This document analyzes the artifact of transparent adhesive tape. It describes the tape's construction of polypropylene film wrapping a plastic hollow column. The tape has four layers: adhesive mass, backing, keying coat, and release coat. It functions as a transparent, sticky material for sealing envelopes and repairing paper. Transparent tape was first developed in 1845 and further advanced by 3M in the 1920s for automotive masking. The document discusses reappropriating tape for attaching command hooks to irregular surfaces and using it as a ruler or mask for painting.

1. ASSIGNMENT 7 | Strangely Familiar
I 543 Interaction Design Method | Melissa Tang

2. CONTENTS
CONTENTS Page
Artifact Description 1 - 3
Re-appropriate 4 - 5
Reference 6

3. I 543 Interaction Design Method | Strangely Familiar | Artifact Analysis| Melissa Tang 1
DESCRIPTION
Artifact
In this assignment, we are asked to do artifact analysis. We were provided a list of ordinary objects. I chose tape,
adhesive tape. The tape I drew is a pressure-sensitve tape. It’s transparent. It will stick with application pressure,
without the need for heat, water for activation or solvent.
Material:
Tape is made of two parts. The transparent film is wrapping
the white plastic hollow column. According to the package,
the tape is made of polypropylene, which is an artificial
chemical. From “Pressure-Sensitive Tape and Techniques
for its Removal From Paper”, this pressure-sensitive tape is
typically consisted of four layers.
“Two of these layers are readily recognizable: the adhesive
mass, which is usually composed of a synthetic or natural
rubber (more recently of an acrylic polymer) and may contain
a variety of softeners, antioxidants, plasticizers, and curing
agents; and the backing, or carrier, which may be foil, crepe
paper, fabric, cellophane, cellulose acetate, plasticized
polyvinyl chloride, or any of a number of other flexible
materials and may be reinforced with glass or other fibers.
Less apparent but equally important are the keying coat, or
primer, used between the adhesive and backing to insure
good adhesion between the two (it may be based on natural
or synthetic elastomers and may contain some tackifiers);
and the release coat, applied to the side of the backing that
is away from the adhesive mass, so the roll can be unwound
without leaving any residual adhesive.”

4. I 543 Interaction Design Method | Strangely Familiar | | Melissa Tang 2
DESCRIPTION
Artifact
Construction:
The traces of construction processes are visible in the final design. There are some blue words in the inside of the
tape, outside of column. It says “Ruban transparent“ (Maybe it’s the brand of the tape) and “Crystal Clear Tape“.
They are promoting the brand of this tape. They are in blue “ Bold Helvetica” font, which is simple and beautiful.
The detail reveals a designer’s love for simplicity.
Function:
“Transparent office tape has a transparent film backing and an acrylic or synthetic rubber based adhesive. It is used for
sealing envelopes, repairing torn paper products, general holding, etc. “(Wikipedia)
The function of transparent tape reveals that it’s sticky and transparent. They can cover part of surface.
Provenance:
“Pressure-sensitive tape was first developed in 1845 by Dr. Horace Day, a surgeon, who devised a method of applying a
natural rubber adhesive to strips of cloth, thus producing a kind of surgical tape which he used in his practice.
The next major application for a pressure-sensitive tape came from the auto industry in the 1920s. Two-toned
automobiles were becoming increasingly popular, and manufacturers needed an efficient way to produce a clean, sharp
edge where two colors met, and still maintain the production speed that had been achieved through the invention
of the automatic paint spray gun. When areas were masked off with paper held in place with cloth surgical tape, the
solvents in the newly-sprayed paint seeped through the cloth and caused it to stick to the surface it was supposed to
protect. In 1925 Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company (3M) solved this problem with the invention of masking
tape—a tan paper backing coated with a rubber adhesive combined with various oils and resins to make it tacky. “
(Pressure-Sensitive Tape and Techniques for its Removal From Paper)
Artifact Analysis

5. I 543 Interaction Design Method | Strangely Familiar | Melissa Tang 3
DESCRIPTION
Artifact
Value:
The value of the artifact for its creator is to provide tools for people and to make profit. The value in society is to
make it easy to fix or to connect things. The social and cultural values that inscribed within tape is that people
would use things for longer time. For example, if their paper product are torn, they can fix them. Another social
value is that people’s life would be more convenient if they use tape to seal things. Tape is sturdy and accessable
to seal/connect things.
| Artifact Analysis

6. I 543 Interaction Design Method | Strangely Familiar | Melissa Tang 4
RE-APPROPRIATE
Tape used as a media to connect command hooks with irregular surface:
| Artifact Analysis
1. Stick the tape on the irregular wall. 2. Remove the layer which in the back of
hook.
3. Stick the
command hook to
the tape surface.
Give some
pressure on the
hook.
Experience:
User would not be afraid that the
command hook would not be sticky to
the irregular surface. Also, because the
tape is transparent, it’s not noticable.
PS. The surface cannot be too rough for
tape to stick to.

7. I 543 Interaction Design Method | Strangely Familiar | Melissa Tang 5
RE-APPROPRIATE
Tape used as a ruler/mask for painting:
| Artifact Analysis
1. Stick tape in the surface you want to
draw.
2. Draw.
3. Remove the
tape.
Experience:
User would not be afraid that paint
would make some part of the painting
dirty. Also, they can draw lines without
make their ruler dirty. They can make
whatever shape of mask they want with
tape as long as the removal of tape
doesn’t hurt the surface badly.

8. I 543 Interaction Design Method | Strangely Familiar | Melissa Tang 6
REFERENCE
Pressure-Sensitive Tape and Techniques for its Removal From Paper--BY By Merrily A. Smith, Norvell M. M. Jones,
II, Susan L. Page and Marian Peck Dirda
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adhesive_tape
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helvetica
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pressure-sensitive_tape
| Artifact Analysis