Everyday making: Identifying future uses for 3D printing in the home

Rita Shewbridge, Amy Hurst, Shaun K. Kane

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

Low-cost and commercially available 3D printers are predicted to be the next disruptive innovation in technology. However, little research has examined how non-designers might interact with fabrication tools in their homes. To explore the potential uses of 3D printers and other fabrication devices in the home, we conducted a study in which 10 households (with 28 individuals) kept a faux 3D printer in their homes for four weeks. Participants kept a log of items that they would want to print, and completed a series of design probes. We found that participants' use of the fabrication tools involved three activities: replicating existing objects, modifying and customizing existing objects, and creating new custom objects. Our study also provides insights on the types of objects that individuals wish to create, and how the faux 3D printer was situated in our participants' homes.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationDIS 2014 - Proceedings of the 2014 ACM SIGCHI Conference on Designing Interactive Systems
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery
Pages815-824
Number of pages10
ISBN (Print)9781450329026
DOIs
StatePublished - 2014
Event2014 ACM SIGCHI Conference on Designing Interactive Systems, DIS 2014 - Vancouver, BC, Canada
Duration: Jun 21 2014Jun 25 2014

Publication series

NameProceedings of the Conference on Designing Interactive Systems: Processes, Practices, Methods, and Techniques, DIS

Conference

Conference2014 ACM SIGCHI Conference on Designing Interactive Systems, DIS 2014
Country/TerritoryCanada
CityVancouver, BC
Period6/21/146/25/14

Keywords

  • 3D printing
  • Creativity
  • Cultural probes
  • DIY
  • Design probes
  • Everyday making
  • Personal scale manufacturing

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Software

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