Efficiency vs. effectiveness: What happens when design ditches big tech?

Back in 2020, Low Tech Magazine – a publication exploring the “potential of past and often forgotten technologies” – published a piece, How and Why I Stopped Buying New Laptops, by its founder, writer Kris de Decker. From 2000-2017, Kris had bought three laptops, new, at a total cost of €5000. Each had inevitably bitten the dust, leading the writer to invest instead in “a 2006 secondhand machine”, which (following a battery and hardware upgrade) came in at less than €150.

Throughout the article, Kris makes a compelling case for returning to older machines. Buying secondhand slashes costs (his laptop’s yearly expense dropped from €300 to just €26) and conserves energy resources. Not to mention that laptops evolve far less than expected; a “2015 research paper discovered that the embodied energy of laptops is static over time.” But while Kris offers thoughtful advice on how to adapt an older piece of technology into contemporary practices, as a journalist the purpose of his machine is to write – a simpler programming process than, say, coding or motion design. Yet, creative and educator Tim Rodenbröker saw not just reasoning but potential in Kris’ advice. In fact, such constraints felt beneficial, creatively speaking.

For Tim, limitations often prove to be the opposite of their traditional definition. “I’m absolutely convinced that constraints are the most powerful driver for good ideas,” he tells It’s Nice That. “If you go to Netflix and you have all the options, you mostly end up with something mediocre. But, if you constrain yourself to something that is maybe a little more difficult to go through, in the process you learn so much and actually grow.”

The issue is that the options are only growing larger, and at a rapidly increasing pace. As Tim describes: “We’re living in a crazy time of acceleration.” And when acceleration is discussed, the conversation often shifts toward efficiency – after all, advancements, technological or otherwise, are supposed to make things easier. But where creativity is concerned, is efficiency what we’re actually seeking?

It’s a question Tim found himself grappling with while participating in a panel on AI at Prague’s digital art conference, Mouvo, in 2023. Sitting amongst Meta stakeholders, scientists and agency folk, “an impression emerged that AI is something good for artists, we only have to solve a few problems of copyright, and the properties of rights,” he recalls. “And yes, AI is here, yes AI is useful, but what has more weight is that AI is changing all the systems we’re involved in,” Tim recalls. “We have to understand how these systems work, otherwise we are completely powerless and we don’t have any governance on how technology works in our world. This is what I want to discuss, instead of just seeing these competitive talks about how I can be a more ‘efficient’ artist.”

Tim left the conference feeling he had two options: “Either, I’ll speak about this openly, write about it openly and publish about it. Or, I leave design.” Thankfully, he chose the former. Believing it “doesn’t make any sense to go from zero technical knowledge to AI prompting skills” Tim decided to spend his time with tech that led us to this point; in a stick or twist moment, the endless possibilities of AI encouraged him to become constrained. He purchased a Lenovo Thinkpad X60 – the laptop Kris from Low Tech recommends – and embarked on a low, slow creative journey.

A couple of years into this journey now, the way Tim speaks about technology is with a kind of infectious romanticism. Rather than moaning about battery life or the feeling of being tethered to a device, the X60 feels like a companion he’s enamoured with. Despite similar models being many of our first (and quickly discarded) laptops, it’s also fascinating to hear about in creative terms. In not having access to any of the usual suites of tools and programmes, “you learn a lot about parameters in design that nobody thinks about,” says Tim. “As soon as you start to work with limited operating systems, there is no Adobe. You have to build your own processes, workflows, and that interestingly creates new kinds of aesthetics.” Obviously, there are roadblocks, “but frustration doesn’t mean I get angry,” he adds. “Instead, it’s like training. It’s a muscle, a problem solving muscle. At some point, it gets easier and easier.”

Creative work aside, Tim’s “low tech” journey has led him back to this question of efficiency. “What helped me a lot is understanding the difference between being effective and efficient,” he describes. “AI makes us very efficient, but what does it mean to be efficient when you don’t know where you want to go?” The same goes with how we view ‘technological progress’. “The question is, who decides where this progress goes?” asks Tim. “I’m not against progress. I love progress, it's amazing! But who decides what progress is, or where it goes? Is it Open AI? Is it Meta?”

For anyone contemplating their own journey into low tech, Tim’s key piece of advice is that it’s “way easier than people think.” Put plainly: “If that’s something someone wants to learn, just do it! If you also don’t want it, that’s also fine!” In his own case, downgrading one piece of technology has only led to questioning other devices. “This whole idea has influenced my whole life,” he says. Day to day, Tim now uses a Nokia 105 and although he still has an iPhone, he maintains the rule that it stays in his office. He’s given up streaming, too, opting for CDs, and finds himself reading more and more (“many of the books, twice”). For now, TV remains – “I’m not hardcore,” he laughs.

Rewinding his processes in this way sees Tim navigate through life via the scenic route. “It’s a very interesting perspective because I thought I was losing something very valuable, but in fact I am winning something,” he says. “I think it’s about connecting and becoming aware of how much of the digital is actually necessary, and feels good? And what are the benefits of living with less technology?”

While reaching the end point may take him a little longer, when you’re enjoying the creative process, what’s wrong with taking the long way round? “You can be a very efficient designer,” concludes Tim. “But, in this world of designers that get more efficient every year, you have to think... what is the effect I want to have?”