Thirteenth International Conference on Design Principles & Practices

Abstract

This paper explores how Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s philosophical ideas and embodied design are used in interactive design. Merleau-Ponty ‘s understanding of art is tied to his perceptual phenomenological point of view. In his opinion, the important issue in art is not the question of aesthetics, but the question of perception and expression. By focusing on art, Merleau-Ponty seeks to describe the relationship between the artist and the objects that he portrays. In other words, he considers the artist’s relationship to the work of art. In this research, the authors describe the interrelation of art work and the audience of art. With this aim, instead of addressing his direct views on art, a return to the philosophical plan of Merleau Ponty will be examined. In the first step, in a descriptive-analytical manner, the basic concepts of Merleau-Ponty philosophy are discussed. Then, from these concepts, the relationship of the audience with the interactive design and the description of the interference and the embodied contact of the product with the audience in the interactive design are discussed. Applying Merleau-Ponty’s philosophical view in the analysis of interactive design is an opportunity to release the design of definitions and limitations, as well as the transition from external/internal duplication, product/audience to interactive design. It is concluded from this study that embodied design helps in understanding an abstract subject.