Strong concepts: Intermediate-level knowledge in interaction design research
Abstract
Design-oriented research practices create opportunities for constructing knowledge that is more abstracted than particular instances, without aspiring to be at the scope of generalized theories. We propose an intermediate design knowledge form that we name strong concepts that has the following properties: is generative and carries a core design idea, cutting across particular use situations and even application domains; concerned with interactive behavior, not static appearance; is a design element and a part of an artifact and, at the same time, speaks of a use practice and behavior over time; and finally, resides on an abstraction level above particular instances. We present two strong concepts—social navigation and seamfulness—and discuss how they fulfil criteria we might have on knowledge, such as being contestable, defensible, and substantive. Our aim is to foster an academic culture of discursive knowledge construction of intermediate-level knowledge and of how it can be produced and assessed in design-oriented HCI research.
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The insights created would be a type of 'intermediate knowledge'.
“An implication of this approach is that the insights we would create would be be a type of 'intermediate knowledge' [41].”
From Responding to Generative AI Technologies with Research-through-Design: The Ryelands AI Lab as an Exploratory Study (2024) · cites this paper as [41]
The concept of 'AI as a design material' has presented promising and novel prospects for designers or design-oriented research in HCI.
“In recent years, the concept of 'AI as a design material' has presented promising and novel prospects for designers or design-oriented research in HCI [26, 40].”
From "When He Feels Cold, He Goes to the Seahorse"—Blending Generative AI into Multimaterial Storymaking for Family Expressive Arts Therapy (2024) · cites this paper as [40]
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- Authors
- Höök, K., & Löwgren, J.
- Affiliations
- KTH Royal Institute of Technology (SE)
- Malmö University (SE)
- Venue
- ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction
- Published
- 2012-10
- Volume
- 19
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 1-18
- ISSN
- 1073-0516 (ISSN-L)
- 1557-7325
- OpenAlex
- W2050483420
- Cited by
- 540
- References
- 73
- Citations by year
- 2026: 64 · 2025: 53 · 2024: 56 · 2023: 45 · 2022: 33 · 2021: 54 · 2020: 41 · 2019: 42 · 2018: 35 · 2017: 35 · 2016: 27 · 2015: 24 · 2014: 24 · 2013: 6
- FWCI
- 31.80
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Human-Computer Interaction › Innovative Human-Technology Interaction
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Mechanical Engineering › Design Education and Practice
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Human-Computer Interaction › Usability and User Interface Design
- Keywords
- design knowledge, design-oriented research, social navigation, interactive behavior, design elements, knowledge construction, design theory
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