This is the presentation of my CHI 2014 note: http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=2556288.2557221&coll=DL&dl=GUIDE&CFID=485371586&CFTOKEN=18899613

1. “Now That’s Definitely a Proper Hack”:
Self-Made Tools in Hackerspaces
Jeffrey Bardzell | Shaowen Bardzell | Austin Toombs!
Cultural Research in Technology (CRIT) Group!
Indiana University School of Informatics and Computing
Good afternoon everyone, I’m Austin Toombs and I am a PhD student in the School of Informatics and Computing at Indiana University, Bloomington. I
work with Shaowen Bardzell and Jeffrey Bardzell in the Cultural Research In Technology (CRIT) group at IU. In this talk I’m presenting the work we
conducted in a Midwest hackerspace.

2. This work explores how the self-made tools fashioned by members of a hackerspace are ad hoc, fluidly shift between materials and tools, and symbolize
the hacker who made them and the hackerspace as a group.

3. 1
Culture of
Making in HCI
Our Contributions:!
An empirical study of the ad hoc
self-made tools made by
members of a hackerspace.
Which we use to juxtapose two
discourses of interest to design
research on making: tools and
adhocism.
2
In this field we have seen a quickly increasing interest in the culture of making among HCI researchers. Our note contributes to this line of research with an
empirical study of the self-made tools created by members of a hackerspace.
We saw these tools as connecting two discourses of interest to design research on making: tools and adhocism. We found that juxtaposing these
discourses can help explain some of the highly generative creative practices that take place in the hackerspace.

4. 1
The hackerspace!
• consensus collective
• “flat hierarchy”
• share knowledge, skills,
and tools
• hack, reclaim, and
salvage
Empirical Study
The hackerspace I reference throughout this talk is a collective of individuals who share knowledge, skills, and tools and help each other hack, reclaim, and
salvage. The space serves as both a productive place to work on usually individual projects and as a social outlet.

5. 1
The hackerspace!
• consensus collective
• “flat hierarchy”
• share knowledge, skills,
and tools
• hack, reclaim, and
salvage
Ethnography and Interviews!
• Ethnography since
September 2012
• I am a member of the
hackerspace
• Interviews about 18 tools
• “Tool” defined by the
participant
Empirical Study
I have been conducting an ethnography of this hackerspace since September of 2012. This has enabled us to begin to articulate an insider’s perspective
on activities that take place there, and, more broadly, on maker culture.
We quickly saw that the self-made tools present in the space are a source of pride for our participants, and are used to exemplify what it means to hack
there. We dove deeper into this representation with a series of interviews that focused on 18 of these tools, where “tool” was demarcated by the
participants.

6. 1
Ethnography and Interviews!
• Ethnography since
September 2012
• I am a member of the
hackerspace
• Interviews about 18 tools
• “Tool” defined by the
participant
Empirical Study
Tools!
• Prosthesis
• Directed engagement
• Symbolize the activity
Adhocism!
• Pragmatic
• “Making do”
• Hybridized and dialogical
Tools & Adhocism 2
While developing this emic understanding of tools and the making process, we referenced literature on tools and adhocism to give us another angle for
looking at our data.
As a very quick and dirty synthesis, tools extend human capabilities, they help to focus our engagement with a task, and they come to symbolize the
activity they are used for, and to some extent, the person who uses them.
Adhocism, for our purposes, refers to a process that hacking seems to have a clear affinity with in both style and practice. It involves a pragmatic focus, a
reliance on available materials by “making do” with what’s at hand, and inherently involves a hybridization of multiple perspectives.

7. Self Made Tools...
In our interviews about the 18 specific tools, we asked what the tools did and how and why they were made as opposed to purchased. Through the
ethnography we saw the role the tools play in the ecology of the hackerspace and how these tools are described to other members and to visitors.
Our note presents three of the themes we found about these self-made tools: they are ad hoc, they fluidly shift between materials and tools, and they
represent the hacker who made the tool and the hackerspace as a whole.

