.org, and ADDitude magazine offer curated lists of apps tailored to address attention and learning issues. Utilizing features such as calendar reminders, alarms, and photo annotations can further enhance organizational skills.

2. Hardware, Software, and Video Games

Hardware and software solutions also play a crucial role in assisting ADHD students. Livescribe, for example, combines the convenience of a pen with digital capabilities, allowing handwritten notes to be sent to smartphones. Gadgets and software recommended by experts like Dr. Marshall Raskind and Kristin Stanberry offer subject-specific support in areas such as math, reading, and writing.

Video games, often frowned upon, can be turned into allies. Games that require flexible thinking, memory, and planning can help ADHD students improve their focus. NASA-developed educational software, listed on the ADD/ADHD Support Site, originated from studies to keep pilots alert during long flights.

3. Task Timers and White Noise

Task timers, such as Focus Booster and MotivAider, assist students in managing distractions and learning time management skills. These tools gently remind students to pay attention or switch tasks. The Time Timer, available as an app or a physical clock, visually represents the passage of time, aiding children, in particular, with completing tasks or taking breaks.

White noise, a proven aid for focus, can be incorporated into a student’s routine using apps like White Noise or noise-canceling headphones. Research even suggests that white noise in the classroom can be as effective as medication in helping students with ADHD learn.

4. Cloud Storage for Organization

Cloud storage, offered by platforms like Google Drive and Dropbox, helps students with ADHD stay organized by preventing the loss of important assignments. Saving documents to the cloud ensures accessibility from various locations, reducing the risk of misplacement.

The vast array of assistive technologies available today offers hope and support for individuals with ADHD. By integrating these tools into daily routines, ADHD students can not only cope with challenges but also thrive academically and personally. Embracing technology as an ally, we pave the way for a more inclusive and supportive learning environment.

References and relevant links:

https://disabilitycreditcanada.com/10-best-assistive-technologies-add-adhd/

https://study.com/blog/how-technology-can-help-your-adhd-student-stay-focused.html

https://www.additudemag.com/assistive-technology-education-applications-adhd-students/

https://us.livescribe.com/

by mert.altinoez -

05 | Embracing Digital Sustainability through Inclusive Web Accessibility 🌱

In the rapidly evolving landscape of the digital era, the internet serves as a global gateway to information and services. As we traverse this virtual realm, it becomes imperative to discuss not only technological advancements but also the ethical responsibility of creating a sustainable and inclusive digital environment. In this article, we explore the vital intersection of digital sustainability and web accessibility, shedding light on how making websites accessible can contribute to a more sustainable and equitable future.

The Importance of Website Accessibility

Inclusivity
Website accessibility goes beyond technological advancements; it’s about fostering inclusivity. By ensuring that websites cater to the needs of people with disabilities, we pave the way for a more diverse and interconnected digital community.

Legal and Ethical Responsibility
Beyond meeting legal obligations, prioritizing accessibility is a moral and ethical responsibility. It reflects a commitment to creating a digital space that accommodates the needs of all users, fostering a sense of belonging and equal opportunity.

Enhanced User Experience
Accessible design translates to an enhanced user experience for everyone. User-friendly interfaces, customizable features, and alternative input methods contribute to a more enjoyable and efficient interaction with digital content.

Digital Sustainability
Web accessibility is a cornerstone of digital sustainability. With over a billion people worldwide living with some form of disability, neglecting accessibility not only alienates a substantial user base but also hampers a website’s potential reach, influence, and success.

Addressing Specific Challenges

Audio Impaired Individuals
Audio impairment poses significant challenges for individuals in the digital landscape. The absence of captions in videos hinders deaf users from comprehending spoken content, resulting in missed crucial information and rendering the content inaccessible. Moreover, live video streams or webinars without sign language interpretation exclude deaf users from real-time discussions or events. Intricate audio-based navigation on websites and reliance on audio signals for conveying messages create additional obstacles, limiting the inclusivity of online platforms for those who cannot hear. Addressing these challenges is crucial to ensuring a more accessible and equitable digital experience for users with audio impairments.1

