University of Twente Student Theses
Reintroducing Embodied Practices from Craft Work into Office Work through Spatial Computing
Wintermans, L.J. (2025) Reintroducing Embodied Practices from Craft Work into Office Work through Spatial Computing.
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| Abstract: | Modern office work is increasingly sedentary, reducing the physical engagement once central to many professions and raising concerns about well-being. While current solutions focus on mitigating inactivity, they often overlook the core issue: the design of digital tools, which prioritize efficiency over embodied interaction. This research investigates how spatial computing can reintroduce embodied skills into office work through a research-through-design approach across three iterative cycles. These cycles included contextual inquiries with office workers and craftspeople, co-design bodystorming sessions, and prototype development. The study identified key contrasts between craft and office work—especially in spatial use and tangible interaction—which inspired multiple design concepts. One, “Spatial Git,” allows developers to visualize and manipulate code branches in physical space, echoing craft-based spatial organization. However, participants rarely saw interactions with Spatial Git as skilful, underscoring a broader challenge: embodied skill cannot be designed directly into MR systems but must develop through ongoing practice. This research highlights the difficulty of fostering sensorimotor coupling in MR and suggests designers should create conditions for skill emergence rather than prescribing fixed actions. It contributes to embodied interaction discourse and positions spatial computing as a promising, underexplored avenue for transforming digital work into a more physically engaged practice. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Faculty: | EEMCS: Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science |
| Subject: | 54 computer science |
| Programme: | Interaction Technology MSc (60030) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/106263 |
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