The way we construct our immediate surroundings and our ways of living determine
how we relate to the whole world as we know it and how we view our lives in relation
to it. In other words, our perspective of the wider world and our role within it is shaped
by how the things we use are designed and depends on the ways in which we are
permitted to interact with our world through these things. This is the focus of this
pictorial/short paper, which suggests three interaction design principles to support the
process of forming and strengthening the relation between us and the basic conditions
of life. These principles are based on the observations made and experiences had
during three field trips in areas of wilderness in northern Scandinavia that examined
how interactions with essential resources such as water and heat affected the relations
of people to these resources. Accordingly, the proposed design principles concern the
relational aspect of design in terms of how the actions carried out affect these relations,
rather than how the quantities of resources used can be communicated to people
through a design or how an interaction will be experienced or engage people. The
principles bring up design aspects such as relatedness, value and adaptability.