Designing computational materiality: a preliminary study to explore the lived experience with transTexture lamp

This paper articulates the design, manufacturing, and deployment of transTexture, a digital lamp features dynamic changing textures and changeable lighting effects. We deployed transTexture in the homes of two domain expert participants in a preliminary study to explore how computational materiality of interaction can fit a changing everyday environment. We conducted two semi-structured interviews with domain expert participants at the beginning and end of the field study. Based on the lived experiences uncovered in our initial findings, we elaborate on two notions that describe types of user engagements with computational materiality: coordination and transformation. We conclude with lessons learned from our study that will guide our future research on computational materiality.