8. Self Made Tools...
Are ad hoc
In our interviews about the 18 specific tools, we asked what the tools did and how and why they were made as opposed to purchased. Through the
ethnography we saw the role the tools play in the ecology of the hackerspace and how these tools are described to other members and to visitors.
Our note presents three of the themes we found about these self-made tools: they are ad hoc, they fluidly shift between materials and tools, and they
represent the hacker who made the tool and the hackerspace as a whole.

9. Self Made Tools...
Are ad hoc
Fluidly shift
between
materials and
tools
In our interviews about the 18 specific tools, we asked what the tools did and how and why they were made as opposed to purchased. Through the
ethnography we saw the role the tools play in the ecology of the hackerspace and how these tools are described to other members and to visitors.
Our note presents three of the themes we found about these self-made tools: they are ad hoc, they fluidly shift between materials and tools, and they
represent the hacker who made the tool and the hackerspace as a whole.

10. Self Made Tools...
Are ad hoc
Fluidly shift
between
materials and
tools
Symbolize the
hacker and the
hackerspace
In our interviews about the 18 specific tools, we asked what the tools did and how and why they were made as opposed to purchased. Through the
ethnography we saw the role the tools play in the ecology of the hackerspace and how these tools are described to other members and to visitors.
Our note presents three of the themes we found about these self-made tools: they are ad hoc, they fluidly shift between materials and tools, and they
represent the hacker who made the tool and the hackerspace as a whole.

11. Self Made Tools...
Are ad hoc
Fluidly shift
between
materials and
tools
Symbolize the
hacker and the
hackerspace
We characterize many of the tools as ad hoc because they are created for a specific, pragmatic purpose using parts on hand.
A quick example of this kind of adhocism at play is a tension wrench one of the members made after finding a piece of metal on the floor of the
hackerspace.
He says: “I had the steel around. Wanted a tension wrench now. Didn’t want to wait for one in the mail. So I just made it. ...There’s probably not a real
good excuse for me to make that tension wrench, other than because it was fun. If I had to buy the metal it wouldn’t have been cheaper.”

12. Self Made Tools...
Are ad hoc
Fluidly shift
between
materials and
tools
Symbolize the
hacker and the
hackerspace
“I had the steel around. Wanted a tension wrench
now. Didn’t want to wait for one in the mail. So I
just made it. ...There’s probably not a real good
excuse for me to make that tension wrench, other
than because it was fun. If I had to buy the metal it
wouldn’t have been cheaper.”
We characterize many of the tools as ad hoc because they are created for a specific, pragmatic purpose using parts on hand.
A quick example of this kind of adhocism at play is a tension wrench one of the members made after finding a piece of metal on the floor of the
hackerspace.
He says: “I had the steel around. Wanted a tension wrench now. Didn’t want to wait for one in the mail. So I just made it. ...There’s probably not a real
good excuse for me to make that tension wrench, other than because it was fun. If I had to buy the metal it wouldn’t have been cheaper.”

13. Self Made Tools...
Are ad hoc
Fluidly shift
between
materials and
tools
Symbolize the
hacker and the
hackerspace
Another member, who builds his own Power Distribution Units, described how he decides whether to make or purchase a PDU based on how customized
his project needs to be and on which process will be fastest. He looks for the path of least resistance.
What’s key about these and other examples is that the members could just buy these tools, but they know that sometimes it’s easier or more fun to just
make it. And knowing that they can make these tools is part of how they see themselves as hackers.

14. Self Made Tools...
Are ad hoc
Fluidly shift
between
materials and
tools
Symbolize the
hacker and the
hackerspace
“If I have it on hand, if I have most of the parts if
not all of the parts on hand, then I will go ahead
and build it myself. But if I have to go hunting, then
I’ll just purchase something.”
Another member, who builds his own Power Distribution Units, described how he decides whether to make or purchase a PDU based on how customized
his project needs to be and on which process will be fastest. He looks for the path of least resistance.
What’s key about these and other examples is that the members could just buy these tools, but they know that sometimes it’s easier or more fun to just
make it. And knowing that they can make these tools is part of how they see themselves as hackers.

