Body image/body schema (BIBS) is within the larger realm of embodied cognition. Its interdisciplinary literature can inspire Virtual Reality (VR) researchers and designers to develop novel ideas and provide them with approaches to human perception and experience. In this paper, we introduced six fundamental ideas in designing interactions in VR, derived from BIBS literature that demonstrates how the mind is embodied. We discuss our own research, ranging from two mature works to a prototype, to support explorations VR interaction design from a BIBS approach. Based on our experiences, we argue that incorporating ideas of embodiment into design practices requires a shift in the perspective or understanding of the human body, perception and experiences, all of which affect interaction design in unique ways. The dynamic, interactive and distributed understanding of cognition guides our approach to interaction design, where the interrelatedness and plasticity of BIBS play a crucial role.

Date Published: 17 March 2015
PDF: 11 pages
Proc. SPIE 9392, The Engineering Reality of Virtual Reality 2015, 93920D (17 March 2015); doi: 10.1117/12.2083441

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 9392:
The Engineering Reality of Virtual Reality 2015
Margaret Dolinsky; Ian E. McDowall, Editor(s)