Shifting perspective
from how computers
can be applied to
work as good tools
in the hands of their
users toward
acknowledging the
computational as a
material is indeed
a radical shift in
perspective in HCI.

March + April 2013

interactions

concepts in our field to speak about
material interactions, from tangible
UIs and physical-virtual systems to
the broader concepts of entangled
material practices and sociomate-
riality. We also acknowledged the
need to develop a shared vocabulary
to speak more specifically about
material interactions and materi-
ality, and from the panel discus-
sion it was clear that the framing
calls for a multifaceted understanding
of this profound challenge to our
field. Shifting perspective from
how computers can be applied to
work as good tools in the hands of
their users toward acknowledging
the computational as a material is
indeed a radical shift in perspec-
tive in HCI—a shift from how IT is
applied toward a focus on the mate-
rial character of IT. In exploring
this question, our panel both iden-
tified and exemplified the diverse
theoretical and practical traditions
from which conceptual models are
drawn—from, on the one hand, a
designerly engagement with materi-
als, to, on the other, a more theoret-
ical account of materiality derived
from social and cultural studies.