At the Unstable Design Lab we pursue combination projects that reflect our interest in designing and making textiles (some with integrated circuitry), community building and advocating for the arts within engineering practice. We create open-source tools and programs that support collaboration across arts and engineering. We use these tools and programs to make interactive objects that help us experience the everyday in new ways. The Unstable Design Lab is directed by Laura Devendorf. For inquiries, email unstabledesignlab@gmail.com, or sign up to our mailing list.

 

Unstable Design Lab website

 

In the news

2020 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems logo
ATLAS research helps define the future of human-computer interaction

May 1, 2020

At a time when the field of human-computer interaction is becoming more important than ever, ATLAS researchers are making substantial contributions, contributing nine papers and two workshops to CHI '20.

Laura Devendorf weaves on a loom.
NSF CAREER Award supports Devendorf’s research in smart textile development

April 15, 2020

Laura Devendorf, an assistant professor of information science with the ATLAS Institute, has received a National Science Foundation CAREER award, providing $550,000 over five years to support the development of smart textiles. The award is one of the most prestigious given to faculty in the early phases of their careers.

Fabric and conductive fibers
Creative collaborations with machines

Jan. 8, 2020

In this cover article in ACM "Interactions" magazine, Assistant Professor Laura Devendorf and associated researchers propose a new kind of digital craftsmanship, one "in which we may craft with the digital and find ways to make the machines craft along with us, in some kind of digital crafts-machine-ship."

Clement presenting his research at the DIS '19 conference.
ATLAS makes its mark at DIS'19

July 10, 2019

Researchers from ATLAS Institute's THING, ACME and Unstable Design labs took home "Best Paper" and "Best Pictorial" awards as well as contributed four research presentations at the ACM conference on Designing Interactive Systems (DIS '19), held in San Diego, June 23-28.

Lab Director

Laura Devendorf
Laura Devendorf
Assistant Professor • Unstable Design Lab • SMART TEXTILES, HCI, DESIGN RESEARCH • INFORMATION SCIENCE

Associated Researchers

Sasha de Koninck
Sasha de Koninck
PhD Student
Intermedia Art Writing and Performance
Mikhaila Friske
Mikhaila Friske
PhD Student
Information Science
Shanel Wu
Shanel Wu
PhD Student
ATLAS Institute

Publications

  • Laura Devendorf, Kristina Andersen, and Aisling Kelliher. 2020. Making Design Memoirs: Understanding and Honoring Difficult Experiences. In Proceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI ’20). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 1–12. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1145/3313831.3376345 (Honolulu, Hawaii (virtual)–April 25-30, 2020) [Honorable Mention Award].
  • Laura Devendorf, Katya Arquilla, Sandra Wirtanen, Allison Anderson, and Steven Frost. 2020. Craftspeople as Technical Collaborators: Lessons Learned through an Experimental Weaving Residency. In Proceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI ’20). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 1–13. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1145/3313831.3376820 (Honolulu, Hawaii (virtual)–April 25-30, 2020) [Honorable Mention Award].
  • Josephine Klefeker, Libi Striegl, and Laura Devendorf. 2020. What HCI Can Learn from ASMR: Becoming Enchanted with the Mundane. In Proceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI ’20). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 1–12. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3313831.3376741(Honolulu, Hawaii (virtual)–April 25-30, 2020).
  • Shanel Wu and Laura Devendorf. 2020. Unfabricate: Designing Smart Textiles for Disassembly. In Proceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI ’20). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 1–14. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1145/3313831.3376227 (Honolulu, Hawaii (virtual)–April 25-30, 2020).
  • Josephine Klefeker and Laura Devendorf. 2019. Envisioning Reflective and Relaxing Design with ASMR. In Companion Publication of the 2019 on Designing Interactive Systems Conference 2019 Companion (DIS '19 Companion). ACM, New York, NY, USA, 225-229. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3301019.3323903. (San Diego, CA, USA—June 23-28, 2019). 
  • Kristina Andersen, Andy Boucher, David Chatting, Audrey Desjardins, Laura Devendorf, William Gaver, Tom Jenkins, William Odom, James Pierce, and Anna Vallgårda. 2019. Doing Things with Research through Design: With What, with Whom, and Towards What Ends?. In Extended Abstracts of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA '19). ACM, New York, NY, USA, Paper W13, 8 pages. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3290607.3299011 (Glagow, UK–May 4-9, 2019)​.
  • Laura Devendorf, Kristina Andersen, Daniela K. Rosner, Ron Wakkary, and James Pierce. 2019. From HCI to HCI-Amusement: Strategies for Engaging what New Technology Makes Old. In Proceedings of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '19). ACM, New York, NY, USA, Paper 35, 12 pages. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3290605.3300265 (Glagow, UK–May 4-9, 2019).
  • Mikhaila Friske, Shanel Wu and Laura Devendorf. 2019. AdaCAD: Crafting Software For Smart Textiles Design. In Proceedings of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '19). ACM, New York, NY, USA, Paper 345, 13 pages. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3290605.3300575 (Glagow, UK–May 4-9, 2019). [Best Paper Honorable Mention].
  • Laura Devendorf and Chad Di Lauro. 2019. Adapting Double Weaving and Yarn Plying Techniques for Smart Textiles Applications. In Proceedings of the Thirteenth Conference on Tangible and Embodied/Embedded Interaction (TEI ’19), p. 77-85  https://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=3295625 (Tempe, Arizona, USA—March 17-20, 2019).
  • Austin Toombs, Laura Devendorf, Patrick Shih, Elizabeth Kaziunas, David Nemer, Helena Mentis, and Laura Forlano. 2018. Sociotechnical Systems of Care. In Companion of the 2018 ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing (CSCW '18). ACM, New York, NY, USA, 479-485. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3272973.3273010 (Jersey City, NJ—Nov. 3-7, 2018).
  • Kristina Andersen, Laura Devendorf, James Pierce, Ron Wakkary, and Daniela K. Rosner. 2018. Disruptive Improvisations: Making Use of Non-Deterministic Art Practices in HCI. In Extended Abstracts of the 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA, '18). ACM, New York, NY, USA, Paper W11, 8 pages. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3170427.3170630 (Montreal, Canada–April 21-26, 2018).
  • Jen Liu, Daragh Byrne, Laura Devendorf. 2018. Design for Collaborative Survival: An Inquiry into Human-Fungi Relationships. In Proceedings of the 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '18). ACM, New York, NY, USA, Paper 40, 13 pages. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3173574.3173614 (Montreal, Canada–April 21-26, 2018).
  • Josephine Klefeker and Laura Devendorf. 2018. String Figuring: A Story of Reflection, Material Inquiry, and a Novel Sensor. In Extended Abstracts of the 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA. '18). ACM, New York, NY, USA, Paper LBW086, 6 pages. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3170427.3188570 (Montreal, Canada–April 21-26, 2018).
  • Laura Devendorf and Daniela K. Rosner. 2017. Beyond Hybrids: Metaphors and Margins in Design. In Proceedings of the 2017 Conference on Designing Interactive Systems (DIS '17). ACM, New York, NY, USA, 995-1000. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3064663.3064705 (Edinburgh, United Kingdom–June 10-14, 2017).

Additional Publications