Summary
Conventional in-depth interviews and observational research place a premium on what people say and the way they interact with a product or design as a means to understand user needs. However, the bias in Western thought that spoken language is a synonym for expression overshadows the essential role of non-verbal communication to convey meaning. In this talk, Dr. Dane DeSutter will show you that the physical components of our expression—gesture, body posture, gaze etc.—offer researchers a unique perspective on people, our social systems, and the ways we engage with our designed environments. This talk will broaden your awareness of the embodied mind and demonstrate the value of studying the body when untangling high value problems in design and beyond.
Key Insights
-
•
Embodied cognition reframes the mind as shaped by the body’s sensory and motor systems interacting with the physical and social world.
-
•
Gestures often occur spontaneously and reveal internal mental models, while embodied actions tend to be intentional and goal-directed.
-
•
Language alone is often vague and contradictory; gestures help triangulate and deepen understanding in research.
-
•
Dane’s AI study showed users like Carmen anthropomorphize AI as an apprentice they teach, influenced by conversational UI designs.
-
•
Carmen’s gestures revealed two distinct mental models of machine learning: a reactive input-output model and an active training metaphor.
-
•
Physical therapists like Stacey rely heavily on embodied actions (touch, gaze) and subjective feedback alongside quantitative device data.
-
•
Medical device data often captures only part of patient care insights; embodied actions reveal richer, subjective information lost in records.
-
•
Environmental design can either support or disrupt critical embodied interactions, such as doctor-patient connections.
-
•
Gesture and embodiment analysis can start with low-tech tools, making it accessible and cost-effective for researchers.
-
•
As computing moves beyond screens, understanding embodied user interactions will become critical for next-generation UX and product research.
Notable Quotes
"Our bodies profoundly influence the way that we think about ourselves, others, the world, and everything in it."
"The body can be a bridge to understand your users by looking at gestures and embodied actions to get to what people mean."
"The computer metaphor of mind just doesn’t do a very good job of explaining what we see people do with their bodies."
"Embodied cognition reframes the mind from an information processing computer to something grounded in sensory and motor systems."
"Gestures serve as a window into the embodied mind and often replay rich sensory-motor memories when we communicate or reason."
"AI products like ChatGPT are not just tools for some people; they are relationships."
"Physical therapists see their hands as a golden resource in treatment and tend to resist technology that might replace that."
"You want to keep the physician at the center of expertise, integrating multiple data sources, not relying solely on devices."
"Just the interaction with the physical environment can disrupt something as important as a doctor-patient connection."
"Gesture and embodied action is also a way for us to think about the next era of user and product research."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Play invites curiosity, and curiosity allows us to imagine and create new worlds."
Zariah CameronReDesigning Wellbeing for Equitable Care in the Workplace
September 23, 2024
"If you don’t have enough information to prioritize, put the items on a dartboard and throw a dart to start the conversation."
John Cutler Harry MaxPrioritization for designers and product managers (1st of 3 seminars) (Videoconference)
June 13, 2024
"Every time somebody purchased a domain name, I earned a commission. Over three to four years, I earned over $100,000 as a high school student."
Nick CochranGrowing in Enterprise Design through Making Connections
June 3, 2019
"I often lock a process against changes for one to two months unless a major issue arises."
Deanna SmithLeading Change with Confidence: Strategies for Optimizing Your Process
September 23, 2024
"Our fellowships bring in private sector people to public service challenges, focusing more on the journey than on delivering final products."
Magdalena ZadaraZero Hour: How to Get Far Quickly When Starting Your Digital Service Unit Late
November 16, 2022
"We didn’t exploit the knowledge gap. Everyone was willing to say I don’t know. Can you help me?"
Nova Wehman-BrownWe've Never Done This Before
June 4, 2019
"By identifying the triggers that lead customers to ask questions, I was able to help data scientists figure out what training data to access and explore."
Liwei DaiThe Heart and Brain of the AI Research
March 31, 2020
"The arrival of workers during COVID lockdown meant coordinating across government ministries, airport authority, federal border services and public health – this was a design problem."
Gordon Ross12 Months of COVID-19 Design and Digital Response with the British Columbia Government
December 8, 2021
"People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
Tutti TaygerlyMake Space to Lead
June 12, 2021