Motor Impaired Individuals
Navigating the digital landscape can pose significant challenges for individuals with motor impairments. Limited keyboard accessibility presents obstacles in accessing and interacting with websites, hindering the ease of navigation and activation of interactive elements. Ensuring assistive technology compatibility is paramount, emphasizing the importance of descriptive text for images and the use of semantic HTML to enhance overall comprehension. Complex website layouts further exacerbate difficulties, emphasizing the need for simplified designs with well-spaced and appropriately sized elements to facilitate accurate clicking. Additionally, the integration of alternative input methods, such as eye-tracking, voice recognition, and head pointers, becomes crucial to ensure inclusivity and prevent the exclusion of users with diverse motor impairments.2

Vision Impaired Individuals
Vision impaired individuals encounter several challenges when navigating the digital landscape. The absence of alternative text or descriptions for visual content, such as images and graphs, limits their ability to access and comprehend information. Additionally, websites lacking semantic HTML elements pose obstacles for users relying on screen readers, impeding seamless navigation due to the lack of proper headings and landmarks. The dependence on mouse interaction further exacerbates accessibility issues, as websites not operable via keyboard alone may alienate users with fine motor skill challenges. Moreover, content solely relying on visual cues without text-to-speech functionality can exclude individuals who benefit from auditory information, creating barriers to a comprehensive understanding of online content for those with vision impairments.3

Accessibility Levels

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) defines accessibility levels—A, AA, and AAA—each representing varying degrees of implementation complexity and impact on users.4

Level A: Foundation of Accessibility
Establishes the basic requirements for all websites, creating an essential starting point for an inclusive online environment. Ensures fundamental accessibility elements, such as keyboard navigation, readable text, and image alt text.

Level AA: Inclusive Standards
Introduces more comprehensive standards, demonstrating a commitment to usability, inclusivity, and, consequently, digital sustainability. Addresses adaptable text, color contrasts, and multimedia accessibility.

Level AAA: Gold Standard
Represents the highest level of accessibility, showcasing exceptional dedication to providing a user-friendly experience for individuals with disabilities. Addresses intricate aspects such as sign language for multimedia, meticulous content organization, and extensive user input validation.

Conclusion

In the quest for digital sustainability, web accessibility stands out as a pivotal element. By addressing the specific challenges faced by individuals with diverse abilities, adhering to accessibility levels, and fostering awareness, we not only improve the user experience for all but also contribute to a digital world that prioritizes equitable access. Let us continue championing diversity, fostering inclusivity, and collectively building a web that aligns with the principles of sustainability and leaves no user behind.

  1. SustainableWWW (n. d.): Accessibility for hearing impairment.
    URL: https://sustainablewww.org/wiki/accessibility/accessibility-for-hearing-impairment ↩︎
  2. SustainableWWW (n. d.): Accessibility for motor impairment.
    URL: https://sustainablewww.org/wiki/accessibility/accessibility-for-motor-impairment ↩︎
  3. SustainableWWW (n. d.): Accessibility for vision impairment.
    URL: https://sustainablewww.org/wiki/accessibility/accessibility-for-vision-impairment ↩︎
  4. SustainableWWW (n. d.): Accessibility levels.
    URL: https://sustainablewww.org/wiki/accessibility/accessibility-levels ↩︎
by david.lasslberger -

#06 Immersion Therapy – Part 2.

This blog post is a continuation of the previous post #05, where I talked about the definition and explanation of various terms surrounding the topic of immersion therapy. In this second part, I want to go deeper into the advantages and disadvantages and specific use cases for these treatment methods. This will hopefully deepen my understanding of this subject and which elements are or are not important.

Advantages and disadvantages of this treatment method

As mentioned in previous blog posts, this type of therapy can be used to treat both physical and mental health problems.
As a side note, I found that the internet provides many resources when it comes to the treatment of mental health problems but less so for physical problems.
In the upcoming section, I will talk about advantages and disadvantages for both mental and physical problems, as these often times overlap and apply to both.

Let us discuss briefly what the distinct advantages of this digitized approach of therapy is, over more traditional ways.

