On the Surface of Things: Experiential Properties of the Use of Craft Materials on Interactive Artefacts

Surface materials play a central role in the way we experience things. This is also the case with interactive artefacts, since the materials that are used for designing a surface or a casing will affect the ways in which the artefact will be physically interacted with and experienced as an object. In this paper we take a closer look at physical surfaces and study the experiential properties of different types of craft materials, which in our case are leather, textile, metal and wood. We look at how they influence the experience of interacting with an artefact by providing illustrative examples of interactive artefacts from our own design research, in which such materials have been used on their surface. In order to do this we distinguish between three types of experiential properties based on Giaccardi and Karana’s materials experience framework (Giaccardi & Karana, 2015), and on Fernaeus et al. action-centric tangible interaction (Fernaeus, Tholander, & Jonsson, 2008). These are sensory experience, physical manipulation, and interactive behaviour. The purpose with our distinction between the three experiential properties is to illustrate possible ways in which a craft material can influence the interaction with an artefact, focusing on the sensorial experience craft materials offer, how they afford particular physical manipulations in regards to the ways they can be given shape, and finally how they can offer interactive qualities based on their abilities to conduct, to resist, or trigger. We end by reflecting on the three experiential properties and discussing emerging topics that should be further considered when craft materials are used on the surface of interactive artefacts, in regards to craft values but also the social and cultural situatedness of surfaces and consequently artefacts.