The Ubiquity Paradox: Further Thinking on the Concept of User Centeredness

Abstract

Where do words go to live when they become meaningless?

—Anonymous

Men of the world who value the Way all turn to books. But books are nothing more than words. Words have value; what is of value in words is meaning.

—Zhuangzi (as quoted in Mao)

For questioning is the piety of thought.

—Heidegger in The Question ConcerningTechnology and Other Essays

This essay argues that user centeredness has become ubiquitous and is in danger of being rendered meaningless. To address this problem, a meditative essay theorizes user centeredness by examining a base term—use—as defined through the ancient concepts of techne and the four causes of making. It concludes that user-centered design should employ the causes in order to avoid inversions during the development of all things technological.