Abstract
As interaction design increasingly bridges the digital and physical realms, exemplified by tangible and embodied interaction, a clear understanding of "physicality" is critical. However, the concept remains ambiguous within the interaction between humans and artifacts, lacking a systematic understanding to guide research and practice. This research applies Rodgers' evolutionary concept analysis, guided by three etymological meanings of "physical", to conduct a hybrid thematic analysis of literature from interaction, ergonomics, and design. The findings suggest that physicality is understood through a structured framework of five core attributes: material substantiality, perceptibility, two-way interaction, embodied correlation, and affordance. This preliminary framework elucidates the specific attributes and interrelations of physicality within human–artifact interaction. It illustrates how physicality is expressed in the human–artifact relationship and provides a foundational concept, serving as a structured fulcrum for its exploration and application in interaction design.
Keywords
physicality, interaction, concept, evolutionary concept analysis
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.865
Citation
Wang, X., and Liu*, L. (2026) Decoding physicality in human–artifact interaction: An evolutionary concept analysis, in Simeone, L., Gray, C. M., Verhoeven, A., de Götzen, A., Bakırlıoğlu, Y., Zohar, H., Stead, M., and Buwert, P. (eds.), DRS2026: Edinburgh, 8–12 June, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.865
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Included in
Decoding physicality in human–artifact interaction: An evolutionary concept analysis
As interaction design increasingly bridges the digital and physical realms, exemplified by tangible and embodied interaction, a clear understanding of "physicality" is critical. However, the concept remains ambiguous within the interaction between humans and artifacts, lacking a systematic understanding to guide research and practice. This research applies Rodgers' evolutionary concept analysis, guided by three etymological meanings of "physical", to conduct a hybrid thematic analysis of literature from interaction, ergonomics, and design. The findings suggest that physicality is understood through a structured framework of five core attributes: material substantiality, perceptibility, two-way interaction, embodied correlation, and affordance. This preliminary framework elucidates the specific attributes and interrelations of physicality within human–artifact interaction. It illustrates how physicality is expressed in the human–artifact relationship and provides a foundational concept, serving as a structured fulcrum for its exploration and application in interaction design.