Perspective (graphical)

Interaction design

Sociology

Living systems

Mathematics

Domain (mathematical analysis)

Biology

Human–computer interaction

Operating system

Epistemology

Engineering

Mathematical analysis

Philosophy

Paleontology

Artificial intelligence

Data science

Space (punctuation)

Context (archaeology)

Computer science

Engineering ethics

Digital Creativity

Living media interfaces (LMIs) have emerged as a new way to interact with digital systems by incorporating actual living organisms in user interfaces. There is increasing interest in utilizing living media in the context of interaction design influenced by recent advancements in biological sciences that make new forms of responsive living media possible. We establish a definition of LMIs appropriate for HCI’s interdisciplinary domain. We provide an overview of the current design space and identify open research questions from four different perspectives: Biological, Ethical, Artistic, and HCI. For each perspective, we use a series of LMI exemplars to illustrate and ground themes and arguments. We conclude with a series of implications for design, including a discussion of LMIs’ ability to engage human users through being alive, their potential to symbolize and embody dynamic information, and the practical and ethical questions that designers need to consider when working with them.

Living media interfaces: a multi-perspective analysis of biological materials for interaction