UX, embodiment och rytm i jonglering

My work

Exploration of embodiment, rhythm, and digital interaction through physical prototyping.

Customer

eget projekt

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Background and purpose

As a UX designer interested in embodiment and bodily cognition, I wanted to explore how digital technology can influence tempo and the rhythmic dimensions of juggling. Traditional IT interaction often relies on screen and keyboard -- something that separates the body from thinking. Here, I wanted to do the opposite: create a prototype where body, space, and technology interact directly.

The aim was to:

Investigate how a physical artefact can introduce a rhythmic layer to juggling
Explore how voice control and automatic pulses can alter movement patterns
Experiment with embodied prototyping: thinking through building and testing

The project was carried out over a short period as a standalone experiment.

Concept

The idea emerged in the middle of juggling -- a bodily experienced 'what if...?'

I wanted to see if an artefact could:

Release balls at a certain tempo
Create an interaction where I must follow the rhythm rather than control it myself
Function as a kind of 'rhythm machine' for juggling

The result was a bucket suspended near the ceiling, with a servo-controlled bottom flap that could:

Open on voice command (Siri, release)
Open and close at a steady pulsing tempo

Prototyping Process

Embodied Design from the Start

As the idea came directly from movement and rhythm, the design process continued in the same way -- through the body, not by writing or drawing first. The kitchen table, floor, and workbench became my prototyping workshop. Here I improvised with:

Tape and plastic parts
Wooden blocks and wire
A BRIO kit to quickly test mechanics, ESP control (like Arduino), a simple server, and Siri shortcuts for voice control
ESP control (like Arduino), simple server, and Siri shortcuts for voice control

Bodily Cognition in Practice

I noticed clearly how many solutions only emerged when I was building. Manipulating the object with my hands freed up cognitive capacity. It was impossible to 'think out' the construction in my head -- it needed to be built.

Testing and Exploration

I tested the prototype in several variations: different heights, tempo modes, and flap mechanisms.

High Placement

The focus became hitting the bucket
The tempo disappeared
The interaction became more 'precision training' than rhythm

Mid-/Head Height

Much better balance (the technique itself was not the focus)
Natural to activate pulse mode
I began to sense the rhythm as an external factor I had to interact with

Pulse Mode: A New Dimension

Juggling while the bucket opened and closed at regular intervals became a completely new way of moving:

An extra rhythmic dimension
I could feel the beat rather than think it
The rhythm was more relentless and unforgiving than a human juggling partner
The technology 'disappeared' and became part of the activity -- a phenomenological interaction

Image from the project - Prototype in use

Shows the ceiling-mounted bucket and how balls are released into the juggling flow.

Image from the project - Improvised prototype environment

The kitchen counter as a creative workshop -- a visual proof of embodied chaos and creativity.

Improvised bucket build with what was available at home

Image from the project - Variants of mechanical experiments

Tested different solution variants by quickly assembling them with various materials available at home.

Results and Learnings

Technology can create rhythm -- not just react to it

Letting the system control the tempo changed the entire juggling experience.

Embodied design generates different ideas than abstract thinking

Several technical solutions only emerged through physical improvisation.

Placement in the room is a design parameter

Height, distance, and angle are as important as the software.

Rapid prototyping with simple materials works surprisingly well

Tape, toys, and kitchen utensils were enough to produce a working mechanism.

Next step

Test different rhythms and difficulty levels (e.g., swing, off-beat, accelerando)
Let the system respond to my movements (camera or sensor data)
Explore more embodied interaction patterns where the body controls the system and the system controls the body
Build a more stable version with 3D-printed parts

Summary

This short project demonstrates how simple technology, physical improvisation, and bodily curiosity can create a completely new type of interaction. By shifting focus from screen to body, new possibilities open up for how digital systems can contribute to rhythm, flow, and experiences in movement-based activities.

This case is a part of my embodied-UX-experiment series. →