Articulating Soma Experiences using Trajectories

Abstract

In this paper, we reflect on the applicability of the concept of trajectories to soma design. Soma design is a first-person design method which considers users' subjective somatic or bodily experiences of a design. Due to bodily changes over time, soma experiences are inherently temporal. Current instruments for articulating soma experiences lack the power to express the effects of experiences on the body over time. To address this, we turn to trajectories, a well-known concept in the HCI community, as a way of mapping this aspect of soma experience. By showing trajectories through a range of dimensions, we can articulate individual experiences and differences in those experiences. Through analysis of a set of soma experience designs and a set of temporal dimensions within the experiences, this paper demonstrates how trajectories can provide a practical conceptual framing for articulating the temporal complexity of soma designs.

Award

Honorable Mention

Authors

DOI

10.1145/3411764.3445482

Paper URL

https://doi.org/10.1145/3411764.3445482

Video

Conference: CHI 2021

The ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (https://chi2021.acm.org/)

Session: Design and Bodily Action