Bits are Cheap, Atoms are Expensive: Critiquing the Turn Towards Tangibility in HCI

Holmquist, Lars Erik

doi:10.1145/3544549.3582744

Cited by 9 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 32 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Sustainable materials can be costly, the transportation of large and heavy physicalizations can increase carbon footprint, and the transience of data can contribute to produce useless physical artifacts over time. This resonates with the notion that atoms are more expensive than bits [40] since physicalizations are more difficult to build and manage than visualizations. This leads to the question: can physicalizations be sustainable, after all?…”

Section: Can Physicalizations Be Sustainable Aftermentioning

confidence: 82%

“…Recent work in the area has started to focus on exploring design processes [42] and the impact of data physicalization in terms of perception and meaning-making in different contexts (e.g., self-reflection [81], energy [36], and civic participation [18], just to name a few). However, the creation, control, modification, maintenance, and distribution of tangible artifacts can pose sustainability challenges for the environment if not properly addressed [40]. Therefore, it is crucial to explore the environmental sustainability of current physicalization practices.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

From Exploration to End of Life: Unpacking Sustainability in Physicalization Practices

Morais,

Panagiotidou,

Hayes

et al. 2024

Proceedings of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Data physicalizations have gained prominence across domains, but their environmental impact has been largely overlooked. This work addresses this gap by investigating the interplay between sustainability and physicalization practices. We conducted interviews with experts from diverse backgrounds, followed by a survey to gather insights into how they approach physicalization projects and reflect on sustainability. Our thematic analysis revealed sustainability considerations throughout the entire physicalization life cycle-a framework that encompasses various stages in a physicalization's existence. Notably, we found no single agreed-upon definition for sustainable physicalizations, highlighting the complexity of integrating sustainability into physicalization practices. We outline sustainability challenges and strategies based on participants' experiences and propose the Sustainable Physicalization Practices (SuPPra) Matrix, providing a structured approach for designers to reflect on and enhance the environmental impact of their future physicalizations. CCS CONCEPTS• Human-centered computing → Visualization theory, concepts and paradigms; HCI theory, concepts and models.

show abstract

Section: Can Physicalizations Be Sustainable Aftermentioning

confidence: 82%