Designing Democratic Toolkits for Making Expressive Interactive Physical Prototypes

Designers rely on various tools to create probes, prototypes, and artifacts. However, many of these tools are dependent on complex or resource-intensive fabrication methods that are not widely accessible and are often unsuited for rapid iteration. My research addresses this primary challenge by developing democratic methods for creating expressive and interactive physical prototypes using their hands, basic tools, and widely accessible machinery such as conventional printers and vinyl cutters. This approach lowers the threshold for participation, allowing more diverse practitioners to experiment and iterate on form and function. Furthermore, my secondary challenge is to facilitate sustainable practices and material awareness throughout the prototyping process, which encourages reflection and focuses on the reusability of materials, making prototyping more environmentally responsible and efficient. To address both challenges, we explore toolkits that computationally generate foldable paper templates to construct precise, structurally stable 3D forms that support visual integration with clarity at different scales, and to support the integration of fiducial markers and reusable electronics. The ongoing research generates results that potentially contribute to the democratization of design tools and facilitate sustainable design practices for a broader range of practitioners, designers, and researchers to create expressive interactive physical prototypes.