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
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Embodied cognition reframes the mind as shaped by the body’s sensory and motor systems interacting with the physical and social world.
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Gestures often occur spontaneously and reveal internal mental models, while embodied actions tend to be intentional and goal-directed.
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Language alone is often vague and contradictory; gestures help triangulate and deepen understanding in research.
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Dane’s AI study showed users like Carmen anthropomorphize AI as an apprentice they teach, influenced by conversational UI designs.
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Carmen’s gestures revealed two distinct mental models of machine learning: a reactive input-output model and an active training metaphor.
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Physical therapists like Stacey rely heavily on embodied actions (touch, gaze) and subjective feedback alongside quantitative device data.
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Medical device data often captures only part of patient care insights; embodied actions reveal richer, subjective information lost in records.
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Environmental design can either support or disrupt critical embodied interactions, such as doctor-patient connections.
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Gesture and embodiment analysis can start with low-tech tools, making it accessible and cost-effective for researchers.
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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."
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