Once Again, the Doorknob: Affordance, Forgiveness, and Ambiguity in Human-Computer Interaction and Human-Robot Interaction

Abstract

Based on the author’s keynote lecture at the 2018 ‘Rethinking Affordance’ symposium (Stuttgart, Germany), this essay offers a comprehensive survey of the tensions between J.J. Gibson’s and Don Norman’s perspectives on the concept of affordance, and formulates an incisive critique of how Norman reconfigured Gibson’s initial theory. The essay’s key arguments are triangulated in a critical dialogue between design practices, affordance theory, and a critical reading of design pedagogy. Drawing on her own practice as a pioneering net artist and digital folklore researcher, the author moves from early internet design practices through human-computer interaction and user experience design towards a speculative consideration of the affordances of human-robotic interaction.