The project will have four work packages that cover concepts, design, building and using common interactive objects, as material, outcome and mediators:
WP1. Concepts: Object thinking, theories and concepts. This work package will include studies of theories and frameworks for common interactive objects and object thinking coming out of HCI and related fields. By discussing, contrasting and distilling concepts that are then applied and re-iterated empirically, analytically and in design, this methodology will help provide new concepts, bring concepts together and provide means for thinking about the wholeness and the unity of the framework.
Objectives: WP1 will develop the conception of common interactive objects so as to offer a new understanding of human-computer interaction, focusing on human control (Objective 1). The WP will review literature on common, interactive objects. It will develop a theoretical basis towards objects, interactivity, materiality, control, sharing, development and time. It will, furthermore, develop innovative empirical and design-oriented research methods to address common interactive objects.
WP2 Design: Common interactive objects in interaction design processes. This work package will focus on common interactive objects in design. Design representations be they prototypes or post-it notes on a board, are in themselves usefully considered as common interactive objects and hence this WP will further a focus on the relationship between design and use of common interactive objects, and the role of control and participation of users in this.
Objectives: WP2 will yield new design processes that support the building of user interfaces in a coherent and unified framework (Objective 2). Specifically it will address how to empower users to better understand and develop the technologies they use (Objective 3). The WP will address three elements: Understanding and applying prototypes and prototyping to address human control in the mediating role of common interactive objects; studying (other) common interactive design objects used in design; and revisiting the role of participation and participatory design when it comes to human control over common interactive objects in the making, i.e. in design.
WP3 Building: Construction and use of common interactive objects. This work package will exploratively build software for common interactive objects, to explore the challenges from theory and empirical cases (WPs 1 and 4). Its three parts challenge existing technologies, realize their boundaries, scrutinize the conceptual framing and build exemplary or prototype components that can be explored empirically in use.
Objectives: WP3 will address the technological basis of common interactive objects with focus on malleability, control and shareability over time (Objective 4). It will explore existing ideas, frameworks and fragments of components. It will extract requirements from these to crystallize into specific prototype components that are then applied in the cases (WP4). Through this process, WP3 will extract generalizable software components that will be embedded into the wider software framework.
WP4 Use: Studies of common interactive objects over time and communities. This work package will provide three empirical studies of common interactive object for cooperation over time and across communities (WP 4.2, 4.3 and 4.4). In choosing the three cases, I focus on addressing the span between history of common objects and new ones, webs of use activities, communities, users and objects and their interconnectedness, and appropriation. I will work through the empirical cases, both historically, and in terms of new design, engaging with users in the particular community through participatory design.
Objectives: WP4 bring together the objectives and outcomes of WP1, WP2 and WP3. It will map out case possibilities and provide three cases, i.e. exemplary use situations, interactive objects and design processes, in iteration with the status of WP1, WP2 and WP3 at case time, addressing mainly objectives 3 and 4.
