Interaction Design with Kinetic Materials

Abstract

The capacity of kinetic materials to respond to environmental stimuli or external signals offers a unique opportunity for interface, interaction, and experience design. This signal can be in the form of user input that may be sensed by the kinetic material directly or transformed into a signal suitable for that particular material. Interaction is a two-way process taking at the product (system) - user interface. Tangible user interfaces may replace graphical user interfaces in the future. Research, art, and design projects implement kinetic materials along with other technologies to attain tangible interfaces. This field is at its infancy and there are many possibilities to be explored. A theoretical framework is essential for the successful implementation of interaction design with kinetic materials. Several elements are presented to start this theoretical discussion. These are aesthetics of interaction and interfaces, symbolic possibilities and meaning associated with kinetic materials, and emotions as part of human experience.