15. Self Made Tools...
Are ad hoc
Fluidly shift
between
materials and
tools
Symbolize the
hacker and the
hackerspace
NOT happening in the space
• General purpose tools
• Brand new types of tools
Framing these tools as ad hoc is also helpful in determining what kinds of activities are not taking place in the hackerspace. Members are not creating
general purpose tools, and they aren’t making brand new kinds of tools. What they’re making usually exists somewhere else, but they make it because it’s
more convenient, practical, or fun to do so.

16. Self Made Tools...
Are ad hoc
Fluidly shift
between
materials and
tools
Symbolize the
hacker and the
hackerspace
A common characteristic of regulars in the hackerspace is that they can intuitively shift between understanding a collection of materials as a tool and then
again as a pliable collection of materials.
One of the first projects that got me interested in these tools was one that involved a hacked network cable attached to an LED marquee. A more
complete story is in the note, but this hacker took an existing cable and, based on his understanding of how the cable worked and how he needed it to
work, changed it’s underlying physical structure to get it to do what he wanted. This example really blurs the space between tool and material.
When we asked him what skills he uses over and over again in his making processes, he said:
“something I didn’t realize [was] that other people don’t have such a good ability…sometimes just working with hardware, like say you need to make a
case for something, a project or something, and I mean, taking some metal and just banging on it until it bends to your will...and then forms around what
you’re doing.”
This is something we saw a lot of makers taking for granted: that they can see these materials and tools as things to work with, as suggestive of
possibilities, when not everybody else can.
!

17. Self Made Tools...
Are ad hoc
Fluidly shift
between
materials and
tools
Symbolize the
hacker and the
hackerspace
“something I didn’t realize [was] that other people
don’t have such a good ability…sometimes just
working with hardware, like say you need to make a
case for something, a project or something, and I
mean, taking some metal and just banging on it
until it bends to your will...and then forms around
what you’re doing.”
A common characteristic of regulars in the hackerspace is that they can intuitively shift between understanding a collection of materials as a tool and then
again as a pliable collection of materials.
One of the first projects that got me interested in these tools was one that involved a hacked network cable attached to an LED marquee. A more
complete story is in the note, but this hacker took an existing cable and, based on his understanding of how the cable worked and how he needed it to
work, changed it’s underlying physical structure to get it to do what he wanted. This example really blurs the space between tool and material.
When we asked him what skills he uses over and over again in his making processes, he said:
“something I didn’t realize [was] that other people don’t have such a good ability…sometimes just working with hardware, like say you need to make a
case for something, a project or something, and I mean, taking some metal and just banging on it until it bends to your will...and then forms around what
you’re doing.”
This is something we saw a lot of makers taking for granted: that they can see these materials and tools as things to work with, as suggestive of
possibilities, when not everybody else can.
!

18. Self Made Tools...
Are ad hoc
Fluidly shift
between
materials and
tools
Symbolize the
hacker and the
hackerspace
Another member calls this ability “futzing,” and she uses it as the foundation for the workshops we put on for children. We really like giving the kids
something they have to “futz” with, because we believe one of the biggest parts of being a maker is this kind of material sensibility.
Through these tools we began to see making as an ability not just to create hardware, but fundamentally to see the objects in one’s environment as pliable
materials, that can be shaped into tools or deconstructed into ingredients for other projects.

19. Self Made Tools...
Are ad hoc
Fluidly shift
between
materials and
tools
Symbolize the
hacker and the
hackerspace
“futzing”
Another member calls this ability “futzing,” and she uses it as the foundation for the workshops we put on for children. We really like giving the kids
something they have to “futz” with, because we believe one of the biggest parts of being a maker is this kind of material sensibility.
Through these tools we began to see making as an ability not just to create hardware, but fundamentally to see the objects in one’s environment as pliable
materials, that can be shaped into tools or deconstructed into ingredients for other projects.

20. Self Made Tools...
Are ad hoc
Fluidly shift
between
materials and
tools
Symbolize the
hacker and the
hackerspace
The final characteristic is that the self-made tools of this hackerspace support and represent the makers who made them, and help reproduce the maker
identity within the space.
These tools become inspirational stories that are shared with visitors to show them “this is the kind of people we are, this is the kind of stuff we do.”
Members will point out that hacked network cable to visitors and say “Now that’s definitely a proper hack.” In this way, the tool takes on a symbolic power
in the hackerspace.

