  Sustainability-focused design research is witnessing a change in approach
with the emergence of More-than-human Design (MTHD), which challenges
human-centered thinking by incorporating nonhuman perspectives into the design
process. However, implementing MTHD presents challenges for design researchers
and practitioners, such as understanding non-verbal species. Despite the
techniques developed to facilitate such an understanding (e.g. contact zone),
the growing literature on MTHD lacks studies reflecting on how these techniques
are utilized in the design process. In this paper, we present a case study on
designing olive harvesting tools from a MTH lens, where designers used contact
zone, plant interviews, plant persona, and experience map to explore the
perspectives of olive trees and incorporate them into ideas in collaboration
with farmers and agricultural engineers. The results indicate the significance
of reconsidering decentralization in MTHD from the standpoint of entanglements
among techniques and incorporating various knowledge types to manage tensions
arising from perspective shifts.
