Abstract: Embodied embedded cognition (EEC) has gained support in cognitive science as well as in human–computer interaction (HCI). EEC can be characterized both by its action-centeredness as well as its roots in phenomenology. The phenomenological aspects of EEC could be seen as support for trends in design emphasizing the user experience. Meanwhile, usability issues often are still approached using traditional methods based on cognitivist assumptions. In this paper, I argue for a renewed focus on improving usability from an EEC perspective. I draw mainly on a behavior-oriented interpretation of the theory, the key aspects of which are reviewed. A tentative sketch for an embodied embedded usability is proposed, doing justice to the embodied embedded nature of interaction while retaining the goal of developing technology that is easy to use in everyday practice.
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This investigation explores relations between 1) a theory of human cognition, called Embodied Cognition, 2) the design of interactive systems and 3) the practice of ‘creative group meetings’ (of which the so-called ‘brainstorm’ is perhaps the best-known example). The investigation is one of Research-through-Design (Overbeeke et al., 2006). This means that, together with students and external stakeholders, I designed two interactive prototypes. Both systems contain a ‘mix’ of both physical and digital forms. Both are designed to be tools in creative meeting sessions, or brainstorms. The tools are meant to form a natural, element in the physical meeting space. The function of these devices is to support the formation of shared insight: that is, the tools should support the process by which participants together, during the activity, get a better grip on the design challenge that they are faced with. Over a series of iterations I reflected on the design process and outcome, and investigated how users interacted with the prototypes.
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from the article: "We present a case study as part of an investigation into the value of Embodied theory for the design of mixed physical digital interactive products. An interactive light system was designed that empowers an independent living person with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in managing domestic activities. Reflecting on the case we develop our vision of Embodied Functionality (EF). Designing for EF goes beyond ‘distributing’ information technology in the environment. It aims at creating interactive physical digital products that play a functional role (i.e. become part of) a person’s embodied being‐in‐the- world, involving a person’s identity. It does so by utilizing existing structure and by supporting action ‐perception couplings, reflection in- and on action and autonomy in social coordination. EF opens up an alternative design space holding the promise of a more successful appropriation of interactive (assistive) products into people’s everyday lives. "
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Inside Out is an innovative research project that translates cutting-edge microbiome science into immersive, multisensory experiences aimed at long-term behavioral and mental health transformation. Combining extended reality (XR), speculative gastronomy, and narrative therapy, the project enables participants to explore their inner microbiome landscape through taste, smell, touch, and interactive storytelling. This pioneering methodology connects gut-brain science with emotional and sensory engagement. Participants experience their bodies from the inside out, cultivating a visceral understanding of the symbiotic microbial worlds within us. The project includes AI-generated "drinkable memories," microbiome-inspired food designs, haptic-olfactory VR environments, and robotic interactions that choreograph the body as terrain. Developed in collaboration with designers from Polymorf, producer Studio Biarritz, psychiatrist-researcher Anja Lok, and microbiome scientists from Amsterdam UMC and the Amsterdam Microbiome Expertise Center, Inside Out bridges scientific rigor with artistic expression. The project seeks to: • Increase embodied understanding of the microbiome’s role in health and well-being • Shift public perception from hygiene-based fear to ecological thinking • Inspire behavioral change related to food, gut health, and mental resilience The outcomes are designed to reach a large audience and implementation in science museums, art-science festivals, and educational programs, with a view toward future clinical applications in preventive healthcare and mental well-being. By making the invisible microbiome tangible, Inside Out aims not only to inform, but to transform—redefining how we relate to the ecosystems within us.
This project assists architects and engineers to validate their strategies and methods, respectively, toward a sustainable design practice. The aim is to develop prototype intelligent tools to forecast the carbon footprint of a building in the initial design process given the visual representations of space layout. The prediction of carbon emission (both embodied and operational) in the primary stages of architectural design, can have a long-lasting impact on the carbon footprint of a building. In the current design strategy, emission measures are considered only at the final phase of the design process once major parameters of space configuration such as volume, compactness, envelope, and materials are fixed. The emission assessment only at the final phase of the building design is due to the costly and inefficient interaction between the architect and the consultant. This proposal offers a method to automate the exchange between the designer and the engineer using a computer vision tool that reads the architectural drawings and estimates the carbon emission at each design iteration. The tool is directly used by the designer to track the effectiveness of every design choice on emission score. In turn, the engineering firm adapts the tool to calculate the emission for a future building directly from visual models such as shared Revit documents. The building realization is predominantly visual at the early design stages. Thus, computer vision is a promising technology to infer visual attributes, from architectural drawings, to calculate the carbon footprint of the building. The data collection for training and evaluation of the computer vision model and machine learning framework is the main challenge of the project. Our consortium provides the required resources and expertise to develop trustworthy data for predicting emission scores directly from architectural drawings.
Kunst- en cultuurbeleving zijn voor velen een belangrijk deel van het leven. Professionals van Zuyd Hogeschool en Vitalis zorggroep zijn ervan doordrongen dat dit niet mag veranderen wanneer je verhuist naar een verpleeghuis. Interactieve kunst heeft de potentie om in het verpleeghuis in deze behoefte te voorzien. Als kunstbeleving in de vorm van een interactieve installatie deel wil uitmaken van het dagelijks leven in een verpleeghuis, is experiment en onderzoek naar interfaces in deze context nodig. Een interface kan een betekenisvolle ervaring in de weg staan, faciliteren of versterken. Dit geldt zeker voor de doelgroep verpleeghuisbewoners vanwege cognitieve en fysieke beperkingen die deze mensen ervaren. We willen aan de hand van interface prototypes exploreren wat het effect is van het integreren van natuurlijke fenomenen (bv. zwaartekracht) en fysieke objecten (bv. een echte steen in digitaal water) (embodied interaction) als interface, met als doel een nieuw soort kunstbeleving in het verpleeghuis te introduceren, met name voor mensen met dementie. De uitkomsten van dit project zijn de experimenten zelf en observaties van de reacties van verpleeghuisbewoners ten aanzien van deze interfaces.
