Mapping Felt Space First-Person Design Research Using Digital and Somatic Methods

Abstract

This essay presents an experimental protocol that combines somatic practice with computational design tools in order to explore how movement can generate new ways of attending to space. It develops a first-person, practice-led mapping method that integrates somatic movement exploration with digital tools, using tracking technology, augmented reality (AR), and visual programming. After outlining theoretical foundations in somatics, neuroscience, and cognitive science, the text describes a protocol that aims not to capture or measure experience with accuracy but to invite designers into embodied exploration. The work is situated within a broader PhD research project on integrating somatic and digital literacies in design. In this stage, accessible tools such as Fologram, Rhinoceros 3D, and Grasshopper 3D are used to track movement and visualize it in augmented reality, creating a feedback loop where body and geometry influence one another and open possibilities for creative reflection.

Keywords: somatics, design cognition, embodied computation