  • It is a very safe and controlled environment. People can be gradually exposed to their fears/problems/anxieties. The therapist can fully control the level of exposure and also monitoring devices, e.g. for the heart rate, may be utilized to gather information. Furthermore, the patient can rest assured that they can end or pause the treatment whenever they feel overwhelmed.
  • Be more engaging and interactive experience. For example, compared to traditional talking treatments, the patient feel more immersed and connected to the experience. This helps with the efficiency of the treatment and can also be useful when dealing with patients with a low attention span or motivation, such as with children. Furthermore, VR is shown to be able to reduce the pain levels experienced by patients. It can help to break or alleviate a negative feedback loop caused by pain, dizziness and fatigue.
  • It can be time- and cost-efficient. A VR setup can be quite inexpensive and certain scenarios may be reused multiple times. Also, the treatment can easily be done in a simple room. Comparing this to e.g. treating the fear of flying where one would need to somehow simulate a flight or go flying, the ease of use becomes apparent.
  • The results produced by this method seem to be long-lasting and very positive according to several studies done. However, even though this sound positive, more research is needed. Most research done thus far is on phobias and PTSD, its use for other problems still needs to be thoroughly researched.
  • Treatment may be administered remotely. Some patients may not be able to leave their homes. VR therapy could be used to deliver training/therapy materials to patients anywhere.

Of course this type of treatment method also has disadvantages and problems, such as:

  • Technical aspects can prove difficult. Such as the initial setup cost, bugs, hardware problems and also the need to create programs/levels/scenarios for the specific treatment. This takes time and money.
  • Therapists need to be trained to utilize this tool. The adoption of VR technology as a therapy method is slow, and many mental health professionals are also not trained to work with it. This is also a problem here in Austria, where very few places (hospitals, etc.) actually work with and support it.
  • Patients may not feel open to this treatment approach and not accept it. Instead seeing it a simple gimmick with no real usage.

Let us talk very quickly about why exposure therapy works. There are several ways how it functions and creates positive effects:

  • Habituation – meaning that through exposure, people can become accustomed to their fears and decrease their reaction to the object/situations which create the fear.
  • Extinction – similar to habituation. Previous (negative) associations with objects/situations can be weakened or even replaced with positive emotions through exposure.
  • Self-efficacy – patients learn that they are strong enough to handle their fears on their own and confront them forthright.
  • Emotional processing – describes the process in which patients change their beliefs about objects/situations/activities/… and attach new, more realistic beliefs and emotions to them.
  • VR can be used to target areas in the brain responsible for pain processing and help regulate them and reduce the pain felt. For this reason, it can be used to treat several forms of chronic pains.

Summary & conclusion

Again, since this blog post is getting kind of long, I will continue and finish this subject in blog post 7 – part 3. There I will go into further detail regarding specific use cases for immersion therapy.

In this blog post, advantages and disadvantages were discussed. It is important to look at both sides and have a realistic view about this new form of therapy to be able to best use it. Furthermore, a brief overview over why this form of therapy works has been given.

References used in this article and for research

The notes under the links are mostly for myself, in order to have an organised overview over the content of each source.

Immersion Therapy for Treatment and Support of Mental Health conditions (simulationmagazine.com)
short general article about immersion therapy

What Is Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy? (choosingtherapy.com)
a more in-depth read about (VR) exposure therapy

Immersion Therapy For Anxiety: How It Works And Techniques (mantracare.org)
a more in-depth read about immersion therapy

Immersion Therapy vs. Exposure Therapy – Healthy Minded
short overview of the difference between (VR)ET and IT

What Is Exposure Therapy? (apa.org)
good, structured overview over ET

Overview – Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) – NHS (www.nhs.uk)
good, rather detailed read about CBT

by mert.altinoez -

04 | Digital Life Cycle Assessment 🌱

Should I buy apples that were produced regionally, or ones imported from Poland, which are somehow a little bit cheaper? I guess everyone has had thoughts like this while shopping for groceries or other items. But have you ever had these thoughts while buying, downloading, or using digital products? I guess not, and that’s not a shame, because I haven’t had these thoughts either. Therefore, I want to talk about the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of digital products in this blog post.

What is a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)?

