Biography:

HyunJoo Oh is an Assistant Professor with a joint appointment in the School of Industrial Design and the School of Interactive Computing at Georgia Tech. Her research focuses on the intersection of Human-Computer Interaction and design, specifically studying and building creative technologies that integrate everyday craft materials with computing. 

HyunJoo explores how familiar materials can be extended and transformed by computing technology, both as a tool and as a material, to broaden creative possibilities for designers. Her work has been published and exhibited at ACM SIGCHI conferences and in the maker community. HyunJoo holds a Ph.D. in Technology, Media, and Society with a Graduate Certificate in Cognitive Science from the University of Colorado Boulder (2018), a Master of Entertainment Technology from Carnegie Mellon University (2012), a Master of Interaction Design (2010) and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Information Design (2008) from Ewha Womans University.

Teaching Interest:

As an educator, I bridge hands-on design with critical thinking, observation, and meaningful applications to address real-world issues. I approach design as a dialogue with materials (both digital and physical) and extend this idea to embrace technologies as tools for exploration and expression. By fostering creativity and resilience, I aim to empower students to confront challenges, reflect on critical issues, and explore new possibilities.

I am interested in teaching interaction design methods that apply across diverse design contexts, combining reading-based seminars with project-driven learning. I also teach technical skills such as prototyping interactive systems, which often serve as core requirements, as well as sustainable design and fabrication. I also integrate community partners when possible so students can link their work to real-world needs and opportunities.

Research Interest:

Grounded in constructionist learning theory, which promotes learning through making and reflection, my work investigates how hands-on making can deepen learning, invite personal expression, and enhance engagement with authentic, real-world challenges. The process of creating personally meaningful artifacts cultivates curiosity, creativity, and transformative educational experiences. 

The core of my research is in cultivating designers’ learning through creative making. I believe that creative making, particularly when coupled with technologies that foster resilience, offers a powerful way to nurture creativity. Through the deliberate design of tools, materials, and techniques, we can invite a broader and more diverse community into the creative practice of making. This process empowers designers to generate ideas that are self-directed, personally meaningful, and grounded in the world around them.

My goal is to advance technologies that strengthen resilience in these processes, enabling designers to envision and make the world a better place to live in. Regardless of the final outcomes, it is the generative act of making itself that inspires new possibilities, cultivates critical reflection, and facilitates transformative forms of learning.

List of Recent Scholarly Work:

Reimagining Upcycled Plastic Bags: Integrating Electronics through Design for Disassembly. HyunJoo Oh, Jinzhi Ye, Lisa Marks, and Tingyu Cheng. 2026. Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction (TEI '26, To Appear).

Designing Loofah Wearables for Embodied Ecological Reflection. Yingting Gao, Jing Xie, Fiona Bell, Alex Cabral, Josiah Hester, and HyunJoo Oh. 2026. Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction (TEI '26, To Appear).

LumiBite: An In-the-Wild Technology Probe Exploring Personalized Bottom-Up Lighting Lunchbox for Enhanced Dining Experiences. Haiqing Xu, Xiwen Yao, Sixuan Wu, Jung Hyun Bae, Zhifan Guo, Dian Lv, Zhihao Yao, HyunJoo Oh, and Alex Adams. 2026. Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction (TEI '26, To Appear).

Tangible-MakeCode: Bridging Physical Coding Blocks with a Web-Based Programming Interface for Collaborative and Extensible Learning. Jin Yu, Poojita Garg, DoangJoo Synn and HyunJoo Oh. 2025. Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '25). ACM Press, Article 129, 1-15.

On-demand RFID: Improving Privacy, Security, and User Trust in RFID Activation through Physically-Intuitive Design. Youngwook Do, Tingyu Cheng, Yuxi Wu, HyunJoo Oh, Daniel Wilson, Gregory D. Abowd, and Sauvik Das. 2025. Proceedings of the Symposium on Usable Security and Privacy (USEC '25).

Eliciting Design Guidelines of Paper-Based Tactile Interfaces for Eyes-Free Scenarios. Han Huang, Tingyu Cheng, Jinzhi Ye, Yuhui Zhao, Yiyang Wang, Haiqing Xu, Abigale Stangl and HyunJoo Oh. 2025. Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction (TEI '25). ACM Press, Article 12, 1-15.

Swell by Light: An Approachable Technique for Freeform Raised Textures. Sosuke Ichihashi, Noura Howell and HyunJoo Oh. 2025. Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction (TEI '25). ACM Press, Article 45, 1-16.

Woven Speaker: Exploring the Potential of Craft as a Method for Exploring Technology through Weaving. Lisette A Romero and HyunJoo Oh. 2024. In Companion Publication of the SIGCHI Conference on Designing Interactive Systems (DIS '24). ACM Press, 314-317.

Making Computing Visible & Tangible: A Paper-Based Computing Toolkit for Codesigning Inclusive Computing Education Activities. HyunJoo Oh, Sherry Hsi, Noah Posner, Colin G. Dixon, Tymirra Smith, and Tingyu Cheng. 2023. International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction (IJCCI), 38, 1-14.

Kirisense: Making Rigid materials Bendable and Functional. Akash Talyan, Tingyu Cheng, Wei Wang, Clement Zheng, and HyunJoo Oh. 2023. Proceedings of the 10th International Association of Societies of Design Research Congress (IASDR Congress '23).

Transient Internet of Things: Redesigning the Lifetime of Electronics for a More Sustainable Networked Environment. Tingyu Cheng, Gregory D. Abowd, HyunJoo Oh, and Josiah Hester. 2023. Proceedings of the HotCarbon Workshop on Sustainable Computer Systems (HotCarbon '23). ACM Press, Article 18, 1-8.

SwellSense: Creating 2.5D Interactions with Micro-Capsule Paper. Tingyu Cheng, Zhihan Zhang, Bingrui Zong, Yuhui Zhao, Zekun Chang, Ye Jun Kim, Clement Zheng, Gregory D. Abowd, and HyunJoo Oh. 2023. Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '23). ACM Press, Article 424, 1-13.

Functional Destruction: Utilizing Sustainable Materials’ Physical Transiency for Electronics Applications. Tingyu Cheng, Taylor Tabb, Jung Wook Park, Eric M Gallo, Aditi Maheshwari, Gregory D. Abowd, HyunJoo Oh, and Andreea Danielescu. 2023. Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '23). ACM Press, Article 366, 1-16.

Degrees with Year of Award:

University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO.
      Ph.D. in Technology, Media and Society, College of Engineering and Applied Science, 2018.
      Graduate Certificate in Cognitive Science.

Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA.
      Master of Entertainment Technology, School of Computer Science & College of Fine Arts, 2012.

Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea.
      Master of Design in Media Interaction Design, College of Art & Design, 2010.
      Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Information Design, College of Art & Design, 2008.