Paper (Talk)

An emerging area of new materiality in interactive architecture is the blending of physical computing with architectonic surfaces. As the sense of touch gains increasing significance across many design disciplines, new design knowledge is required for working with technology-mediated tactile interaction and haptic experience. With the introduction of novel forms of tangible, interactive materials, designers are faced with the challenge of acquiring design skills grounded in unfamiliar, tactile properties. We present a new design method comprised of a touch toolkit and accompanying workshop. The toolkit consists of two parts: a graphical user interface and four interactive sample surfaces. The surfaces contain actuators, which change their tactile qualities dynamically (e.g., temperature, texture) according to the GUI settings. A worksheet has been designed to collect data and user feedback, facilitating both the acquisition of touch-based design skills and reflection on the tactile perceptual qualities. A preliminary user study has provided initial confirmation of the usability of the toolkit and the usefulness of the workshop format for introducing novices to this emerging area of touch-based design.