Designing Embodied Interaction in Hybrid Spaces

Working Definitions

Affordance: Action possibilities an artefact offers in a situation. In design (Norman), signifiers make relevant affordances perceptible; good mappings and constraints guide action while preventing error. In hybrid settings, affordances span physical form (grip, orientation) and digital behavior (state, feedback).
Artefact: A situated physical–digital object or assembly used in teaching/research. It exposes affordances and a minimal API (Control/State/Events), can sense & act, and serves both as an interface and an epistemic object.
Diegetic UI: Interface cues placed inside the scene, anchored to objects/surfaces rather than floating overlays. Labels and status live on the artefact or spatial anchor.
Embodied Interaction: Meaning emerges in sensorimotor coupling of body, artefact, and environment (after Dourish).
Presence: Felt sense of being there / being together in mediated space; perceptual, cognitive, social layers (Lombard & Ditton).
Proxemics: The study of how people use interpersonal space and orientation in communication. In interaction design, proxemics‑aware A/V orchestration adapts framing, loudness, and spatial audio to distance.
Research‑through‑Design (RtD): Knowledge via making & reflective practice; artefacts as epistemic objects (Zimmerman).
Telepresence / Hybrid: Coupling distributed places into shared task spaces; co‑located & remote actors in one situation.

Hybrid Learning Atelier

Anchoring principles (after Lefebvre). We work across spatial practice, representations of space, and representational spaces.

Flexible spatial practice. Modular seating/tables, ceiling rails and curtains to rapidly partition zones.
Technology as an invisible enabler. Infrastructure integrated into wall cabinets and floor boxes; clean cable routing.
Representational spaces. A wall‑filling projection (≈6.25 × 2.80 m) becomes a “fourth wall” for life‑size remote presence.

Implementation moves: DANTE audio, beamforming mics, eye-level cameras, and NDI orchestration.

Teleportation: from cultural imaginaries to hybrid interfaces

Teleportation is not only a technical speculation; it is a cultural figure for the desire to be here and elsewhere at the same time.

Design translation: instead of “moving bodies,” hybrid systems “move states” (signals, intentions, shared artefacts).

George du Maurier’s fictional “Telephonoscope” (1878) and Robida’s late‑19th‑century visions anticipate contemporary debates around surveillance and public/private boundaries.

Teleporter: Portable hybrid presence systems

Concept. Mobile frames that couple two sites into a shared interaction field—grounded in presence theory.

Sensory telepresence: Life‑size video + spatial audio.
Interactive agency: Gestures, tangible props, remote actuation.
Room grammar: Camera at eye level, action zones for proxemics, and daylight-balanced LED lighting.

→ Teleporter WebApp / Live Demo

Connect! Interactive Live Demo

Open demo at hauchz.art

Demo works on mobile devices. Use a Chromium-based browser for serial connection.

References

Dourish, P. (2001). Where the Action Is. MIT Press. Embodied interaction: meaning through action–perception loops; frames the room‑as‑interface stance.
Ishii, H., & Ullmer, B. (1997). Tangible Bits. CHI ’97. Coupling bits and atoms via tokens/ambient media; lineage for tangible props in hybrid studios.
Weiser, M. (1991). The Computer for the 21st Century. Scientific American. Ubiquitous & calm computing vision; basis for instrumented, distributed spaces.
Hornecker, E., & Buur, J. (2006). Getting a grip on tangible interaction. CHI ’06. Framework linking physical, social and spatial dimensions—evaluation heuristics for TUIs.
Höök, K. (2018). Designing with the Body. MIT Press. Somaesthetic method repertoire—design with felt bodily experience (gesture, posture, proxemics).
Zimmerman, J., Forlizzi, J., & Evenson, S. (2007). Research through design. CHI ’07. RtD in HCI—knowledge articulated via artefacts/cases; fits studio‑based inquiry.
Reinmann, G., Herzberg, D., & Brase, A. (2024). Forschendes Entwerfen. transcript. (DE) DE monograph connecting DBR & RtD to higher education practice—evidence‑seeking iteration.
Reinmann, G. (2023). DBR as Research Through Design. EDeR. (DE) DE OA overview—frames hybrid‑studio interventions as educational design research.
Eiband, M., et al. (2018). Bringing Transparency Design into Practice. IUI ’18. Patterns/probes for transparency‑by‑design—useful for live dashboards & consent.
Sieber, J. M., Brannys, A., Söbke, H., Sabik, M. I., & Kraft, E. (2025). The Hybrid Learning Atelier. MTI, 9(10), 107. Primary case reference: architecture, AV/sensor stack, scenarios—empirical backbone.
Merleau‑Ponty, M. (1966). Phänomenologie der Wahrnehmung. Berlin: de Gruyter. (DE) Phenomenological roots of embodied perception—body as the basis of meaning‑making.
Heeter, C. (1992). Being There: The Subjective Experience of Presence. Presence, 1(2). Early presence account; graded levels and measurement orientation.
Lombard, M., & Ditton, T. (1997). At the Heart of It All: The Concept of Presence. JCMC. Canonical overview defining presence as perceptual illusion of non‑mediation.
IJsselsteijn, W., Riva, G., Waterworth, J., & Waterworth, E. (Eds.). (2003). Being There. IOS Press. Edited volume on presence determinants & metrics; anchors many measures.
Biocca, F., Harms, C., & Burgoon, J. K. (2003). Toward a more robust theory and measure of social presence. PRESENCE 2003. Theory & measurement criteria for social presence—instrument design guidance.
Lessiter, J., Freeman, J., Keogh, E., & Davidoff, J. (2001). The ITC‑SOPI. Presence, 10(3), 282–297. Cross‑media presence questionnaire—baseline beyond HMD‑VR.
Dourish, P., & Bell, G. (2011). Divining a Digital Future. MIT Press. Ethnographic critique of UbiComp; design‑in‑the‑wild perspective on messiness.
Gumbrecht, H. U. (2004). Produktion von Präsenz. Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp. (DE) Cultural‑theoretical expansion of presence: intensity and immediacy beyond meaning.
Brannys, A., & Sieber, J. M. (2026). that this is what carries us. In Räume der Hochschullehre. transcript. Teleporter practice articulated for co‑presence and participatory learning; conceptual backbone for the satellites.