Embodiment Design is part of [[Relationship Design]] and deals with shaping the exterior as well as the interface capabilities of digitally augmented things. It can be measured via [[Digital Relationship Dimensions]]. A lot of researchers around [Embodied cognition](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embodied_cognition) agree that intelligence and embodiment are tightly coupled issues. This means: The physical properties and capabilities define how something acts in this world. But for embodiment design we assume this also works the other way around: That humans are quick to anthropomorphize complex things they don't understand. In this case, we assume most humans would expect digitally augmented objects to be aligned with their expectations of the type of thing, together with the brand representation of the thing. For example how a digitally augmented car should behave in general, but also understand differences between a digitally augmented car made by Audi vs. one made by Chrysler or Ferrari. As they project a certain expectation together with the notion of dealing with a personality, these personalities will need to emulate behavior within sensible parameters to represent their true capabilities. There are three dimensions that you can design around when shaping the embodiment of a digitally augmented thing: * **Embodiment**: What the object is made out of and how it is perceived by its surroundings * **Awareness**: How the object perceives its surroundings and context * **Expression**: How the object communicates with its surroundings ## Embodiment This is maybe the most known dimension as it is mostly product design. If a thing is supposed to emulate or represent certain expectations (like "sporty" or "safe"), there are multiple approaches and design frameworks for designing a visual language and thus a shell. Relevant aspects: * **Materials**: What the object is made of and how, for example the look (shape), the feel (materials) and the fit & finish. * **Shell**: What the object is supposed to represent, for example adjectives or character traits. ## Awareness This is how the object perceives its surroundings and context, usually through sensors and network data. In technical terms it's the interface between the digital parts of the object and physical reality around it. That said, there is implicit awareness and explicit awareness. When the user interacts with a thing in a personal manner, they need to know how to address the thing, where to address the thing and that it's aware of the user. Analogy: When interacting with another human, you want to know if they are attentive / not distracted. You look at them and vice versa. You want to feel a connection or at least have some form of acknowledgment that they are listening to you. The same needs to be true for digitally augmented things. There needs some kind of focus point that the user talks to. This might be a styled "face" or even a sensor. Think about the movie "2001" where the "face" of HAL (the computer) was essentially a (number of) camera(s). The astronauts assume that if they talk to the camera, HAL would be aware of them - they addressed the computer through the cameras. So explicit awareness is where the users are aware that the thing is aware of them and "where" it is aware, for example through overt positioning of certain sensors. Relevant aspects: * **Sensors**: Are the interface between the object and the physical reality around it. Are they explicit / visible or implicit / invisible? * **Context**: The interface between the object and the larger world. ## Expression This describes how the object can communicate with the user, either directly (voice, displays, ..) or indirectly (equivalent of gestures, "facial" expression or mimicry). This is true for reactive (feedback) or active (initiated by the thing) communication. For example some Alexa models react with a visible and audio feedback once they hear the activation word.