Designing products as an integral part of choreography of interaction : the product's form as an integral part of movement

Recent developments in design research concentrate on two themes (1) the unity of form, function and interaction and (2) the semantics of movement. The Design Movement approach incorporates unity of form, function and interaction through movement. Design Movement introduces the design of products as an integral part of Choreography of Interaction, and thus as an integral part of (the design of) movement. This approach therefore puts forward a distinctive view on the relation of product form and movement in interaction design and, consequently, a view on semantics. In this paper we introduce this challenging view. In order to do so, we explain the framework of Choreography of Interaction, its motivation, and the way the ‘interaction choreographer’ uses it to create interaction. The framework is based on the idea that movement (1) is the embodiment of interaction and (2) comprises the trinity of Physical Involvement, Dynamic Quality and Expressed Meaning in interaction. The framework incorporates the way Design Movement approaches the relation of product form, movement and semantics for interaction design. We realize that theoretically describing this approach is a nearly impossible venture. In fact, only through movement, through practicing it, the idea can actually be grasped. Therefore, we commence with examples of projects to illustrate our endeavour.