Posthuman Design
Towards understanding the design of playful bodily extensions via body schema and body image

Abstract

Interaction designers are increasingly interested in physically extending people's bodies and emerging work shows the potential of such bodily extensions for play, one example being interactive fantasy ears for the Cosplay community. We interviewed five designers of four playful bodily extensions to better understand how to design them. Based on their insights and our examination of prior work, we argue that such extensions can be characterized by the extent to which they alter the wearer's body schema and body image. We illustrate this characterization using a two-dimensional design space. We use this design space to articulate practical strategies for the design of future playful bodily extensions. Ultimately, we hope to bring more playful experiences to people's lives.

 

Role: Main Co-author, Concept Co-Creator, Design Researcher

Type: Full Paper

Journal: International Journal of Human-Computer Studies

Stats: h5-index:67, impact factor: 5.3

Date: 2025

Co-Authors: Florian ‘Floyd’ Mueller, Louise Petersen Matjeka and Aryan Saini


Transhuman Communication: Human Augmentation Technologies through Co-Speculation Workshops

Abstract

The advancement of human-computer integration as a research field promises to introduce transhumanistic ways of communicating through the enhanced abilities of augmented humans. Our work seeks to illuminate this experiential landscape, exploring a diverse set of human augmentation technologies (HATs) for communication purposes. We investigated this topic through four co-speculation workshops focusing on physical, cognitive, sensory and emotional augmentations with 35 participants. Through a reflexive thematic analysis of the workshop data, we outlined eight HAT speculations for transhuman communication, grouped into four overarching augmentation clusters: (1) Bodily Changes in/for Communication, (2) Communication with Transferrable and Collective Beings, (3) Communication through Emotion and Memory, and (4) Communication with Augmented/Altered Perception. By serving as a foundation for discussions on transhumanism and communication in CSCW and beyond, these speculations contribute to a design space highlighting design opportunities and challenges to developing and researching near-future communication technologies.

 

Role: Co-author, Concept Co-creator, Supervisor

Type: Full Paper

Journal: Proc. ACM Hum.-Comput. Interact.

Stats: h5-index:81

Date: 2024

Co-Authors: Çağlar Genç, Velvet Spors, Mattia Thibault, Leland Masek and Juho Hamari


Envisioning Transhuman Communication Research: Speculative Human Augmentation Technologies and Fictional Abstracts

Abstract

Throughout human history, communication has evolved and diversified through various means, rom natural languages to modern forms like video and virtual reality. Now, a paradigm shift, transhumanism, is proposing the integration of machines and computers into the human body to augment individuals physically, sensorily, cognitively, and emotionally. In this pictorial, we examine “How can we approach the design of transhuman technologies for communication?” and “How might future research examine their impact on communication?” For this, we conducted co-speculation workshops to identify design opportunities, and based on them, created fictional a bstracts envisioning future research. Our work contributes a set of design speculations and a range of thought-provoking research ideas that will foster discussions about probable pitfalls and benefits of transhuman technologies in the future of communication.

 

Role: Supervisor, Concept Co-Creator, Design Researcher

Type: Pictorial

Conference: Proceedings of the Eighteenth International Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction

Stats: Acceptance rate: 27%, h5-index:27

Date: 2024

Co-Authors: Çağlar Genç, Velvet Spors, Mattia Thibault, Leland Masek and Juho Hamari


awardIcon
Crafting Bodies and Auras: Speculative Designs for Transhuman Communication

Abstract

Bodies exhibit communicative qualities, including gestures, facial expressions, body odors, and changes in proximity, like tattoos, clothing, and accessories. However, a transformative shift in human bodies looms ahead, propelled by transhumanism’s proposition of integrating machines with humans to enhance physical, sensorial, cognitive, and emotional capacities. This poster explores communication opportunities and potential consequences around transhuman technologies for the temporal alterations on the body through speculative designs. These speculations are formed based on four co-speculation workshops with the attendance of participants (N=35) with varying experiences in fiction creation and technology development. By envisioning flexible bodies, transforming into objects, detachable body parts, chameleon skin, and multimodal auras, our work contributes design speculations to spark discussions on the transformative impact of transhuman technologies on communication, prompting innovative investigations into this uncharted territory.

