Data Kitchen

Why Do We Hoard, and What Is the Impact?

We conducted a series of UX research activities to uncover the causes and impacts of digital hoarding, aiming to understand what triggers people to start purging. On average, we hoard 10 times more digitally than physically (Neave et al., 2019).

In the report “A Case of Digital Hoarding” (van Bennekom et al., 2015), digital hoarding is defined as:

"the accumulation of digital files to the point of loss of perspective"

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Key insights:

• The lack of physical constraints allows for excessive digital accumulation (Dourish, 2017).
• Large-scale digital storage consumes significant energy and water (Siddik,Shehabi & Marston, 2021).
• Emotional attachment makes deleting personal files difficult.

Research methods included: Literature Survey, Body Storming, Card Sorting, In-Person Interview, Group Contextual Inquiry, Decision-Making Diagram, Journey Map.

Rapid prototyping #1 - Hoard Personification

We created a lo-fi physical prototype using an Arduino board and speaker, where items in a hoard “told” their stories to participants. The aim was to explore whether storytelling could offer emotional closure and encourage purging. By personifying the hoard, we hoped to validate deletion as an acceptable act, prompting participants to reflect on their attachments and decisions.

‍Reflections:

• Stories increased engagement and encouraged personal reflection.
• Narratives supported decision-making about what to keep or delete.
• Participants often avoided taking ownership of items in shared hoards.

“I didn't purge the plant before because it's not mine to purge.” – Participant A

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Rapid prototyping #2 - Data Decay

We developed a lo-fi prototype that simulated data expiration, asking participants to act before their files disappeared. This concept aimed to trigger urgency by suggesting that digital content has a lifespan. We wanted to see if introducing time pressure could push people to make intentional choices about what to preserve or let go.

‍Reflections:

• Expiration effectively prompted participants to act.
• It introduced a sense of limited control but reduced the impulse to save everything.
• Participants became more open to digital loss.
• The prototype was hard to simulate in real time and used a small sample of just five photos

“I feel like I need to hurry and save them. But the one I didn’t get in time I just let them go.” – Participant B

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Rapid prototyping #3 -Data Kitchen

We designed the Data Kitchen using a “deep cleaning kitchen” metaphor to help participants rethink their screenshot hoards and understand the environmental cost of digital storage. Participants sorted files into four areas—Fridge, Freezer, Shelf, and Bin—encouraging them to treat digital content like perishable goods. We introduced the statistic that 1GB of data consumes 89 litres of water annually (H2O Building Services, 2022), made tangible through a large water bottle they could hold. During real-world street testing, 87 photos were deleted, showing immediate behavioural change.

“I’m gonna put this timetable (screenshot) in the fridge since it’s only valid for the month.” – Participant‍

“I would delete one picture for every picture I take going forward.” – Participant

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What we learned and what’s next:
The metaphor made digital clutter feel more manageable and tied abstract data use to real-world impact. However, without a way to track progress or sustain behaviour, the effect was short-term. Human facilitation also limited scalability. To improve this, we plan to:

• Create a self-guided version that doesn’t rely on facilitation
• Deploy Data Kitchen in contexts where people have downtime (e.g. parks, airports)
• Paradigm shift: Users actively choose what to keep, with photos and screenshots automatically deleted after a set time.