The Generalised Interaction Models-project (GIM) was started in order to explore the broad topic of future interaction models for mobile phones and mobile devices. Mobile interaction is fundamentally social-and experience-oriented in nature, having at its core communicative action rather than information handling.In three ethnographic studies of bodily movement and experience in leisure and everyday activities we have developed design qualities for guidance and inspiration in the design of bodily engaging interaction.

The first study looked at full body movement activities with non-digital artefacts that are well known, such as golf and skateboarding. We explored people’s skilled use of the artefacts and studied their bodily performances in these activities and teased out eight design qualities for bodily engaging interaction. We saw how the interdependency between user, artefact and physical environment was a primary driving force behind a rich, sustained and graceful interaction with the artefacts. The eight design qualities we found are; 1) interaction that connects to physical space 2) counter intuitive interaction 3) bodily feedback 4) harmonizing modalities in interaction 5) open-ended response 6) one size fits all 7) the devil is in the details, and 8) appreciating failure.