Serial Communication

Tangible coding interfaces are becoming more ubiquitous in HCI research. As these systems evolve, it becomes important to consider the somaesthetic qualities of these systems. In Kristina Höök's manifesto "Designing with the Body: Somaesthetic Interaction Design", she coined the term "soma design—a process that reincorporates the body and movement into a design regime that has long privileged language and logic" (XVI). Many tangible interfaces throughout my research acknowledge the body, but not in motion. From the Reactable to Google's Project Bloks, these systems rely on users snapping things into place, but not actually using gesture as an input. I posit that this misses the point - designing systems that encourage movement is necessary for the development of systems that work with our bodies.

Code found here