Weaving the machine

When hospital technologies migrate into the home environment, care shifts from `self taken care of' to `taking care of self'. As such, designing these tools is less about instantaneous usability and more about ongoing development of skill over time, especially when confronting the epidemic of chronic diseases. Research into what people do and how they act to manage their health through the combination of physical and immaterial technology becomes critical. Through a design anthropology approach, empirical findings show the work of learning technology for home dialysis requires a patient to become skilled in action and perception. This paper argues for interaction with healthcare technology that remains visible and tangible rather than disappearing into either the body or environment.