Craft-Based Methodologies in Human-Computer Interaction: Exploring Interdisciplinary Design Approaches

Craft-based research approaches have emerged as an essential methodology in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), offering innovative strategies for integrating digital and physical materials in interactive system design. This study explores the evolving landscape of craft-based methodolo-gies through collaborative workshops that bring together participants from diverse professional backgrounds. The research focuses on understanding how design processes can be transformed by encouraging participants to identify specific problems, select appropriate technologies, and explore contextual considerations within a creative framework. The workshops served as a dy-namic platform for observing participant behaviors, feelings, and goals in real-world environ-ments, generating rich qualitative data that provides insights into user-centered design ap-proaches. Emphasizing sustainable and socially responsible design, the study examined how in-terdisciplinary collaboration generates innovative solutions that effectively address user re-quirements. By drawing inspiration from creative concepts like Chindogu – Japanese "unuseless" inventions – the research demonstrates how reframing interaction design can lead to more intui-tive and contextually aware technological solutions. Craft-based methodologies in Hu-man-Computer Interaction enable innovative, user-centered design approaches by fostering inter-disciplinary collaboration, implementing a holistic design process that integrates problem iden-tification, technology selection, and contextual exploration, and emphasizing direct user-centered observation of behaviors and goals in real environments. This approach prioritizes sustainable and responsive design, creating environmentally friendly and socially responsible solutions that meet user needs. By incorporating creative frameworks and integrating digital and physical ma-terials, HCI researchers can develop more intuitive, contextually aware, and user-responsive in-teractive systems that transcend traditional design methodologies, ultimately advancing the field's understanding of meaningful technological interactions.