Designing with the Body by Kristina Hook

Designing with the Body by Kristina Hook

Interaction design that entails a qualitative shift from a symbolic, language-oriented stance to an experiential stance that encompasses the entire design and use cycle.

With the rise of ubiquitous technology, data-driven design, and the Internet of Things, our interactions and interfaces with technology are about to change dramatically, incorporating such emerging technologies as shape-changing interfaces, wearables, and movement-tracking apps. A successful interactive tool will allow the user to engage in a smooth, embodied, interaction, creating an intimate correspondence between users' actions and system response. And yet, as Kristina H k points out, current design methods emphasize symbolic, language-oriented, and predominantly visual interactions. In Designing with the Body, H k proposes a qualitative shift in interaction design to an experiential, felt, aesthetic stance that encompasses the entire design and use cycle.

H k calls this new approach soma design; it is a process that reincorporates body and movement into a design regime that has long privileged language and logic. Soma design offers an alternative to the aggressive, rapid design processes that dominate commercial interaction design; it allows (and requires) a slow, thoughtful process that takes into account fundamental human values. She argues that this new approach will yield better products and create healthier, more sustainable companies.

H k outlines the theory underlying soma design and describes motivations, methods, and tools. She offers examples of soma design "encounters" and an account of her own design process. She concludes with "A Soma Design Manifesto," which challenges interaction designers to "restart" their field-to focus on bodies and perception rather than reasoning and intellect.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780262551465
ISBN 10	0262551462
Title	Designing with the Body
Author	Kristina Hook
Series	Design Thinking Design Theory
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	MIT Press Ltd
Year published	2024-03-12
Number of pages	272
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.