Tangible User hands-on class explored the design and prototyping of tangible user interfaces, where physical interactions shape the overall experience. Large language models can perform remarkable things like recognizing patterns, making predictions, generating content, and adapting to individual users, yet we interact with them primarily through chatbox interfaces, which feel like a very limited way to engage with such powerful systems.
These projects move past traditional screen-based interfaces and focus on innovative physical interactions.They directly challenge and call into question how we engage with artificial intelligence by creating more meaningful human connections beyond a text field in a digital interface. Inspired by a familiar app experience, each team designed and built a tangible physical artifact that interacted with an LLM through an API.
By the end of the class, students had developed practical expertise in crafting sensory-rich interactions that challenge the everyday digital experience and create a more dynamic relationship with technology in an intuitive way that sparks delight.
Jose Chavarria is an Interaction Designer and Creative Technologist with a background in Industrial Design Engineering. He's a CIID alumni and has been working in the Interaction Design field since 2015.
Jose started as an Interaction Engineer and later became an R&D Lead at a design studio in San Jose, Costa Rica where he created interactive art installations. He then joined CIID as resident faculty, managing the digital fabrication lab and mentoring students.
After that, he worked as a Creative Technologist and Strategist for an architecture firm, designing AR and VR solutions, digital products, and interactive installations.
Jose's work has been recognised by the Core77 Design Awards in 2021 for Speculative Design and Costa Rica Design Week in 2022 for Interactive Design.
Passionate about human perception and Life-Centred Design, Jose aims to create technology solutions that benefit all forms of life, not just humans.
But in short, he builds stuff and wears hats.
Massimo Banzi is the co-founder of the Arduino. He is an Interaction Designer, Educator and Technologist.
He has worked as a consultant on innovation projects for clients such as: Prada, Artemide, Persol, Whirlpool, and Adidas.
He spent 4 years at the Interaction Design Institute Ivrea as Associate Professor. Massimo has taught workshops and has been a guest speaker at institutions allover the world.
Before joining IDII he was CTO for the Seat Ventures incubator. He spent many years working as a software architect, both in Milan and London, working on large web projects.
At just 26 years old, he became a pioneer in the commercial internet by serving as the webmaster for Italia Online, Italy’s first major internet provider and web portal.
Massimo is also the author of “Getting Started with Arduino” published by O’Reilly. He has contributed to the Italian edition of Wired Magazine and other publications.
Massimo started the first FabLab in Italy which led to the creation of FabLab Torino and was the first curator of Maker Faire Rome, a large innovation event in Rome.
He currently teaches Interaction Design at SUPSI Lugano in the south of Switzerland and is a visiting professor at CIID.
