User Experience as Embodied Experience: Considerations for UX Designers
by Lauren Bedal
Virtual and augmented reality, tangeable user interfaces, smart products, wearables — we are beginning to see our physical and digital worlds truly merging. And for those of us in the fields of UX and IXD, this is a very exciting time.
In the Age of Information, we witnessed common tasks in the physical world such as writing letters or organizing a file cabinet become two dimensional, digital abstractions. The user and machine were mediated by an interface; the relationship was purely transactional, centered around traditional methods of WIMP-style (Windows, Icons, Menus, Pointers) interaction. The Age of Information removed the user from the physical world.
Technology today has shifted to become more tangible, gestural, wearable, and collaborative. As connected devices and sensors enter our homes and offices, and virtual reality becomes more accessible, touch, gesture, sight, and sound are now becoming our primary modes of interaction.
In the Age of Experience, the interface begins to disappear. We begin to see that the physical body has become a key player in tangible and gestural experiences. There is now more coincidence of input and output. For designers, this presents opportunities to explore a larger range of perceptual-based experiences vs. those in the Information Age.
Some examples of include:
- Moving hands freely to interact with an interface; linking physical interaction to digital augmentations (Adrien M/Claire B)
- Using a physical object as a tool, operating in six degrees of freedom (Reactable)
- Using other passive methods of input such as eye tracking, EEG, or skin conductivity to drive experience (Left for Dead- game experience)
- Interacting with data visualizations to gain insights from big data (Kineviz — San Francisco, CA)
- Interactive audio/visual environments (such as Refik Anadol’s recent transformation of the LA Philharmonic)
- Wearing smart watches and smart clothing (See Google + Levis Project Jacquard and Sneakairs)
These examples illustrate the way in which a user moves and senses as a key driver in the experience itself.
The research and methodology around crafting these types of digital experiences require an expanded set of considerations beyond the current user centered design approach. Designing for the “embodied user” requires a substantial shift in perspective from traditional design thinking.
Personally, this shift of engagement with technology is particularly exciting because in addition to my time working in UX and IXD, I have also spent a large portion of my time studying contemporary dance in both a research, choreographic, and performance context. During my collegiate studies in dance, I was exposed to topics such as embodied cognition, Laban Movement Analysis, Bartenieff Fundamentals, choreography, multimedia performance, and movement dynamics. A somatic-based education allowed me to develop a sensitivity to movement and perception. It has also allowed me to see the extraordinary possibilities that lie ahead with this integration of physical and digital worlds.
So how can we design for the “embodied user?” How can we include body-based research methodology into the design practice, creating new and innovative methods for interacting with our physical and virtual environments?
How can we include body-based research methods into the design practice, creating new and innovative methods for interacting with our physical and virtual environments?
There are many perceptual-based considerations when designing for the “embodied user”:
- Current gesture vocabulary should be expanded. Just as Google Material Design provides standards around gesture patterns and touch mechanics to create common expectations, I believe there is further documentation needed surrounding larger gesture-based interactivity. This will become more important as single-channel interaction schemas and indexed organization (i.e. hamburger menu drop-downs) are replaced with non-linear free-form gestures and tool manipulation in six degrees of freedom.
- User interactions through gesture should align to experiential aesthetics. Just as animations and transitions of UI elements on a screen can convey emotion and personality through easing curves and timing, the way in which we move can help in establishing aesthetic goals of an experience. This is where research in dance such as Rudolf Laban’s Effort/Shape Analysis delves in depth to describe movement qualities and meaning. Laban’s work, and other similar theories can provide meaningful insights as we begin to invent new ways of interacting with technology.
- Somatic exploration should be used as a research tool. As embodied cognition emphasizes, your body informs how you think and perceive the world. Just as we experiment with changing button radii, placement of buttons, and scrolling and swiping, designers can use somatic exploration to serve as a tool to create gestures, to test haptic feedback, or to explore new ways of holding or activating smart objects. As the interface becomes more and more invisible, new methods for interaction will surface. Observing and analyzing others’ movements and behavior within immersive environments is equally useful for user research.
I believe the user experience is now more than ever, a truly “embodied experience,” and we are just beginning to scratch the surface.
Thank you for reading!
Lauren is an Interaction Designer at Matter. Feel free to connect via LinkedIn or at lbedal2@gmail.com