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) evaluates the environmental impact of a product from creation to disposal or recycling. The goal is to explore the product’s environmental footprint. It involves examining the following five phases of a product:

  • Raw Material Extraction
  • Manufacturing & Processing
  • Transportation
  • Usage & Retail
  • Waste Disposal

There are four main models, based on those five phases of a product:

1. Cradle-to-grave: Considers the product’s impact across all five life cycle steps, from raw material extraction (cradle) to product disposal (grave).

2. Cradle-to-gate: Focuses on assessing the product until it leaves the factory gates, excluding the use and disposal phases.

3. Cradle-to-cradle: Linked to the Circular Economy, this concept replaces the waste stage with a recycling process, making the product reusable for another purpose.

4. Gate-to-gate: Used in product life cycles with multiple value-adding processes. Simplifies assessment by focusing on one value-added process in the production chain.

Now you know what a LCA is, so let’s move on to digital LCAs and apply this to digital products.1

Digital LCAs

“Compared to the physical world, sustainable web design will de-emphasize the manufacturing (production) stage, making it qualitatively different from print design. Why? Unlike physical products, web pages don’t produce waste paper or ink after the page disappears, only heat from the electronics. For this reason, the cost of web page manufacture will be small compared to the cost of ongoing use. On the other hand, the longer a web page is viewed, the more bits it burns, so efficient use based on good user experience will be very important.“ – Dr. Pete Markiewicz

How can we apply the LCA to digital products? Dr. Pete Markiewicz proposed the following framework for equating DLCAs to their physical counterparts:

LCADLCA
MaterialsSoftware and visual assets
ManufacturingDesign and development
PackagingUploaded to the Internet
DistributionDownloaded through the network
UsageInteraction, UX, completing tasks
DisposalData erased form client

Software and visual assets
In exploring the environmental impact of digital products and services, the focus shifts from the energy consumption of manufacturing processes to the software and visual assets involved. Questions arise about the sustainability of cloud-based services, specifically whether they are hosted on platforms powered by renewable energy. Additionally, the energy efficiency of software creation becomes a crucial consideration, with concerns ranging from the application’s design principles to the company’s use of renewable energy in its offices. It’s also important to consider the resource usage of software, including factors like unnecessary features and the energy efficiency of equipment.

Design and development
In the realm of digital product design and development, efficiency gains and energy savings can be achieved, particularly during the initial phases. Employing strategies like progressive enhancement and adopting a mobile-first approach ensures broader accessibility to digital products and services. Utilizing web standards such as HTML5 and CSS3, along with emerging open-source frameworks like webVR and OSVR, facilitates efficient content delivery across various devices. Compliance with accessibility standards ensures that content can be accessed by users with disabilities, expanding the reach across different platforms. When conducting an inventory analysis for digital product design and development, crucial questions include assessing the use of outdated or nonstandard technology, optimizing for mobile devices, and ensuring the compression or minification of images, scripts, and other assets for optimal delivery speed.

Server uploads, network downloads
The absence of physical packaging and transportation for digital products doesn’t eliminate energy consumption. Even though these products don’t rely on cargo ships, energy is still essential to deliver them to their virtual destinations. To address this, designers and developers can enhance the efficiency of applications and ensure they are hosted on servers powered by renewable energy sources, milder energy loss during transmission. Leveraging Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) further aids in minimizing energy loss by serving pages and content from servers closest to the user.

Interaction
All digital products and services require energy to run. Interaction represents the most profound way they differ from their physical counterparts. Question is how much energy do they use? How can one answer this for a DLCA? Here are some questions to ask:

  • How much traffic does the site or app get?
  • How much of the traffic comprises computers versus mobile devices?
  • How much energy do each of those devices use per second or per minute?
  • How much data is uploaded/downloaded per device per minute?
  • What is the average amount of time spent using the digital product or service?

You can find answers to many of these questions via Google Analytics or other metrics measurement applications.

