Integrated settlements designed in a composite climate, characterised by vast variations in temperature, humidity, and seasonal extremes require the need to consider both the environment and the people. As end-users, through User Experience (UX) practices, it is always possible to improve the liveability and sustainability of such settlements. In this research, a questionnaire that aims at gathering user insights on how to design human settlements for composite climates is applied to assess the role of UX in such design. The answers to the questionnaire reveal the significant user-centred elements that could be useful to architects, planners, and policymakers in creating a more flexible, more adaptive and more comfortable environment. The research implements a set of surveys and questionnaires aimed at assessing various issues of user interaction with the built environment in composite climates. In particular, attention is paid to thermal comfort, organisation of spatial structures, daylighting, air circulation and greenery. The analysis of the responses made it possible to identify problems and discomforts users experienced and their responses to changes in perception with seasons. Furthermore, the research investigates the connection between the features of social areas, architectural design, and use, and general health and community activity. The research emphasises the need to fuse the related processes of the planning of settlements together with the fundamentals of climate-responsive design. Particularly, the research underlines the need to implement participatory design processes because of the intense focus on the end-users and their experience that sustainably orient changes in the forms in which composite systems exist. This paper adds to the newly emerging area of climate-responsive architecture by showing how research methods in UX like questionnaires can contribute to the important data needed to develop people’s settlements in a more climate-responsive manner.

User Experience (UX), human settlements, composite climate, thermal comfort, participatory
design.

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1. Steemers, K., & Manchanda, S. (2010). Energy-efficient design and occupant well-being: Case studies in the UK and India. Building and Environment, 45(2), 270-278.
2. Givoni, B. (1998). Climate considerations in building and urban design. Wiley.
3. Zimmerman, J., Forlizzi, J., & Evenson, S. (2007). Research through design as a method for interaction design research in HCI. Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 493-502.
4.  Lynch, K. (1960). The Image of the City. MIT Press.
5. Norman, D. A. (1988). The Design of Everyday Things. Basic Books.
6. Olgyay, V. (1963). Design with Climate: Bioclimatic Approach to Architectural Regionalism. Princeton University Press.
7. Forlizzi, J., & Battarbee, K. (2004). Understanding experience in interactive systems. Proceedings of the 5th Conference on Designing Interactive Systems (DIS), 261-268.
8. Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Ministry of Power, India. Energy Conservation Building Code. 2017.
9. Schmidt M, Austin S. Adaptable Architecture: Theory and Practice. Abingdon (UK): Routledge; 2016.
10. Kumar S, Singh B. Sustainable urban development in India: Challenges and strategies. Cities. 2016;53:167–176.

Integrated settlements designed in a composite climate, characterised by vast variations in temperature, humidity, and seasonal extremes require the need to consider both the environment and the people. As end-users, through User Experience (UX) practices, it is always possible to improve the liveability and sustainability of such settlements. In this research, a questionnaire that aims at gathering user insights on how to design human settlements for composite climates is applied to assess the role of UX in such design. The answers to the questionnaire reveal the significant user-centred elements that could be useful to architects, planners, and policymakers in creating a more flexible, more adaptive and more comfortable environment. The research implements a set of surveys and questionnaires aimed at assessing various issues of user interaction with the built environment in composite climates. In particular, attention is paid to thermal comfort, organisation of spatial structures, daylighting, air circulation and greenery. The analysis of the responses made it possible to identify problems and discomforts users experienced and their responses to changes in perception with seasons. Furthermore, the research investigates the connection between the features of social areas, architectural design, and use, and general health and community activity. The research emphasises the need to fuse the related processes of the planning of settlements together with the fundamentals of climate-responsive design. Particularly, the research underlines the need to implement participatory design processes because of the intense focus on the end-users and their experience that sustainably orient changes in the forms in which composite systems exist. This paper adds to the newly emerging area of climate-responsive architecture by showing how research methods in UX like questionnaires can contribute to the important data needed to develop people’s settlements in a more climate-responsive manner.

User Experience (UX), human settlements, composite climate, thermal comfort, participatory
design.

🔒 This is a subscription article

Full text is available to subscribers and institutional members. Please choose an option below to access it.

1. Steemers, K., & Manchanda, S. (2010). Energy-efficient design and occupant well-being: Case studies in the UK and India. Building and Environment, 45(2), 270-278.
2. Givoni, B. (1998). Climate considerations in building and urban design. Wiley.
3. Zimmerman, J., Forlizzi, J., & Evenson, S. (2007). Research through design as a method for interaction design research in HCI. Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 493-502.
4.  Lynch, K. (1960). The Image of the City. MIT Press.
5. Norman, D. A. (1988). The Design of Everyday Things. Basic Books.
6. Olgyay, V. (1963). Design with Climate: Bioclimatic Approach to Architectural Regionalism. Princeton University Press.
7. Forlizzi, J., & Battarbee, K. (2004). Understanding experience in interactive systems. Proceedings of the 5th Conference on Designing Interactive Systems (DIS), 261-268.
8. Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Ministry of Power, India. Energy Conservation Building Code. 2017.
9. Schmidt M, Austin S. Adaptable Architecture: Theory and Practice. Abingdon (UK): Routledge; 2016.
10. Kumar S, Singh B. Sustainable urban development in India: Challenges and strategies. Cities. 2016;53:167–176.