Welcome

Interactions:
Information, Physicality,
Co-Ownership, and Culture
Tangible computing has a long history of interest
in technology circles; like augmented reality and
computer-supported cooperative work, it has long
been the focus of research studies in academic
institutions, and not ironically, the focus of a large
quantity of science fiction movies, too.

It is only in the past half-decade, however,
that the stars have aligned to support tangible
computing in practice. The low cost of technical
components, a more ubiquitous approach to rapid
prototyping, and introductory behavioral memes
(such as touch-based computing, made popular by
the iPhone) have pushed tangibility to the forefront
of actually shipping consumer products and have
encouraged the development of product ecologies
as related to systems, services, and the blurring of
lines between physical and digital computing.
Timely, then, is Mark Gross and Mark Baskinger’s
cover story describing the opportunities—and
challenges—of tangible computing in normal life.
They introduce the new and old, and emphasize the
importance of product form in bringing tangibility
to life in an appropriate and reflective manner. Don
Norman builds on the premise of “transmedia”—
technological media solutions that aren’t just func-
tional, but are also pleasurable and satisfying.
From the tangible to the intangible, several
articles describe human problems facing society
that require a much more theoretical approach to
design. For example, J. Bidwell and H. Winschiers-
Theophilus pull no punches in their outstanding
exploration of the topic of design for Africa by
Africans, which narrows in on the problem and
how it distorts designing in developing countries.
Another theme of this issue describes curation
and the increasingly vague—and important—role
of information, socialization, and data visualization
in our lives. A third and final segment in our mini-
series on iSchools is presented by Martha E. Pollack,
dean of the School of Information at the University
of Michigan. She describes the need to embrace—
and potentially, better define—the word “informa-
tion” in our efforts to train those who will engage
in design and information. Peter Jones responds to
Hugh Dubberly’s thoughts on conversation, with his
own ideas on this method of information transfer;
Jones reflects on the relationship between conver-
sation and design, and calls attention to a deep
body of knowledge related to this topic.