Rethinking Efficiency
Epistemic Relevance and Evaluation of Artifact Design
Keywords:
artifact design, efficiency, epistemic relevance, material agency, user experienceAbstract
This article proposes a reconceptualization of epistemic relevance in the field of artifact design and evaluation. Building on a critique of approaches focused exclusively on functional efficiency, it argues that the value of an artifact is not exhausted by its technical performance, but also includes affective, symbolic, and situated dimensions. The article develops an expanded typology of efficiencies, linked to levels of user experience, and examines how artifacts mediate forms of attention, knowledge, and dwelling. Through the example of different coffee makers, it maintains that artifacts are not neutral objects, but agents that incorporate perspectives and shape epistemic relations. It concludes that relevant design is not only efficient, but capable of transforming our modes of existence.
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