Supporting Interaction Designers

In 2010, I co-authored How to Support Designers in Getting Hold of the Immaterial Material of Software, a study that explored the challenges interaction designers face when working with the intangible nature of software. It was published in the CHI 2010 proceedings.

Unlike traditional materials like wood or clay, software is immaterial, flexible, and invisible—making it difficult for designers to engage with in a hands-on, iterative way. Our research examined how designers can better conceive, refine, and communicate interaction ideas when designing graphical user interface (GUI) controls.

We conducted two participatory design workshops to investigate how designers work with digital interaction materials. In the first workshop, we observed how designers explore gestures, context, and examples as they try to invent new interface controls. They struggled to interact directly with the material of software, relying instead on sketches and storyboards to represent dynamic interactions. In the second workshop, designers focused on refining and communicating their ideas, yet found it difficult to fully articulate their designs to developers because they lacked direct ways to manipulate movement and document interactions.

A key insight from our study was that design tools need to act as boundary objects—bridging the gap between designers and the underlying software material. By creating tools that allow designers to engage with movement, context, and interaction dynamics more directly, we can support an ongoing conversation between design intent and software constraints, with developers acting as mediators in the process.

This research reinforced my interest in designing better workflows and tools for digital creators. It highlighted the importance of giving designers more intuitive ways to interact with dynamic systems, a challenge that remains relevant as emerging technologies like AI, automation, and mixed reality continue to reshape digital design.

See the CHI article here.