Article:

With the aging of handicraft inheritors and the pinch of young apprentices, Chinese traditional craft inheritance is in an urgent and critical situation. This research aims to explore ways of interactive diagrams to display the knowledge system of Chinese traditional craft on mobile phone platform so as to answer what should be inherited and how to achieve it. By dividing Chinese traditional craft into physical form and intangible form, this research has clarified the structure of Chinese traditional craft, which contains four parts—materials, craft process, tools and typical craft forms. Based on cognitive load theory and situated cognition theory, two ways have been found to design interactive diagrams. In the part of testing the effect of interactive diagrams, the research has built up a prototype, designed the test, analysed the data. It shows that the present interactive diagrams have an obvious improvement for novices in their recognition and awareness of materials, tools and typical craft forms and, at the same time, it is difficult for novices to attain skilful craft by using such interactive diagrams.