Tangible interaction has a digital and a material component tightly integrated. How can we experiment and fast-prototype concepts of tangible interaction when the development of digital HW and SW takes time? To explore the opportunities for tangible interaction in new areas such as the home or cultural heritage sites, we used multiple rapidly-developed prototypes that take advantage of existing technology. Physical prototypes allow us to give form to ideas and to evaluate the integration of form and function, two core components of tangible interaction.


For fast-prototyping we used off-the-shelf digital devices in 3 different ways:

• by embedding a device with some of the desired functionalities into a form;
• by cracking a device open and building a form around it, or
• by collating board and parts.

Hacking devices to materialize our ideas proved excellent for fast prototyping. Technology imposed constraints and prompted different design solutions than initially intended offering unexpected ways to engage.

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Watch your environment:

There are many ubiquitous technologies out there from movement sensors for automatic outdoor lighting to singing greeting cards. Also the ever-increasing range of apps makes smartphones and tablets a potential source of (almost) already-made functionalities that can be exploited for fast prototyping. Search for the simplest solution first.

Inspect toys:

Many toys contain low cost sensing and presentation technology that can be used for simple interactions. An example of this is our birdhouse projector, which was based on a light and sound show toy designed for young children. As unprofessional as this can sound, it is one of the strategies adopted by professional inventors while exploring new ideas.

Be quick, be focussed:

Ideas are ephemeral so fix your intuitions in a prototype now. Keeping the flow of creativity going is more important that perfection: fast prototyping allows to make, to learn, and to move on.

Take a look at toolkits:

Flexible, extensible platforms such as Arduino or Gadgeteer cover a range of programmable sensor and actuator technologies that can be used to build a variety of prototypes. While most of the prototypes discussed in this paper have not involved such technology, sometimes they offer the quickest path to a useful prototype.

Keep it simple:

When developing a prototype to explore the form and interaction of a device it is the overall impression of the prototype that is important. Accuracy and reliability are less relevant at this stage: when testing a prototype one can control and fit the conditions of the test to the benefit of the prototype.

Function follows form:

Dressing up devices in an appropriate shape covers the original purpose of the technology used and allows exploration of the concept itself. The proliferation of desktop laser cutting and 3D printing makes this easier than ever before. By hiding the technology we focus our and the adopters’ attention more fully on the interaction rather than how it works.

Think about energy:

Power supply is especially critical for portable devices. This aspect has to be foreseen when designing cases and shapes. Having to recharge may limit how the prototype can be used, both during evaluation and in actual use. However, there can be some scope for creativity in how the device can be powered or charged, as was the case for the recording cartridge or the birdhouse.

Someone has done it before:

The Maker movement and the popularity of venues such as Make magazine and Instructables.com mean that there are a large number of resources available on hacking existing devices. This is also the case with many toolkits, for which you can often find helpful code snippets or even whole libraries. Similarly, many interactions can be simulated with smartphones either by writing new programs or using readily available apps.

Project dates
2013-2014    

Publications

Petrelli, D., Dulake, N., Marshall, M., Goldberg, R., Willox, M., Caparrelli, F. (2014) 
Prototyping Tangibles: Exploring Form and Interaction, Proc. of ACM TEI Tangible, Embedded and Embodied Interaction, 16-19 February 2014.

SHURA:  http://shura.shu.ac.uk/7958/1/Petrelli_TEI14-prototypes-SHURA.pdf

Research by

Daniela Petrelli

Nick Dulake

Mark Marshall

Matt Willox

Partners & Stakeholders



Funders
EU FP7