 

*The video here was produced by Çağlar Genç

 

Role: Supervisor, Concept Co-Creator, Design Researcher

Award: Best Poster

Type: Extended Abstract (Poster)

Conference: Proceedings of the 26th International Academic Mindtrek Conference

Stats: Acceptance rate: 50%, h5-index:14

Date: 2023

Co-Authors: Çağlar Genç, Velvet Spors, Mattia Thibault, Leland Masek and Juho Hamari


Towards Designing Playful Bodily Extensions: Learning from Expert Interviews

Abstract

Interactive technologies offer novel opportunities for physically extending our bodies, with the most prominent examples being prosthetics along with systems emerging from the wearables community. However, most such systems appear to focus on instrumental benefits, missing out on the opportunity to use bodily extensions for play and its associated benefits (including a lower adoption barrier and the potential to reveal a broader understanding of such technologies). To begin understanding the design of playful bodily extensions, we interviewed five designers of bodily extensions that have been showcased in prestigious academic venues or turned into commercial products. Here we present themes and actionable advice from these interviews for the design of playful bodily extensions through a thematic analysis. Our work aims to support the design of future playful bodily extensions while promoting the experiential qualities of bodily extension design, with the ultimate goal of bringing more playful experiences to people’s lives.

 

*Images shown here belong to projects of interviewed designers. Check the paper for more details.

 

Role: Co-author, Supervisor

Type: Full Paper

Conference: Proceedings of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

Stats: Acceptance rate: 28%, h5-index:129

Date: 2023

Co-Authors: Louise Petersen Matjeka and Florian ‘Floyd’ Mueller


Transurbanism: Smart Cities for Transhumans

Abstract

The current trends related to 'smart cities' are bringing the cityscapes of movies such as Blade Runner and Cyberpunk 2077 closer to our immediate reality. The question of what will the cities of the future look like is at the heart of urban studies. In parallel, a similar question is posed by (trans)humanists about the future of humanity and its possible technological enhancements. However, (trans)humanity and future cities are defined in a bi-directional dependency. Therefore, we have to answer the questions of future humans and cities simultaneously. This paper maps several ways of interacting between transhuman communities and smart cities to understand their possible effects on governing, design and society at large resulting in a framework that will work as a cautionary tale and an inspirational blueprint for imagining future urbanity.

 

Role: Main Co-Author, Design Researcher

Type: Full Paper

Conference: Proceedings of the 2020 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference

Stats: Acceptance rate: 24%, h5-index:31

Date: 2020

Co-Authors: Mattia Thibault, Seda Suman Buruk and Juho Hamari


Children in 2077: Designing Children's Technologies in the Age of Transhumanism

Abstract

What for and how will we design children's technologies in the transhumanism age, and what stance will we take as designers? This paper aims to answer this question with 13 fictional abstracts from sixteen authors of different countries, institutions and disciplines. Transhumanist thinking envisions enhancing human body and mind by blending human biology with technological augmentations. Fundamentally, it seeks to improve the human species, yet the impacts of such movement are unknown and the implications on children's lives and technologies were not explored deeply. In an age, where technologies such as under-skin chips or brain-machine interfaces can clearly be defined as transhumanist, our aim is to reveal probable pitfalls and benefits of those technologies on children's lives by using the power of design fiction. Thus, main contribution of this paper is to create diverse presentation of provocative research ideas that will foster the discussion on the transhumanist technologies impacting the lives of children in the future.

 

[Image credit: Darkart.cz]

 

Role: Curator, Design Researcher, Main Author

Type: Extended Abstract (alt.CHI)

Conference: Extended Abstracts of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

Stats: h5-index:129

Date: 2020

Co-Authors: Oğuzhan Özcan, Gökçe Elif Baykal, Tilbe Göksun, Selçuk Acar, Güler Akduman, Mehmet Aydın Baytaş, Ceylan Beşevli, Joe Best, Aykut Coşkun, Hüseyin Uğur Genç, A. Baki Kocaballı, Samuli Laato, Cásssia Mota, Konstantinos Papangelis, Marigo Raftopoulos, Richard Ramchurn, Juan Sádaba, Mattia Thibault, Annika Wolff and Mert Yıldız