21. Self Made Tools...
Are ad hoc
Fluidly shift
between
materials and
tools
Symbolize the
hacker and the
hackerspace
“now that’s definitely a proper hack”
The final characteristic is that the self-made tools of this hackerspace support and represent the makers who made them, and help reproduce the maker
identity within the space.
These tools become inspirational stories that are shared with visitors to show them “this is the kind of people we are, this is the kind of stuff we do.”
Members will point out that hacked network cable to visitors and say “Now that’s definitely a proper hack.” In this way, the tool takes on a symbolic power
in the hackerspace.

22. Self Made Tools...
Are ad hoc
Fluidly shift
between
materials and
tools
Symbolize the
hacker and the
hackerspace
A bicycle generator built by another member is similarly symbolic. This tool is shown off to visitors as often as possible, and is presented regularly within
the broader community at various events as an example of alternative energy, but also as an example of what can be made at this hackerspace.
These tools show off who the makers are and what they can do, but are also representative of what it means to be a maker to others.
As one member said: “...some people have an intimidated state of mind and they think, "Oh man, it's hard to build your own stuff," and seeing somebody
who doesn't know what they're doing at all build their own stuff and being successful might be inspirational. …”

23. Self Made Tools...
Are ad hoc
Fluidly shift
between
materials and
tools
Symbolize the
hacker and the
hackerspace
“Some people have an intimidated state of mind
and they think, "Oh man, it's hard to build your own
stuff," and seeing somebody who doesn't know
what they're doing at all build their own stuff and
being successful might be inspirational.”
A bicycle generator built by another member is similarly symbolic. This tool is shown off to visitors as often as possible, and is presented regularly within
the broader community at various events as an example of alternative energy, but also as an example of what can be made at this hackerspace.
These tools show off who the makers are and what they can do, but are also representative of what it means to be a maker to others.
As one member said: “...some people have an intimidated state of mind and they think, "Oh man, it's hard to build your own stuff," and seeing somebody
who doesn't know what they're doing at all build their own stuff and being successful might be inspirational. …”

24. But…are these really tools?
So I have a lot of examples of the artifacts we looked at, but a question we kept coming back to was “are all of these actually tools?” In some of the
examples it can be hard to see why we would call them that. There are a few notions of tool at play here. Two of them are: the understanding held by
those who claim that what they made is a “tool,” and the definitions of what it means to be a “tool” from literature. Common to both of these is this
ontological fluidity that an artifact becomes a tool only when it enters into a particular kind of use, and that tools symbolically express tasks and identities.

25. But…are these really tools?
Two notions:
So I have a lot of examples of the artifacts we looked at, but a question we kept coming back to was “are all of these actually tools?” In some of the
examples it can be hard to see why we would call them that. There are a few notions of tool at play here. Two of them are: the understanding held by
those who claim that what they made is a “tool,” and the definitions of what it means to be a “tool” from literature. Common to both of these is this
ontological fluidity that an artifact becomes a tool only when it enters into a particular kind of use, and that tools symbolically express tasks and identities.

26. But…are these really tools?
The emic understanding we
developed empirically
Two notions:
So I have a lot of examples of the artifacts we looked at, but a question we kept coming back to was “are all of these actually tools?” In some of the
examples it can be hard to see why we would call them that. There are a few notions of tool at play here. Two of them are: the understanding held by
those who claim that what they made is a “tool,” and the definitions of what it means to be a “tool” from literature. Common to both of these is this
ontological fluidity that an artifact becomes a tool only when it enters into a particular kind of use, and that tools symbolically express tasks and identities.

27. But…are these really tools?
The emic understanding we
developed empirically
Definitions from literature
Two notions:
So I have a lot of examples of the artifacts we looked at, but a question we kept coming back to was “are all of these actually tools?” In some of the
examples it can be hard to see why we would call them that. There are a few notions of tool at play here. Two of them are: the understanding held by
those who claim that what they made is a “tool,” and the definitions of what it means to be a “tool” from literature. Common to both of these is this
ontological fluidity that an artifact becomes a tool only when it enters into a particular kind of use, and that tools symbolically express tasks and identities.