Disposal of Data
Unlike physical products, digital products don’t involve recycling, but the turnover in digital products can result in residual data, increasing application size and environmental footprint. The front-end power used for removal is minimal compared to overall usage, but practices like data backup (e.g., in systems like Git) may raise concerns about electricity use and efficiency. As applications grow in size and complexity, addressing questions about processor resources for removal, residual information on users‘ devices, and the number of unused accounts in the database becomes crucial to understand and minimize environmental impact.2

  1. Quist, Zazala (n. d.): Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) – Complete Beginner’s Guide.
    URL: https://ecochain.com/blog/life-cycle-assessment-lca-guide/#who-needs-LCA ↩︎
  2. Frick, Tim (2016): Designing for Sustainability. A Guide to building greener digital products & services. ↩︎
by leonie.dunke -

8 | Theatre in the digital time

Project: Hybrid-real stage spaces

This project looks at how real and virtual spaces can work together in performances, with a focus on how audiences engage with musicians or performers. Through the creation of the VR performance „Spatial Encounters,“ they are exploring how blending physical and digital spaces can be a powerful tool for designing unique and immersive experiences. Additionally, their goal is to understand how artists collaborate in performances, specifically in the realm of musical experiences.

This special space combines real and digital elements to explore conversations between music, people, and surroundings, breaking away from traditional concerts. Participants can immerse themselves in the music without having a traditional front-facing setup. It aims to create new interactive dialogues between sound and visuals, inviting participants to focus on a unique way of listening.

Various virtual landscapes generated with VFX form the basic setup. Musicians and up to nine participants can interact simultaneously in this space. Visitors interact with their own avatars or others, influencing the virtual space. At the same time, the musical composition by the artists affects the virtual space, creating a mutual interplay between musicians and participants that constantly evolves.

The main focus of the project was on the questions:

  • How do users behave alone or in a community in different contexts, media, and formats?
  • How much influence do we allow users, and how much interaction is possible and necessary?
  • How can we transform passive viewers into active creators?

Special attention was given to ensuring a successful performance by emphasising spatial safety. Overlaps must exist in both virtual and real spaces, clearly indicating that one can move safely in the real space.

Project: Augmented reality as a communication tool

The project aims to address communication challenges in theater refurbishments and cultural venues by leveraging XR (extended reality) technologies. Traditional tools like drawings and models have limitations in conveying the complexities of spatial situations in theaters. Collaborating with experts, the project explores scenarios for renovation planning and discussions on stage productions, aiming to answer questions about presenting architectural transformations, integrating augmented reality into physical scale models and drawings, and digitally supporting planning processes using XR technology for seamless communication among stakeholders.

Basis:

Complex construction projects, including new builds and renovations of theaters and cultural venues, pose significant communication challenges. Traditional tools in architectural visualization, such as 3D views and animations, often fall short in conveying the overall spatial context. While physical models aid spatial understanding, they may lack flexibility. The need for interactivity and flexibility highlights the demand for improved communication methods.

Key Questions:

To what extent can digital technologies like Augmented Reality support communication by adding digital layers to built-scale models, drawings, and physical spaces, presenting complex architectural transformation processes comprehensibly?

Task:

In the refurbishment of the Luisenburg Festival’s natural stage, digital tools were employed to enhance the communication of the complex system structure of cavities, corridors, and stairs in the planning process. The goal was to involve all stakeholders in the decision-making process and convey the highly complex planning process in an understandable way for prompt decision-making.

Implementation:

The AR application was developed using terrestrial laser scans, drone-based photogrammetry, and CAD planning. Users can present three-dimensional content on a floor plan or physical model using a tablet, smartphone, or AR glasses. Physical objects serve as anchor points for digital content prepared in advance. Aspects such as object positioning, scaling, and user interface were considered.

Technical Tools:

WebXR Editor and Viewer

Advantages:

  • Cost savings
  • Improved planning capabilities
  • Location and time-independent planning
  • Consistent presentation regardless of weather conditions and changes in natural conditions due to snow
  • AR as an effective presentation tool for tables, models, or sketches to enhance communication

Opportunities for Digital Tools:

  • Workshop drawings and planning sketches are 2D, but a 3D blueprint is not necessarily required
  • 3D provides advantages in lighting and simulating the sun’s position without waiting for the corresponding time of day
  • Need for professional exchange between festival locations and various stakeholders at the national and international levels.

