A shift in perspective is underway in design research and humancomputer interaction (HCI) from humans as the centre of attention to considering complex assemblages of human and non-human stakeholders. While this shift is often approached from a broad ecological level, there is opportunity for a more local shift in understanding our day to day meeting with the material world. Drawing on the posthuman theories of Karen Barad, we explore the creation of a digital interactive system as a material-discursive practice in which matter and culture are inseparably entangled. We seek a fresh look at the process rather than the outcome of interactive system design through a difractive reading of four traditional woodworking practices and an auto-ethnographic account of the development of a digital sensor and actuator apparatus as a way to fnd alternative ways of attending to materials in HCI.
CCS CONCEPTS• Human-centered computing → Interaction design theory, concepts and paradigms; Interaction design process and methods.
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