28. But…are these really tools?
Adhocism!
• Impure amalgamation
• Sometimes redundant and
inessential
• Open, suggestive, and rich in
possibility
The emic understanding we
developed empirically
Definitions from literature
Two notions:
In the note, we rely on Jencks and Silver’s account of adhocism to help unpack why some of these artifacts felt like tools to the hackerspace members,
even if most people would not agree. The ontological fluidity of “tool” can be understood as an impure amalgamation, laden with the redundant and
inessential, and yet open, suggestive, and rich in possibility.

29. Conclusion
Our definition
A self-made tool is that thing that
emerges in a pragmatic
situation as an extension of the
self used to solve a problem, but
which sometimes resists
permanent reification into a
“real” tool—partly because it
can retain the impurity of the
ad hoc.
These are tools because…
The definition we’ve come up with is that “A self-made tool is that thing that emerges in a pragmatic situation as an extension of the self used to solve a
problem, but which sometimes resists permanent reification into a “real” tool—partly because it can retain the impurity of the ad hoc.”
So we argue that even though they may not look like traditional tools, these self-made artifacts are tools because they give rise to new ways of acting with
a purpose.
The hackers’ habituated ability to see objects simultaneously both as wholes and as deconstructable assemblages of pliable materials supports a creative
sensibility for how to “invest the world with meaning” both with existing tools, and with the ad hoc re-invention of tools. We argue that the reproduction
of this creative sensibility is one of the primary purposes of the hackerspace.

30. Conclusion
They give rise to new ways of
acting with a purpose
!
They help the hackers shape
the world with meaning
Our definition
A self-made tool is that thing that
emerges in a pragmatic
situation as an extension of the
self used to solve a problem, but
which sometimes resists
permanent reification into a
“real” tool—partly because it
can retain the impurity of the
ad hoc.
These are tools because…
The definition we’ve come up with is that “A self-made tool is that thing that emerges in a pragmatic situation as an extension of the self used to solve a
problem, but which sometimes resists permanent reification into a “real” tool—partly because it can retain the impurity of the ad hoc.”
So we argue that even though they may not look like traditional tools, these self-made artifacts are tools because they give rise to new ways of acting with
a purpose.
The hackers’ habituated ability to see objects simultaneously both as wholes and as deconstructable assemblages of pliable materials supports a creative
sensibility for how to “invest the world with meaning” both with existing tools, and with the ad hoc re-invention of tools. We argue that the reproduction
of this creative sensibility is one of the primary purposes of the hackerspace.

31. Acknowledgments
Jeffrey Bardzell | Shaowen Bardzell | Austin Toombs!
Cultural Research in Technology (CRIT) Group!
Indiana University School of Informatics and Computing
NSF IIS Creative IT
Intel ISTC for Social
Computing
Our anonymous reviewers
The Cultural Research in
Technology Group
Jeffrey Bardzell
Shaowen Bardzell
Colin Gray
and our participants
Thank you for listening

32. Ethnography
Sustained interactions in the
field.
!
Participant observations
!
A deep understanding of a
particular phenomenon from the
perspective of those in the
space
What I look for in Bloominglabs during a participant observation:
• What everyone is working on or what they are talking about.
• Interactions with specific tools
• Which tools are ignored
• Who asks questions and who do they ask
• How they represent their projects
• When people need a hand on a project, I jump in and participate and observe how other people participate.
• I listen in on how people describe the space to new visitors. And I give a lot of the tours of the space myself.
• When events take place, like Makevention or the workshops we've done with Wonderlab and the library, I'm there participating alongside the other
Bloominglabs members because I am a Bloominglabs member, just as much as anyone else is, and that’s at the heart of Ethnography.

33. The Tools
Lock picking tools
Lock picking games
Hacked network cable
Bicycle generator
Power distribution units
Home made radio antennas
Attachments to commercial tools
Safety equipment
Storage solutions
Bubble etcher
LED hydroponic farms
Educational kits
And more…