Ressources

DTHG: Abschluss-Publikation des Forschungsprojektes „Im/material Theatre Spaces“

by leonie.dunke -

7 | Theatre in the digital time

Project: Virtual teaching and learning spaces

The project focuses on the development of digital, interactive training modules within a project unit. Innovative teaching and learning tools have been created for virtual reality. Virtual Reality can significantly contribute to practical learning and the acquisition of experiential knowledge, especially in spatial learning, technical preparation, and avoiding injury risks in a simulated work environment.

The use of a virtual learning space provides the opportunity to make hidden structures visible and facilitates the learning of extensive technical skills in a straightforward manner. Often, the size of learning groups and the temporal constraints tied to a specific location hinder individual experimentation and learning. The listed projects, including the 3D reconstruction of a chain hoist as a construction project for rehearsal stages and the skills training in microphone techniques through the „Sound Space“ contribution, address various aspects.

  1. „Virtual Chain Hoist Exercise“: A VR prototype designed for a theater lab, this exercise involves selecting the right chain hoist, understanding components, and solving context-specific challenges set by a lecturer.
  2. „Safety Signs“: Users memorize safety sign functions and engage in a fire-fighting exercise, choosing the correct fire extinguisher and maintaining the proper safety distance in this virtual learning space.
  3. „Rehearsal Stage Setup“: This virtual space reduces rehearsal stage construction time by shifting planning to the virtual realm, addressing challenges in transforming stage designs into plans using standard materials.
  4. „Sound Space – Microphonation“: Users explore instrument microphone setups in a virtual learning environment, comparing sound qualities in a stage and recording studio, understanding pick-up positions, and microphone types.
  5. „Hazard Detector“: A virtual learning space in a trade fair hall, users test theoretical knowledge with a suspended rig, conducting safety checks and identifying hazards, simulating challenges faced by event technicians.
  6. „Bending Beam“: Using theater objects, this virtual learning space teaches technical mechanics, allowing users to understand the interplay of forces in a simulated trade fair hall, providing real-time feedback and serving as a tool for theoretical teaching.
  7. „Cybertheater 2077“: A learning game immersing users in various technical professions and theater departments, modeled after a pre-university internship, engaging prospective and advanced students, alumni, and professionals in the virtual theater world.
  8. „Let There Be Light“: This VR project teaches lighting technology through exercises in stage lighting, object tracking, and additive color mixing. Divided into theory and practice rooms, it targets students, trainees, and the general public, with flexible upgrades based on specific learning groups or audiences.

For virtual learning to function seamlessly, strong engagement from all participants and flexible adaptation to constantly changing conditions are crucial.

Project: Digital twins of theatre technology history

„CANON“ brings together educators and students from nine European universities to create an open database and teaching approaches focused on preserving the cultural heritage of international theatre technology. The foundation of the project encounters a challenge in teaching the history of theatre technology, particularly due to the complexity of the machineries.

The project’s prototype is crafted for a teaching setting featuring a timeline on a table or wall, allowing the placement of content linked to a media database. This database’s 3D objects can be dynamically visualized in augmented reality, incorporating photos, videos, texts, or diagrams.

The key advantage lies in the ability to visually demonstrate machine functions, utilizing a dynamic 3D representation with sound, video, images, and supporting texts for easy access to theatre history. Integrated into lessons through QR codes and the CANON database, this tool supports diverse teaching scenarios (frontal, teamwork, free work, presentation) with different methods and didactics, including a „guided tour,“ the „explorer“ discovery mode, or the „flaneur style.“

Project: Bringing theatre heritage to life

„Virtual Reality Time Travel Berlin 1927“ is an immersive project that takes you on a journey to explore the history of the theatre. By integrating historical artifacts from Stadtmuseum Berlin and other archives, the project addresses the challenge of making cultural heritage accessible. It also examines how digital tools in archives and virtual reality can bring historical theatre architecture to life. The project, marking the 100th anniversary of the GroĂźe Schauspielhaus, offers both an exhibition installation and a freely accessible VR application, providing a unique and spatial experience of the theatre’s history, architecture, and art. The participants are accompanied by one of three virtual characters, each offering a different perspective of the theatre and providing a dynamic exploration the heritage.

Ressources

DTHG: Abschluss-Publikation des Forschungsprojektes „Im/material Theatre Spaces“