Beyond distributed representation: embodied cognition design supporting socio-sensorimotor couplings

Embodied Cognition has been proposed as a relevant theory for tangible and embedded interaction [14]. Based on two 2-year lasting Research-through-Design cases we identify three variations of the theory: 1) Distributed Representation and Computation, 2) Socially Situated Practices and 3) Sensorimotor Coupling & Enactment. Both social situatedness and sensorimotor coupling proved relevant for design and for understanding user behavior in context. We show how the 'social' and the 'sensorimotor' are part of one integrated sensemaking process we call 'socio-sensorimotor coupling'. We argue that the, intuitively appealing, idea of using tangibles for external representation actually hinders designing for sensemaking as socio-sensorimotor coupling. We present a vision of Embodied Cognition Design, which goes beyond a representational interpretation, aiming to intervene more directly into the socio-sensorimotor loop.