Un-useless Book
Un-useless

Un-useless
Interactions

Break UX rules and reimagine how we engage with digital media through bodily, physical interaction. In this workshop, you will explore your potential and create something inspiringly un-useless.

Workshop prototype in use
Duration
2 x 3h
Group size
6 to 12
Prerequisites
none
Output
tangible prototype
01

What is the Un-useless Workshop?

Un-useless is a hands on workshop method for designing unconventional, embodied interactions with digital media. Instead of polishing interfaces or following standard UX patterns, participants prototype one interaction fast, using simple materials, Chindogu, bricolage and a computer mouse as the central constraint.

The workshop responds to a design culture that often prioritises clean solutions and AI accelerated standard outputs. Here, the focus is on making, repurposing, and discovering the unexpected through the process itself.

Core principles

  • Let go of perfection, build something that works well enough to test
  • One interaction, one task, no need to solve a big problem
  • Copying and borrowing from others is encouraged
  • No programming

Goals

  • Break habitual UX patterns and explore subversive interaction approaches
  • Prototype embodied interactions with simple materials
  • Build confidence to move from thinking to making, fast
  • Learn to work with what is available, in the spirit of bricolage

Suitable for

  • Design students and educators
  • Teams who want to unblock creativity through physical prototyping
  • Workshops focusing on interaction, play, and experimentation
02

Examples

Example prototype 1
Meditation Scrolling Time for a break. Breath into the windmill and start scrolling while meditating
Example prototype 2
Caress Working Stay in touch with your loved ones while working. Use your soft mouse on the body of a loved one.
Example prototype 3
Leaver D20 Pull the leaver to choose your fate with a digital D20 in your next game of D&D.
Example prototype 4
Spy Cam Spy on the people around you with this very good disguised spy cam in a meta box.
03

Ressources

Chindogu

Chindogu are almost «useless» inventions that solve an everyday problem. They provide a solution that only appears useless at second glance. Their origins lie in 1990s Japan with Kenji Kawakami.

Bricolage

Bricolage, from the French for DIY, is the method of «this might still come in handy». It makes use of already existing materials and tools and reworks their meaning from project to project. In bricolage, no two people will create the same thing from the same materials.

Tinkering

In tinkering the focus is on the approach and on learning within the process. Tinkering is a valuable way of working that engages with a problem in a playful, exploratory and iterative manner. In tinkering, one constantly responds to given conditions. Ideas are tried out and adjustments are made continuously.

04

Workshop rules

  1. 01The mouse must be used
  2. 02The body must be involved
  3. 03Interaction with digital media
  4. 04Solve only one task
  5. 05No programming
  6. 06Have fun
▸No programming – what does that mean?

Participants should not use apps, websites, or similar tools that they have written themselves to implement their interaction. The aim is to clearly present and solve an interaction. For many ideas, there are numerous websites or small tools on the internet that can be used to implement the interaction. e.g., Google Tools, OBS, Audio Player, Webcam Tools

Important for workshop leaders: In keeping with the spirit of Chindogu, breaking rules is also allowed in the workshop. If a participant knows exactly what they want to implement, they should be given the opportunity to do so. The goal is to move away from the conventional.

05

Programme

Schedule at a glance, step by step.

Day 1 (3h)

0:00 to 0:10Welcome, context, plan
0:10 to 0:25Icebreaker «What kind of tomato are you today?»
0:25 to 0:45Short input: chindogu, bricolage, tinkering, why «un-useless»
0:45 to 1:10Ideation exercise: Crazy 8
1:10 to 1:30Mouse exploration on smartphone
1:30 to 1:50Mouse teardown
1:50 to 2:40Build, test, iterate
2:40 to 3:00Quick documentation and wrap
▸Between day 1 and day 2

Participants spend one week noticing embodied interactions in daily life and bring that inspiration back for day 2. They can take the mouse home and play around with it.

Day 2 (3h)

0:00 to 0:10Welcome, focus on making
0:10 to 0:20Icebreaker «What kind of bicycle are you today?»
0:20 to 0:30Short review: what worked well, what remained open
0:30 to 0:50Exercise 2: two objects, 5 minutes, 3 ideas, then swap
0:50 to 2:40Build: new interactions, coaching, exchange
2:40 to 3:00Showcase, documentation, closing round

Step by step

1. Welcome and mindset

Set the tone: fast, imperfect, tangible. One interaction, one task, no need to solve the world.

2. Ice breaker drawing

One minute drawing prompt to break the ice and start making immediately.

3. Theory

Introduce Chindogu, Bricolage, and Tinkering to explain the workshop logic and permission to be «almost useless».

4. Ideation exercises

Day 1: Crazy 8 with an object and a rolled topic. Day 2: two objects, 5 minutes, 3 ideas with rolled topic, then pass left and right.

5. Mouse exploration and teardown

Connect the mouse to a smartphone, explore control options, then open the mouse and learn its mechanics.

6. Build, test, iterate

Prototype an embodied interaction with digital media using simple materials. Test early, rebuild often.

7. Show, document, reflect

Each participant presents the interaction, records a short video, takes photos, and shares learnings in a closing round.

06

What you need

Required

  • Computer mouse, ideally one per participant
  • USB-A adapter to connect to your phone
  • Tools to manipulate the materials and objects
  • Fastening material like glue, tape, string, pushpins, zip ties etc.
  • Random everyday objects
  • Scrap materials
  • A small «support object» per person, for example a tiny duck

Optional materials

  • What ever you can think of and you have on hand
  • Props and recycled materials
  • Wood scraps, screws for larger builds on day 2

Room setup

  • One large table island for the whole group
  • Projector for inputs and examples
  • Separate tool table for tools and additional bigger objects
  • Water and small snacks
▸Preparation checklist
  • Prepare pen, paper and mouse for every participant
  • Prepare materials, objects and tools
  • Test: projector, video, audio, smartphone mouse connection
07

Submit prototypes

If you ran the workshop, you can submit outcomes here.

▸What to include
  • 1 to 5 photos or a 10 second clip
  • Names and credits
  • Short description: What's your interaction about?
08

Book a workshop

Need a hand with the workshop?

Book a one or two day workshop with me. For more details please contact me via email below.

▸What to include
  • When
  • Where
  • How many people