Designing the invisible computer – from radio-clock to screenfridge

This paper will discuss the concept of invisible computing in a product design context. Within product development and advertising, design is commonly used to disregard chronology and semantics. New, unsettling objects can be made to seem old and familiar, or vice versa, something old can acquire a new, “modern” look. The paper argues that it is not unproblematic to make computer technology invisible. Hiding technology and products means to naturalise and normalise something that is highly complex and problematic. Instead design should be used to express and visualise these complex issues. The paper advocates a critical design perspective using theories influenced by feminism.